The Scout Squad’s best players for FPL Gameweek 34

Double trouble or twice as nice? There’ll be some debate on quantity over quantity as the Scout Squad go big on players with two fixtures in Gameweek 34.

In this feature, our resident writers – Marc, Tom, Sam and Neale – get the chance to nominate an 18-man longlist for the upcoming Gameweek.

All four panelists explain their notable inclusions and omissions in the article below.

MORE ABOUT THE SCOUT SQUAD

The focus is only on the upcoming Gameweek with the Scout Squad, so there’s no medium-term planning involved.

The players who get the most votes are much more likely to make the Scout Picks, although the final XI can’t exceed £83.0m. Occasionally, therefore, cheaper alternatives have to be found.

Each of our writers must meet the following requirements for this feature:

• At least one sub-£5.0m goalkeeper
• At least one sub-£5.0m defender
• At least one sub-£6.0m midfielder
• At least one sub-£7.0m forward
• No more than three players from the same club

SCOUT SQUAD: BEST FPL PLAYERS FOR GAMEWEEK 34

Most popular picks: Jordan Pickford, Gabriel Magalhaes, Mohamed Salah, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Ben Brereton Diaz, Matheus Cunha, Dominic Solanke (four), Murara Neto, Virgil van Dijk, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Ollie Watkins, Jean-Philippe Mateta (three)

SAM SAID…

The time has come for the biggest Double Gameweek this season, and I just might have fallen into the classic trap with my picks this week. I feel like, as a ‘content creator’, I spend my days warning managers not to go all in on the doublers if that is to the detriment of the single Gameweek players with good fixtures. Yet here I am with 17 Double Gameweekers and just Erling Haaland from the clubs who play once! This might end up being a mistake with the form that Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon have been in. If you are Free Hitting this week, do give the single Gameweek players a thought before locking in your XI.

The goalkeeper slot was hard this week. Obviously, David Raya and Alisson are good options. However, in being limited to just three picks per team, I wanted the potential upside of their defensive teammates. This means that I had to look at the doubling goalkeepers who seem less likely to keep a clean sheet but have additional upside.

Dean Henderson has started the last four games for Crystal Palace after Sam Johnstone’s injury ruled him out for the rest of the season. Henderson kept a clean sheet away at Anfield last time out, registering nine points in all. Palace have two home fixtures in the Double Gameweek; likely his best opportunity for a clean sheet will be in Sunday’s fixture against West Ham United. There is a good chance of save points, too, with an attacking Newcastle United in town.

Next up I have selected Jordon Pickford, the goalkeeper in my own FPL team. I am not hugely confident of clean sheets, especially with the injuries that Everton picked up on Monday evening. Pickford’s third-best 98 stops have equated to 23 save points over the course of the season, and there’s the potential for more against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Liverpool, indeed, have had 650 attempts on goal in the current campaign, more than any other team.

Likewise, Bournemouth’s Murara Neto has picked up 25 points from his 110 saves so far this season. Bournemouth play Villa and Wolves in Gameweek 34; both these sides have good attacking threat, increasing Neto’s opportunity for save points.

In defence, we are starting with the Arsenal double-up. The Gunnners have the best defence in the league this season, with 14 clean sheets and just 26 goals conceded. Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes have also demonstrated some good attacking threat this season, so I have plumped for them over William Saliba.

I have taken a punt on Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s minutes over the double. Conor Bradley’s injury is expected to keep him out for three weeks, meaning that he will miss both Gameweek 34 fixtures. Trent has seven attacking returns in his 19 starts this season, while his 54 chances created is only bettered by two defenders in the game – and they have made at least three more appearances.

Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri missed out in Gameweek 33, with Gary O’Neil stating after the game that he had a issue picked up in his fitness test. Hopefully, he will be available for the weekend as he is top for defenders for expected goal involvement (xGI) over the last six matches.

Whilst there are other good defensive options, a lot of the ones that I fancy for the Double Gameweek also come from teams that I have maxed out on elsewhere. Sheffield United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic therefore takes the final slot; if fit, I would have picked Jayden Bogle instead.

Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka pick themselves in midfield. Arsenal and Liverpool have the most attractive Double Gameweeks this time around, and they are third and fourth for points scored this season. Whilst neither have been in the best form in recent weeks (Saka blanking in three of his last four and Salah in three of his last five), both feel like non-negotiables and will be the key captaincy candidates for Gameweek 34.

The other three midfielder slots are more fun. Eberechi Eze, Justin Kluivert and Ben Brereton-Diaz all have the potential for attacking returns this week.

