The Scout Squad: Our top picks for FPL Gameweek 5

A little later than usual, the Scout Squad sees our in-house team discuss who they think the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players are for Gameweek 5 in isolation.

Sam, Tom F, Neale and, in for the absent Marc, Alex/FPL Scoop explain their picks in the article below.

In what looks like a tricky-to-call Gameweek, with Arsenal facing Manchester City and clubs with favourable-on-paper fixtures in poor form, only two players get universal backing from our panel.

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 – so occasionally, we have to source cheaper alternatives.

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 5

MOST PICKS: Mohamed Salah, Jean-Philippe Mateta (four), Virgil van Dijk, Daniel Munoz, Antoine Semenyo, Erling Haaland, Joao Pedro (three)

ALEX SAID…

Guglielmo Vicario begins my Scout Squad entries this week, given Tottenham have four clean sheets from five matches in all competitions. The Italian goalkeeper has played a pivotal role in that record; he has made at least four saves in every league match so far. Spurs’ Gameweek 5 opponents, Brighton, have looked relatively threatening at times but xG underperformance has been the trend for the Seagulls so far this season, with two of their four league goals coming from the penalty spot.

It pains me to do so as an Aston Villa fan, but I’m going to back Sunderland shot-stopper Robin Roefs as a budget-friendly goalkeeping option this week. Villa finally scored in their midweek Carabao Cup loss to Brentford, but their expected goals (xG) figure of 3.07 across their opening four Premier League matches is the second-lowest in the top flight. The Black Cats, on the other hand, have kept two clean sheets so far – notably just one fewer than any promoted team managed across the entirety of last season! – and conceded the same number of goals (three) as Chelsea and Newcastle, thanks in large part to Roefs, who has made 13 total saves and accrued four bonus points for his troubles.

An even cheaper option is available in the form of Karl Darlow. Leeds’ usual No1, Lucas Perri, is again sidelined this weekend, giving £4m man Darlow – who came terribly close to shutting out Fulham last time out – the chance to face Wolves, the Premier League’s statistically bluntest attack to date and one which is still waiting on a return to full fitness for their first-choice striker, Jorgen Strand Larsen.

The relentlessly attacking Daniel Munoz – who fired off two shots last weekend and could continue to dart into forward zones in the absence of Ismaila Sarr – remains my preferred Crystal Palace defender for this weekend’s trip to struggling West Ham.

I considered a double-up with Maxence Lacroix before deciding to try some more maverick choices. Defensive contributions (DefCon) leader Marcos Senesi isn’t one of those, mind; he and his Bournemouth teammates have among the division’s lowest expected goals conceded (xGC) tallies so far, and the Argentine centre-back has earned DefCon points in all four of his league outings so far. He also grabbed an assist in Gameweek 3.

With a few of the league’s top backlines facing each other this weekend, I’m backing Brentford to get the job done in their west London derby against Fulham. Written off by many before the season started, the Bees have actually looked alright so far. Nathan Collins – a centre-back with nine attacking returns in the league last season – has delivered DefCon points in three straight games. Only three Premier League sides have scored fewer league goals than the Cottagers’ three, meanwhile, and one of those was an own goal!

Two clean sheets in four league matches suggests Villa have definitely been better defensively than going forward, even if their 11 Opta-defined ‘big chances’ conceded is worrying. Relative uncertainty in goal and at left-back plus a shoddy midweek Matty Cash performance drives me to the ever-present Ezri Konsa. He now faces a Sunderland side with the division’s lowest cumulative open play xG (1.57).

I’m not sure I see clean sheets coming for Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea this weekend, so rather than advocate shelling out for a Virgil van Dijk, Trevoh Chalobah or Gabriel, I’ve used my last defender slot to punt on Rodrigo Gomes. This is largely a fixture-based pick, given Leeds have struggled attacking-wise just as much as Wolves, but the Portuguese wing-back did at least have three shots in the box last weekend. He also has two goals in all competitions this season.

