Five players from Aston Villa and Chelsea are included in the Scout Selection for Gameweek 37 of 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League ahead of Friday’s 18:00 BST deadline.
Both Villa and Chelsea’s respective visitors, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, have been heavily rotating their domestic line-ups recently due to their progress in the UEFA Europa League, with the final taking place next Wednesday.
If the two finalists continue to adopt this approach, Villa and Chelsea could both be worth the investment in defence and attack.
At the back, Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) is joined by Marc Cucurella (£5.4m), while Cole Palmer (£10.5m), Morgan Rogers (£5.7m) and Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) all feature in attack.
Watkins is handed the captaincy, influenced by Spurs' recent teamsheets, with Mbeumo named as vice-captain.
David Moyes (£0.5m), meanwhile, comes in as the Assistant Manager for Everton’s final match at Goodison Park against Southampton.
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) £5.0m
The goalkeeper offers a secure route into the Villa backline for their encounter with Spurs. Martinez has collected back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season, totalling 17 points against Fulham and AFC Bournemouth.
Josko Gvardiol (Man City) £6.5m
Gvardiol sits just four points off the top of the defender standings on 143 points thanks to his potential at both ends of the pitch. The Croat has five goals and 12 clean sheets to his name ahead of Manchester City’s home meeting with Bournemouth.
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) £5.4m
Chelsea’s left-back is the top-scoring defender in home matches this season. Cucurella has produced 80 points across his 17 outings at Stamford Bridge, combining four goals and an assist with five clean sheets and nine bonus points.
Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton) £4.8m
Branthwaite is picked due to doubts over the fitness of Jake O'Brien (£4.5m) for Everton's home match against Southampton. Saints have conceded 27 shots from set-pieces across their last four matches – more than any other side – which suggests the Toffees can exploit their frailties at free-kicks and corners.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) £13.7m
Despite his recent drop-off in output, Salah’s underlying statistics over his last four matches indicate he can score big at Brighton & Hove Albion. Liverpool’s Egyptian has been involved in eight big chances - situations where the player is expected to score – during that spell, more than any other player in Fantasy.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea) £10.5m
A 10-point return in his last Stamford Bridge outing was the Chelsea’s playmaker first double-figure return since Gameweek 21. Palmer, nonetheless, is still the joint-second top-scoring player in home matches this season and could be worth considering for the armband if you’re chasing.
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford) £8.3m
Two goals and three assists over his last four outings mark out the Brentford star as one of the very best captaincy picks for the Bees' home encounter with Fulham. Mbeumo’s 123 points in home matches is level with Palmer, while Fulham have just one clean sheet in their previous 12 contests on the road.
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) £7.7m
The West Ham United talisman enters a home fixture against Nottingham Forest in his most consistent form of the season. Bowen has three goals, two assists and NO blanks across his last four outings, totalling 36 points.
Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) £5.7m
The underlying statistics suggest the Villa midfielder can deliver goals and assists against Spurs. In home matches this season, Rogers’ 31 chances created are a team-leading total, while his 37 shots and 25 shots in the box both rank second.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) £9.0m
Managers have made the Villa star their No 1 priority ahead of Friday’s deadline. Watkins has earned 271,000+ new owners, with many of them eyeing him up as a captain option in the hope that Spurs will rotate again on Friday evening.
Jamie Vardy (Leicester) £5.3m
A home encounter with Ipswich Town gives Vardy the perfect opportunity to score his 200th goal for Leicester City in his final match for the club. Kieran McKenna's side have conceded in 16 successive away matches.