Eze has missed parts of the season with a hamstring injury but he has registered 10 attacking returns in his 19 starts. He has also had 60 goal attempts and created 44 chances in what pitch time he has had.

How Kluivert didn’t register a double-digit haul against Manchester United in Gameweek 33, I will never know. However, the midfielder has now returned in each of his last three matches, picking up 19 points along the way.

Finally, another punt on Sheffield United in the form of Brereton Diaz. He has made eight starts this season, and has four goals and an assist in those matches. Remember, in Fantasy Challenge, he will get double points too as part of the Promoted Punt challenge for Gameweek 34.

Up top once again it is all about the Double Gameweekers. Jean Philippe Mateta is my new obsession this week and he leads my picks. He has six returns since Gameweek 23 and was unlucky to blank against Liverpool in Gameweek 33: he was second for xG underachievers last week with 1.24. Mateta has also had the most attempts in the Palace team in the last six Gameweeks (11) and is top for xG among his teammates in that same period (3.12).

Next up, Darwin Nunez and Dominic Solanke. Depending on what side Jurgen Klopp plays in Europe against Atalanta, there is a potential risk with Darwin but I still think he is one of the top three Liverpool picks for the weekend. Solanke is an ever-present this season, looks safe and has delivered 11 attacking returns in 15 away starts.

Matheus Cunha made his first start since Gameweek 24 last weekend and picked up 12 points for his brace. His 17 attacking returns are top across the Wolves team this season (11 goals and 6 assists).

Finally, Erling Haaland is the sole single Gameweeker. Limping off in the Champions League wasn’t ideal, especially with the FA Cup match at the weekend. However, Haaland still feels like a great pick for the trip to Brighton as City look to secure another Premier League trophy.

MARC SAID…

Before I get onto the seven teams that play twice in Double Gameweek 34, I want to give a shout out to my four picks that feature only once.

We’ve seen before that these shouldn’t be neglected, as two of this season’s other three doubles – albeit on a smaller scale – ended with a single Gameweek player as the top scorer.

One of these was Ollie Watkins’ 23-point haul of Gameweek 7 and I could see him gain another double-digit score at home to Bournemouth. Over two million sold him before Gameweeks 31 and 32, swiftly punished by three goals in his latest couple of runouts.

Erling Haaland has a week to recover from any potential knock gained against Real Madrid, Diogo Dalot is at home to Sheffield United and his team-mate Rasmus Hojlund is there because I’m feeling low on Darwin Nunez’s prospects and don’t want a forward from either of Everton or the Blades’ multiple outings.

However, the two doublers I like in this position are Matheus Cunha and Dominic Solanke. The former bagged a brace at Nottingham Forest, continuing the strong pre-injury form that accumulated seven goals and four assists in 11 starts. As for the latter, he scored last week and is ticking along nicely – it’s just their defensive colleagues that I have less faith in.

But, at a time when so few backlines are reliable, Murara Neto offers two matches worth of save points. Furthermore, Rayan Ait-Nouri – if fit – has enough attacking threat to justify his selection. His last four appearances have brought two goals, an assist, five shots on target and four big chances.

Jordan Pickford is another name based on fixture quantity rather than quality – he’s at home to Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

My final goalkeeper is David Raya, as part of an Arsenal double-up alongside Gabriel Magalhaes. Before Sunday’s home defeat, the league’s best defence had kept six clean sheets in eight matches. No team has conceded fewer goals (26), expected goals (22.56), big chances (31) or shots on target (71) during this season than the Gunners, which is why I’m unable to go with attacker Kai Havertz. It’s just hard to ignore Bukayo Saka, even if he’s only racked up one big chance and one shot on target in five matches.

Meanwhile, I’ve also chosen a trio from Liverpool. Penalty-taking Mohamed Salah has been frustrating since his comeback but remains the safest route into their attack. Injury recoveries mean there’s a rotation threat for Darwin and Luis Diaz, although I’ll still go with the Colombian due to five goals and four assists in 10 games. At the back, I believe that Virgil van Dijk is more secure for minutes than Trent Alexander-Arnold and he’s the defender with most headed chances (25) so far.

Then again, the Reds always find a way to concede and last week it was Tyrick Mitchell setting up Eberechi Eze’s winner at Anfield. For some reason, the FPL community seems to be writing off West Ham and Newcastle as an easy home double for Crystal Palace but it certainly isn’t. Yet I concluded from a comparison piece that, despite Michael Olise having a better rate of goals, attempts and penalty area touches, Eze takes penalties and is less likely to have his minutes managed.

