With Gameweek 14 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) nearing, it’s time to nail down our Scout Picks for the midweek round of fixtures.
Our in-house team have put their heads together to produce the following selection.
As ever, certain restrictions limit us:
- An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
- An overall squad limit of £100.0m
- No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 14 SCOUT PICKS
GOALKEEPER
Mats Sels (£4.7m) gets the nod between the sticks for Nottingham Forest’s encounter with lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers. Forest were well beaten against a resurgent Brighton and Hove Albion team last time out, but had shipped only one goal in their four previous matches in all competitions, attaining three clean sheets. Sean Dyche’s arrival has restored Forest’s defensive solidity, and a clean sheet is a real possibility against a Wolves side that have not scored in four Gameweeks.
DEFENDERS
Jurrien Timber (£6.4m) is the third-highest-scoring defender in FPL with 74 points. An ever-present since Gameweek 2, no defender has produced more returns this season (11) or had as many penalty box touches (46). Timber has delivered six clean sheets, two goals and three assists, and, if anything, the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.3m) and William Saliba (£6.0m) has heightened his importance to Arsenal’s attack, as demonstrated by his headed set-piece goal against Bayern Munich last week and his assist against Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 12. Arsenal are unbeaten at home this season, winning five from six, while visiting Brentford have lost five out of six on the road.
Daniel Muñoz (£6.0m) is our Crystal Palace defender of choice for the trip to Burnley. The Colombian is the second-highest scoring defender in FPL with one more point than Timber, from the same number of goals, assists and clean sheets. Muñoz ranks third among defenders for shots (14) and second for penalty box touches (38), and after returning 14 points in his last away match at Wolves, the marauding wing-back will be expecting another haul against a Burnley side on a four-match losing streak.
Ibrahima Konaté (£5.4m) has received criticism for errors made during Liverpool’s recent slump, but Arne Slot continues to back him and the Frenchman remains an ever-present. The Reds have kept two clean sheets in their last four matches as their run of benign fixtures continues, and Konaté represents a more affordable route into the Reds’ rearguard than Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m). The Dutchman has only three points more than his centre-back partner and has attempted six shots on goal compared with Konaté’s five. Liverpool face a Sunderland side who have won only two away matches this season and have lost two of their last three on their travels.
The improving Malick Thiaw (£4.9m) takes the final place in our back line after a stellar display last time out. The summer signing for AC Milan has cemented his place in the side and impressed in Gameweek 13, with two goals for a 16-point return. The centre-back has produced defensive contribution (DefCon) points in two of the last three matches and will be looking to add to that against a sub-par Spurs side. The Magpies have won all six of their last home matches in all competitions.
MIDFIELDERS
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