We’ve created our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ for Double Gameweek 28 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks. They will then be finalised and published much closer to Saturday’s deadline.
Plenty can change between now and then, of course, with midweek action/minutes and press conference quotes set to influence our final decision.
We are, as ever, limited by certain restrictions:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 28 FIXTURES
Above: The Gameweek 28 fixtures sorted by difficulty on our Season Ticker
THE LIKELY LADS
There are two teams who ‘double’ in Gameweek 28, Bournemouth and Luton Town, so it’s a fair bet to assume at least two assets from each side will find their way into our final Scout Picks.
One of Murara Neto (£4.6m) or Thomas Kaminski (£4.5m) will surely end up between the posts, with the former selected here given that the Cherries are at home in both matches. Neto is also capable of compensating for clean sheet losses: he has picked up a combined 33 save and bonus points in 24 games under Andoni Iraola.
It’s also because Alfie Doughty (£4.7m) is our preferred route into Luton’s backline. His deliveries, both in open play and at set-pieces, are key to Rob Edwards’ approach, with Doughty’s 53 chances created 16 more than any other team-mate.
Further forward, Dominic Solanke (£7.1m) and Carlton Morris (£5.1m) are the clear front-runners, having played a part in 50% and 56% respectively of their side’s goals this season.
Rotation has been one of the downsides to the other Bournemouth attackers in 2023/24, but if we do swallow the risks, Marcus Tavernier (£5.4m), Justin Kluivert (£4.6m) and Antoine Semenyo (£4.5m) may be in the Scout Picks running.
Ross Barkley (£5.0m) also merits consideration at Luton: over the past seven Gameweeks, he’s created 23 chances, a league-high figure.
Elsewhere, Arsenal will be facing an injury-hit Brentford side who have conceded 11 goals in their last four league matches. Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.3m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.2m) are the stand-out picks, but Aaron Ramsdale (£4.5m), Martin Odegaard (£8.5m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£7.7m) are also on the radar.
West Ham United v Burnley is another eye-catching clash.
The Clarets are the division’s second-lowest scorers this season so Alphonse Areola (£4.2m), Vladimir Coufal (£4.6m) and Emerson Palmieri (£4.4m) may enter the thinking as a consequence, while Bournemouth’s ability to repeatedly get in behind Burnley’s defence on Sunday raises the appeal of Jarrod Bowen (£7.8m), who is second only to Son Heung-min (£9.8m) for midfielder transfers in this week.
IN CONTENTION
With Liverpool and Manchester City squaring off at Anfield, we could potentially overlook both sides in favour of those with ‘easier’ fixtures, at least on paper.
However, we’ve opted for Erling Haaland (£14.5m) in our ‘bus team’ for now, with the absence of Alisson Becker (£5.8m) a key factor in our decision. Caoimhin Kelleher (£3.7m) has deputised ably in the Brazilian’s absence thus far but this fixture will be a significant test for the 25-year-old, given the magnitude of the match.
Phil Foden (£8.1m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) – if fit – are other considerations for the Scout Squad panel to ponder.
Meanwhile, there is more confidence in Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur attackers than there is in their defensive counterparts in Gameweek 28.
The fixture looks a bit iffy from a clean sheet perspective, with the pair ranked fourth and sixth respectively for goals scored in 2023/24, so it’s Leon Bailey (£5.7m), Douglas Luiz (£5.6m), Ollie Watkins (£8.9m), Son and James Maddison (£7.9m) who feel worthy of consideration.
Crucially, no player has scored more FPL points at home than Luiz over the season, while Son and Maddison are averaging 7.1/7.4 points per away start.
In the reverse fixture, Son had three goals disallowed for offside due to Aston Villa’s effective high line, but if the trap fails at all on Sunday, the South Korean will surely capitalise.
Elsewhere, the fit-again Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) and Cole Palmer (£5.7m) are additional midfield options who could potentially feature in Friday’s selection. The former impressed on Saturday but could only last 66 minutes having just returned from injury, which is why we’ve sided with the Chelsea playmaker for now.
THE LONG SHOTS
The likes of Daniel Munoz (£4.5m), Diogo Dalot (£5.2m), Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) and Lewis Dunk (£5.1m) could potentially emerge as defensive options, but it does currently feel like others are ahead.
Elsewhere, Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m), Marcus Rashford (£8.4m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£5.0m) are hard to make a case for, given the appeal of other midfielders discussed above.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham feels like a tough match to call, even accounting for the hosts’ mounting injury list, while Anthony Gordon (£6.1m), Alexander Isak (£7.5m) and Pascal Gross (£6.6m) may struggle to get past others, despite reasonably appealing fixtures.
GAMEWEEK 28 BUS TEAM