Finally, the sole player of interest from Sheffield United. Ben Brereton Diaz has four goals from eight starts and is about to go against two of the poorest defences around – Burnley and Manchester United. Both rank inside the worst five for conceding attempts, shots on target and expected goals. He’s a cheap midfield asset who is actually being played up front.

TOM SAID…

I’ve loaded up on Double Gameweek 34 players, with all but one of my selections (Ollie Watkins) – in theory at least – playing twice.

If any defence is worthy of a double-up, it’s Arsenal, but they have looked a bit troubled of late, which doesn’t bode well ahead of a trip to Molineux to take on a Wolves side that have scored in 14 of their past 15 Premier League home games.

Chelsea have found some form in front of goal, too, scoring in each of their last 15, so with that in mind, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard get the nod in my squad.

Saka has already recorded points against both his upcoming opponents this season, while Odegaard is fundamental to Arsenal’s attack, potentially reducing the risk of rotation. I also remember him excelling in the reverse fixture against Wolves, with a goal and three big chances created.

Three spaces are reserved for Liverpool players, although I’d like to see how things play out against Atalanta before committing to specific personnel.

For now, I’ve opted for Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, but Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota are also in the mix. It just depends how they look in Bergamo, and perhaps most importantly, how many minutes are logged.

Many Free Hit squads will feature a trio of players from Crystal Palace.

The Eagles have only won two of their seven matches under Oliver Glasner, creating 9.9 xG, but when fit, Michael Olise has made an impact on the attack. I can’t shake the fear that he may face reduced minutes, however, which is why I prefer Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who are first and second under Glasner for xGI.

I also like Daniel Munoz’s attacking potential and would like to see him make Friday’s cut.

Meanwhile, Rayan Ait-Nouri has a decent chance of continuing his excellent ‘out of position’ work if passed fit, while Ben Brereton Diaz takes the budget midfield spot against Burnley and Manchester United. Mainly ignored, he now collides with two defences that rank 16th and 19th respectively for shots faced over the season, so could be a nifty differential.

NEALE SAID…

There’s a recurring theme of safety and security with my Double Gameweek selections.

For starters, there’s the boring Virgil van Dijk pick over the thrilling unpredictability of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Both Liverpool full-backs are recently back from injury so may be carefully managed across this busy week ahead, while van Dijk’s last benching came over a year ago off the back of his own fitness issues.

I will of course monitor events in Italy this evening to see if minutes and injuries for Jurgen Klopp’s squad render anyone more/less attractive for this double. As it stands, it’s van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz clutching the shirts.

There’s similar caution with Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba over Ben White and Kai Havertz. Takehiro Tomiyasu’s availability means that Mikel Arteta finally has in-game/starting cover for White if needed, something we saw against Aston Villa last weekend (ironically to White’s advantage, with him banking clean sheet points on his withdrawal). Havertz is on a ludicrous run of 16 successive starts for club and country: too good to bench or due the breather that Messrs Rice and Saka got in Gameweek 31? Time will tell, and maybe there’s a bit of owner bias in thinking that Gabriel is immune to rotation after what happened earlier in the season.

I’ve even gone with Eberechi Eze over Michael Olise, despite me preferring the latter on a level playing field. Oliver Glasner’s cautionary words about Olise, ahead of a Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday run, have planted enough of a seed. Still, Eze is among the top 10 midfielders for non-penalty xGI since he made his first start under Glasner, so it’s not much of a compromise.

Perhaps the selections that require the most explanation are the fifth picks in each position.

Milos Kerkez is a risky one, going by what I’ve discussed above. It also hinges on what’s said in Andoni Iraola’s press conference on Friday. But if Sinisterra, Semenyo, Tavernier et al are all sidelined, there’s a chance we see a repeat of last Saturday’s set-up: Kerkez on the left wing. The full-back had seven penalty box touches and four shots, hitting the woodwork with one effort, so I’m hoping to see a repeat performance.

Nothing says Double Gameweek beer goggles like a Sheffield United attacking double-up. In truth, Ben Brereton Diaz wouldn’t have been included had there not been budgetary restrictions. Even then, I would have gone for Alejandro Garnacho were it not for his social media activity and the uncertainty about what Erik ten Hag will do next.

Onto Diaz and Oli McBurnie, though. As mentioned in the Gameweek 34 forwards article, the Blades’ opponents are maybe the most favourable of the seven teams that double. McBurnie has six returns in eight starts and a handful of sub appearances under Chris Wilder, while Diaz has four goals and an assist in eight run-outs. They’ve looked good together in attack, despite the Blades’ plight, so there’s some method behind the late-season maverick madness.