Antoine Semenyo has earned top billing from me when it comes to midfield options this week. Seemingly on penalties (at least in the absence of Justin Kluivert), the Ghanaian is one of the league’s most in-form players and underlying stats leaders, fresh from his second double-digit haul of the season and a week without cup duties, and hosting a Newcastle side that may well be a little low on energy after facing Barcelona less than three days prior; we’ve seen midweek exploits sap the zing out of Eddie Howe’s squad before. The Magpies do boast league-leading figures for xGC (2.09) and shots conceded (26) so far, but three of their outings have been against the toothless trio of Villa, Leeds and Wolves – hardly the dangerous outlet that a confident, ‘big-chance’-collecting Semenyo has been for Bournemouth this season.

That all means Mohamed Salah has been edged out of first place in my shortlist despite Liverpool’s (current) main man looking better than he has all season during Wednesday’s Champions League thriller against Atletico Madrid. Even if he hadn’t, his and the Reds’ penchant for late returns this season show you can never count the penalty-taking Egyptian out. Salah also quite likes a Merseyside derby, having scored eight goals and assisted two more in 13 such Premier League outings, and surely offers the most security minutes-wise in Liverpool’s frontline now that Alexander Isak is looking to be increasingly involved.

An Anfield trip isn’t initially an appealing fixture for Everton, but Jack Grealish has been electric since his arrival on Merseyside, creating a league-high 10 chances – five of them last weekend against Villa, when he also led the league for penalty box touches (19) – and registering four assists in the space of three games for the Toffees. Liverpool have been leakier than usual at the back this season as well, conceding twice against each of Bournemouth, Newcastle and Atleti, and are now tasked with contesting Saturday’s early kick-off some two-and-a-bit days after the conclusion of their midweek game. Like Semenyo, Grealish is not a player you want to face with a half-empty tank.

Away from the action at Anfield now, Brighton have conceded a disproportionate number of both key passes (19 vs three) and crosses (31 vs 19) from their right flank compared to their left this season and are one of four teams yet to keep a clean sheet. That’s a weakness the crafty – and set-piece-taking – Xavi Simons could look to exploit.

Meanwhile, I’ve chosen to target another of the clean sheet-less sides – Nottingham Forest – with my budget midfield offering of Jaidon Anthony. “A Burnley non-defender?!” you say. “That can’t be right!” Ordinarily, I’d agree, but Anthony is the Premier League’s third-highest performer for total non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI) so far – and, far from being a stat-padder, the 25-year-old winger has two goals and an assist to his name, meaning he has been directly involved in all but one of the Clarets’ league goals this season. He should opportunities this weekend versus a leaky Nottingham Forest backline that just succumbed to a late Swansea City comeback in the Carabao Cup and is also in the process of adapting to the attack-first ‘Angeball’ set-up of their new manager.

Jean-Philippe Mateta has racked up more shots on target than anyone bar Haaland, and his Gameweek 6 opponents West Ham have allowed more shots on target (20) than any other team. That’s one pick sorted, even if the Frenchman does only have one goal to his name so far this season.

He may face the only team in the Premier League yet to concede a ‘big chance’ this season… but it’s tough to side against Erling Haaland in this kind of form. The division’s leading goalscorer and attacking stats table-topper netted both home and away against Arsenal last season and if any City player is going to bust the Gunners’ clean sheet, it’s likely to be him. Viktor Gyokeres might also have some joy in the same match; all three of his goals for Arsenal so far have come at home – and let’s not forget the Champions League hat-trick the Swede scored last November against City, who have looked a little defensively suspect again to begin this campaign.

With Liam Delap injured, I’d imagine Joao Pedro is about as close to undroppable as one can get for Chelsea at the moment, even if Enzo Maresca’s comments about the likes of Robert Sanchez still being vulnerable to rotation admittedly spooked me a little. Earning five attacking returns so far, the highly-owned Brazilian could profit against a Manchester United backline that has conceded 10 big chances so far, particularly with Blues star Cole Palmer back in the picture alongside him.

Ollie Watkins is frozen out both by his poor form and our Scout Squad restrictions, which also prevent me from putting forward any of Hugo Ekitike, Richarlison, Chris Wood or Nick Woltemade – though I wouldn’t have anyway, for various other reasons. And with Strand Larsen’s participation against Leeds in doubt, my sub-£7.0m forward slot begrudgingly goes to Rodrigo Muniz. A little contradictory given my backing of Brentford’s Collins, but Muniz looks to have usurped Raul Jimenez as Fulham’s first-choice striker and indeed has accrued three big chances so far this season, with all six of his attempts on goal coming from inside the penalty area.

