We’ve put together our Scout Picks ‘bus team’ ahead of Double Gameweek 23 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

In this early selection, we select a first draft of our regular picks before they are finalised and published much closer to Saturday’s deadline.

We are limited to an £83.0m budget for our starting XI, while our bench is also price-capped after a reader vote.

In the meantime, this ‘bus team’ article – a term coined by the duo behind the Always Cheating podcast – will discuss the players who are likely to be in the running.

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 23 FIXTURES

Times given in GMT

THE LIKELY LADS

Deciding on which Manchester City and Arsenal players to include is the biggest decision facing the Scout Squad panel this week.

The pair are, of course, the only teams who play twice in Double Gameweek 23.

In the blue corner, only Erling Haaland (£12.2m) feels completely nailed at this stage. The Norwegian failed to register a single effort on goal at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday but has been in a class of his own for much of the season.

Who joins him, however, is up for discussion. Ederson (£5.4m) is the safest route into City’s backline, but his points ceiling perhaps feels a little low, given that 12 other goalkeepers have outscored him since the Premier League resumed after the World Cup. Nathan Ake (£5.1m) and Rico Lewis (£3.9m) are alternative options under consideration.

In midfield, the biggest question is undoubtedly Kevin De Bruyne (£12.4m) or Riyad Mahrez (£7.7m). The duo shared minutes at Spurs, with the Belgian playmaker staying rooted to the bench for almost an hour for ‘tactical’ reasons. Still, when he did come on he created more chances than any other player on the pitch. One theory is that Pep Guardiola prefers to use an additional forward when up against five-man defences. If that holds up, and it’s a big IF, we could potentially see De Bruyne play both Double Gameweek 23 matches, given that Aston Villa and Arsenal traditionally line up in 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 formations.

However, a potentially decisive factor in Mahrez’s favour is that by opting for the cheaper Algerian, we can in turn afford another premium, like Harry Kane (£11.7m). The record-breaking forward has thrived in the past against this weekend’s opponents, Leicester City, who happen to have conceded multiple goals in five of their six post-World Cup matches. If we can’t afford Kane, Dejan Kulusevski (£7.9m) is a cheaper alternative in the Spurs ranks.

Decisions, decisions… and we haven’t touched on Arsenal yet.

The Gunners also have question marks over key personnel, with Gabriel Martinelli (£6.7m) hauled off on 58 minutes at Goodison Park and Ben White (£4.7m) underwhelming of late.

That makes 90-minute man Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.2m) all the more appealing, with Bukayo Saka (£8.3m), Martin Odegaard (£7.0m) and Eddie Nketiah (£6.7m) potentially fighting it out for the other two starting spots.

ARSENAL’S ATTACKERS COMPARED: GW17 ONWARDS

Elsewhere, it’s hard to look past Kieran Trippier (£6.1m) and Marcus Rashford (£7.2m) barring injury, with visits to Bournemouth and Leeds United respectively.

IN CONTENTION

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