With plenty of thinking time over the international break, we asked the Scout Network for their top picks and differentials for Gameweek 8.
My Top pick this week is Jamie Vardy (£10.5m). Whilst Manchester United may seem like a tough fixture to pit your top pick up against, we all know Vardy loves to score against the big teams, not to mention the consistency of his returns this season, with six goals and one assist. United have also looked shaky at the back this season, only banking one clean sheet and conceding six goals. With Raphael Varane (£5.5m) on the sidelines because of injury, I could see a Vardy party against the Red Devils.
Phil Foden (£7.9m) is my differential pick for Gameweek 8, as Pep seems to be entrusting him with more game-time and he delivered when he played 90 minutes against Liverpool by grabbing a goal. It could be tough if he was to miss out, given his price. However, if he plays and returns against Burnley, at just 1.9% owned, you’ll have a great differential on your hands.
Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) has scored in all but one of the seven Gameweeks this season, as well as registering four assists. Watford are at a transition period following the removal of their manager and are without any clean sheets so far. It will be a miracle if that changes on Saturday. You know who should be your captain this week. You also know what will happen if you don’t captain him and he hauls. No prize for guessing the answer – a big red arrow.
Arsenal have bounced back from a disastrous start and I expect them to get the better of Crystal Palace this week. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£9.9m) has scored twice so far this season, not his best start, but I see him stealing the show in this London derby.
On current form, it is difficult to look beyond Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) as the top captaincy pick for Gameweek 8. He is averaging ten points-per-game and, at this rate, he could shatter his record for points over the season. Salah has a great fixture, playing against a newly-promoted Watford side with a new manager who hasn’t had
enough time with his team – especially as some key players are still on international duty.For my differential, I am going on a gut feeling that Harry Kane (£12.1m) will open his scoring account against Newcastle United. It is very rare in FPL that Kane is a differential with 5% ownershp. He hasn’t been in any sort of form yet but, if anyone has the quality to turn it around, it is him. He has a favourable fixture against one of the most porous defenses in the league. Newcastle have also conceded the most penalties so far.
Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) has to be the top pick for Gameweek 8. He tops most attacking matrices like expected goals (xG), goal attempts and shots on target. Statistically, he also has the most goal involvements in the league (10). For Gameweek 8, he travels to Watford, a side he has scored eight goals against in just six appearances. To add to that, Salah has been spared too many flights over the international break, travelling to just Egypt and Libya for two relatively straightforward games.
It is always worthwhile to pick someone from Norwich City’s opponents. This gameweek, it happens to be Brighton and Hove Albion, where Neal Maupay (£6.5m) is the top pick. Maupay is currently their top scorer, is on penalties and did not travel anywhere during the international break. At 3.7% ownership, he is a true differential.
Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.6m) will be my pick for Gameweek 8. Whilst Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) is the obvious pick, Leicester City have conceded 114 attempts, 80 inside the box, ten big chances and have an expected goals conceded (xGC) tally of 11.09. There is a lack of form for Vestergaard and Soyuncu. Ronaldo’s runs behind the defence and his headed shots could be the key for FPL points this Gameweek.
My differential pick will be Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m). Whilst not likely to be a good long term pick, the absence of Gabriel Jesus (£8.6m) and a home game against Burnley could make him the one this Gameweek. The last three meetings at the Etihad stadium between these has ended with the same score (5-0 for Manchester City) and Mahrez registered 46 points during those three games.
We’re backing Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.6m) to rekindle the premium debate this Gameweek. More than the poor stats posted by Leicester’s defence, we also try to pay specific attention to body language during the games and the demeanour of their backline (Jannik Vestergaard (£4.9m) in particular) after Jeffrey Schlupp‘s (£5.4m) equaliser last time tells us there is something wrong with the Foxes at the moment. With Edinson Cavani (£8.4m) likely to be out for this game (we can’t see him playing in Brazil on Friday and in Leicester on Saturday) and Marcus Rashford (£9.4m) being back in contention to help United’s frontline on possible fast counter-attacks, it bodes well for a great Ronaldo performance at King Power Stadium.
Rico Henry (£4.5m) might not have the best fixture in Gameweek 8 playing Chelsea at home, however Brentford seem increasingly solid. Organisation is moving up and down between 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, and last matches we have seen a lot of situations where Henry was playing quite high up the pitch. Underlying stats are still not stunning but a £4.5m defender who plays part of his duty in midfield and whose team is not a defensive mess (such as Norwich and Newcastle) is never a bad idea.
Having scored a goal in his last outing against Liverpool, Phil Foden‘s (£7.9m) promising talent has instantly become the most interesting pick to select from the plethora of options available in Manchester City’s midfield. This comes as no surprise as, despite playing just under 200 minutes, he has fired in three shots (all on-target) and delivered five key passes. However, it’s his 13 touches in the opposition box that catch the eye, since he is playing more central and closer to the penalty area than usual. He has often ended up as the most advanced Man City player on the pitch in terms of average playing position. Foden’s ability to play in all attacking positions should be tempting enough to sign him, as it minimises the risk of the infamous Pep Roulette rotation. With his very favourable set of fixtures, Foden should guarantee a few returns, even if he starts from the bench.
Joao Cancelo (£6.2m) gets the vote! We have a winner for the weekend’s top pick as this swashbuckling Spaniard must be favorite to add a third double-digit haul to his season. Let’s face it, Burnley don’t seem to have an answer to Pep’s superstars and we can expect a cricket score on Saturday. So why not go the obvious route and pick City’s top scorer for the season? Clean sheet points look likely as they have only conceded 8 shots on target all season plus Guardiola will want one of his most creative players on show. Forget Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and the curse of the early kick-off and go Cancelo, it’s not as crazy as you think.
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Poor old Sadio Mane (£11.9m) never gets the attention he deserves and yet has already scored 41 points this season, outscoring Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (12.6m) over the last four. To add to the case, just watch his wonder goal against Namibia over the break and also look up his record against Watford. Yes, that’s right, he’s only blanked once and had a couple of double-digit hauls. His ownership is a staggeringly low 2.8%, so big gains can be made here. Ignore the masses, it’s time for the Mane event to take center stage!
The top pick this week will come as a surprise to no-one, Mohamed Salah (£12.7m). Salah has an average of ten points per game and a seemingly favourable match-up against Watford (even if it’s the dreaded early kick-off), added to the fact that he is so far producing better BPS Baseline numbers than last year on average (8.3 vs 5.6).
Leandro Trossard (£6.4m) has been shooting a lot (18 times to be precise, nine in the box) and takes the occasional corner-kick as well. Traveling to a Norwich side devoid of any tangible form, Trossard could prosper from the flanks, where other wingers have found space in the previous weeks.
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