SAM SAID…

This is a difficult Gameweek to call. Arsenal v Man City and the Merseyside derby, alongside other fixtures that are close on paper, make picking players difficult – especially attackers. I have maybe also taken some risks with my picks this week. For example, I have followed the data highlighting Newcastle United’s defensive securities with the best xGC numbers in the league right now (impressively 0.40 better than Arsenal), so I have left out Antoine Semenyo. That’s risky with his form!

West Ham have had a horrible start to the season and so I have opted for three players in my picks this week. I don’t see the Hammers scoring, with Palace having kept three clean sheets in the league so far and having only conceded one goal. They are top for both these metrics, level with Spurs and Arsenal, so I have opted for the Palace defensive double-up. Dean Henderson keeps goal, whilst I have plumped for Daniel Munoz for the attacking threat – although it was a tough choice to go against both Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi. Jean-Philippe Mateta might ‘need a rest’, in the words of Oliver Glasner, but without a fit backup, the Frenchman will lead the line and will hopefully, as he is also in my FPL team, torment that West Ham backline.

I have also tripled up on Liverpool for the Merseyside derby. The Reds have conceded in the last four meetings between the sides at Anfield in the Premier League. Therefore, I have opted for the defensive double-up with Alisson and Virgil van Dijk. Virgil has two clean sheets as well as four DefCon points in the league this season and, as we saw in the Champions League, he is always a threat from set pieces. Alongside the two defensive giants for Liverpool is their Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah. He continued his return to goal-scoring form in the Champions League and has eight attacking returns in the last eight Merseyside derbies.

There are several teams that I have doubled up on this week: Chelsea, Newcastle, Spurs, Forest and, something I never thought I would say about a newly promoted club, Leeds!

Chelsea face a United side without a clean sheet in their opening four matches and who are fourth worst for xGC. As a result, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer both make my picks.

From Spurs is my favourite, Micky van de Ven. I don’t think there is a better defensive option at his price at the moment. With three clean sheets in the opening four Gameweeks, plus one in the Champions League, he could do well this weekend. Van de Ven also has added appeal from set pieces which, under Thomas Frank, have been increasingly successful for Spurs. I have paired him with Xavi Simons, who is on corners and free-kicks, so he is offering a few routes to points.

Forest, I hope, have a clean sheet in them against a Burnley side without a lot of attacking threat. This is a last opportunity for Matz Sels to prove himself, and with Ange loving attacking football, I have opted for Morgan Gibbs-White.

Anton Stach features in both Joe’s Goals Imminent and Assists Imminent tables, and against a struggling Wolves side, this could be the week that he goes big on these returns. I have added Joe Rodon as well as Wolves are second bottom for expected goals from open play this season.

Newcastle’s new frontman, Nick Woltemade, earns his spot after a goal last week. Team-mate Tino Livramento is there for Newcastle’s impressive xGC numbers (2.09).

Erling Haaland and Wilson Isidor round up my picks this week.

TOM SAID…

There aren’t too many stand-out options this week, with fixtures that were once deemed ‘bankers’, such as Burnley v Nottingham Forest and Sunderland v Aston Villa, anything but based on the first four Gameweeks.

Nonetheless, I do expect a home win for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk are my selections from a Reds defence that, despite showing a few defensive issues this season, are still ranked third for lowest expected goals conceded (xGC). Everton, meanwhile, sit among the four worst teams for the concession of shots, which will naturally interest Mohamed Salah.

Elsewhere at the back, I’ve picked out Fulham’s Bernd Leno and Joachim Andersen. Fulham are top-half material for non-penalty xGC this season, despite a tricky start, which has included away trips to Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion. I particularly like Andersen, who has claimed defensive contribution (DefCon) points in three of his four matches so far.

I’ve also nominated Jose Sa and Emmanuel Agbadou, who could rack up the DefCons against Leeds United. Daniel Munoz is in, too: his opponents, West Ham United, have conceded 14 chances from their left flank this season, the most of any team except Burnley and Nottingham Forest. They’ve also allowed the joint-most headed opportunities, so it’s hard to overlook Jean-Philippe Mateta, despite Oliver Glasner’s claims that he “needs a break”. I personally don’t see that happening in a London derby, but it’s probably best to keep your eyes peeled on Glasner’s Friday presser for more news.

I’ve also included Erling Haaland up front. It’s probably more optimal for the Scout Picks to spread the funds, but are there five better forwards than him this week, even with ‘easier’ fixtures elsewhere? I doubt it, hence his inclusion here. That said, I’d still put Viktor Gyokeres slightly ahead of the Norwegian this week. We’ll get to gauge Manchester City’s defence some more against Napoli on Thursday night, but so far, I’ve seen nothing to suggest Arsenal won’t trouble them.

I’ve gone for Lucas Bergvall as my budget punt in the middle of the park. He’s picked up back-to-back man of the match awards against West Ham and Villarreal, and I think his late runs into the box could pose challenges for Brighton. Antoine Semenyo and Bryan Mbeumo both make the cut, too, with the expectation that their pace can take advantage of teams that have participated in Europe this week.

Finally, I’ll return to Forest and Villa. Confidence in both sides has naturally faded in the opening weeks, but I still find it hard to completely back against them versus Burnley and Sunderland respectively. Morgan Gibbs-White has had seven shots and four key passes in his four run-outs this season, while Ollie Watkins should benefit from Harvey Elliott’s arrival. I expect the former Liverpool man to start this week, and I’m hoping he can address some of Villa’s creativity issues.

NEALE SAID…

This is a real head-scratcher of a week. In normal circumstances, you’d have expected Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest players to be Scout Picks shoo-ins, especially with Arsenal and Manchester City meeting each other. But the form of Villa and Wolves, plus the uncertainty over which players Ange Postecoglou is going to pick, has altered the landscape.

I’ve even sided against Vitor Pereira’s side with my token budget defensive and midfield picks. The DefCon-accumulating Joe Rodon was a comical own-goal away from three clean sheets in four Gameweeks, while Anton Stach is the only Premier League midfielder to hit double figures for both shots and chances created. Both decent Bench Boost options this week.

Three Forest players have made my Scout Squad this week but there’s not a great deal of conviction with my Chris Wood pick, following Igor Jesus’ brace in midweek. I’m hoping that Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo getting minutes in the EFL Cup was a signal that Wood is going to be restored to the starting XI this weekend but the fact that he’s fourth in my forwards’ list, for a clash with Burnley, underscores the shaken faith in the Kiwi striker. I’ve got greater hopes for Matz Sels and Nikola Milenkovic, with Burnley sitting 18th in the Premier League for xG. The Clarets’ total of 2.5 xG conceded from set-pieces is the second-worst in the division, too, so Milenkovic could get some joy from corners and free-kicks.

Wood aside, there are caveats with a lot of forwards this week. Oliver Glasner talked of Jean-Philippe Mateta suffering with fatigue in midweek, while Richarlison and Hugo Ekitike have competition for their places. I’m still expecting Ekitike to start and get 60-70 minutes against Everton, while I’m hoping Richarlison’s breather last weekend was enough of a rest for him. A Brighton side without a clean sheet to their name might be a better fixture, at least for attackers, than initially seems.

A high-octane Bournemouth side are the last team you’d want to face if you’ve just entertained Barcelona 66 hours beforehand, so Antoine Semenyo and Marcos Senesi could prosper against Newcastle United this weekend. The Magpies seem to struggle against the Cherries’ intensity, winless in four matches against their Gameweek 5 opponents since Andoni Iraola took over.

Despite their midweek loss, Chelsea have an excellent chance to bounce back to winning ways on Saturday. To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen: Manchester United, you’re no Bayern Munich. The beleaguered, identity-less Red Devils are there for the taking at an Old Trafford stadium that could turn toxic, so a rejuvenated Cole Palmer – so long as Enzo Maresca confirms there’s no groin issue on Friday – and Joao Pedro could make hay in Gameweek 5.

Robin Roefs and Emiliano Martinez are both included for what ought to be a low-scoring affair on paper (17th v 19th for xG!), while Maxence Lacroix not only has clean sheet and DefCon potential against West Ham United but also the outside chance of a goal: no side has allowed more headed chances than the Hammers, who have really struggled at set plays.

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