FPL Gameweek 18 Scout Picks: Liverpool + Arsenal triple-ups

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Squiffy on mint Baileys (that would explain a few picks), we’ve picked our best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players for Gameweek 18 ahead of Boxing Day’s 11am GMT deadline.

As usual, we are limited by certain limitations in our selection:

• A budget of £83.0m. for our starting XI
• A total squad cap of £100.0m
• No more than three players per team

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INFANT COMMITTEE 18. INFANT

GOAL

In the end, we have given the nod David Raya (£5.6m) as Arsenal host second-placed Ipswich on Friday. Although Ipswich have won two of their last three away games, those wins came against Spurs and Wolves teams prone to kamikaze defending.

By contrast, the Gunners have the joint-best defense in the division, are unbeaten at home this season and have not conceded in their last three appearances at the Emirates.

Raya also weighs in with big saves. Only two goalkeepers have collected more bonus points than the Spaniard, and only one has had more clean sheets.

DEFENDERS

Despite conceding eight goals in their last three games, Liverpool still have the joint best defense in the Premier League. No team has kept more clean sheets and you can count on them to keep out a woeful Leicester side this Gameweek. The Foxes have the third-worst away record and since Ruud van Nistelrooy took over, they have been the fifth-lowest scorers in the top flight.

Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) should therefore be able to help Liverpool keep their eighth clean sheet while also providing an aerial threat at the other end. Only seven defenders have had more header attempts than Virgil’s eight. Meanwhile, Leicester have allowed more header and set-piece chances than any other team.

The thinking here is also that Arne Slot could easily handle the minutes of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.1m) this week with three games, with van Dijk about as beaten as you can get in the English top flight.

Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.3m) continues to shine at the back for Arsenal. Since returning from injury, he has picked up back-to-back returns – a clean sheet and maximum bonus in Gameweek 16 and an assist in Gameweek 17.

No defender has had more main goal attempts than Gabriel’s 13 or scored more headers (three) and his set-piece threat remains alive even in the absence of Bukayo Saka (£10.5m). Last time out, after Saka had gone off injured, the Brazilian thundered one Martin Odegaard (£8.3m) corner towards the post.

Manchester City’s woes are familiar but Josko Guardiol (£6.0m) can at least bring defensive returns home against Everton. Sean Dyche’s side have frustrated Arsenal, Chelsea and Brentford in recent games and have kept five clean sheets over the last six Gameweeks, but they haven’t scored many.

They have failed to score in six of their last seven games and their focus will once again be on defensive determination rather than attacking enterprise. Guardiol can help break that abomination with his potent goal threat. Among defenders, no one has scored as many goals, only Pedro Porro (£5.5m) has had more than his 23 shots and only two players have attempted more headers than the City man.

MIDFIELDERS

Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) has once again been West Ham’s top scorer this season and his visit to bottom side Southampton represents an opportunity for more returns. South Coast managed to hold out for a draw at Fulham in Gameweek 17 thanks to a masterclass from Aaron Ramsdale (£4.4m), but Fulham’s 15 shots to Saints’ five should have translated into a win for the Cottagers.

Over the past four gameweeks, only three midfielders have ranked higher than Bowen for expected goal involvement (xGI) – 3.05 – and only four have attempted more than his 13 shots. In that time frame, Southampton have conceded 77 shots – the second most in the league.

The West Ham midfielder tops his club in crosses (17), chances created (nine) and shots and, owned by just 7.2 per cent of managers, is a tidy margin.

A large number of managers dispatched Bryan Mbeumo (£7.6m) in Gameweek 14 due to Brentford’s game swing, but the Frenchman continued to deliver, producing the sixth-highest points tally among midfielders across those four Gameweeks. Mbeumo consistently plays 90 minutes, takes corners from both sides and is on penalties.

He takes on a Brighton side who are winless in five games, have won just three times at the Amex this season and in the last four Gameweeks are joint-top for errors leading to goals. They are also without a clean sheet for nine.

Some FPL managers may even consider using their Triple Captain chip Mohamed Salah (£13.5m) this Gameweek. Since the start of the season, only two midfielders have attempted more shots than Salah, who has produced the most goals (15) and most assists (11) of any player.

In the last 11 Gameweeks, the Liverpool midfielder has posted eight double-digit hauls, averaging 11.6 points per game, while no player in the last two Gameweeks has had more than his 11 shots. Leicester, meanwhile, have conceded 10 goals in four games and will seriously have their work cut out for containing FPL’s most-owned asset.

Luis Diaz‘s (£7.4m) outstanding performance against Spurs in Gameweek 17 leads us to believe he will be kept in Arne Slott’s starting XI to inflict more damage on Leicester’s flimsy defence.

Part of the reason we are willing to take the risk is that Cody Gakpo (£7.1m) has started the last three league and cup games in an area of ​​the pitch where rotation and managed minutes are ordinary. Diaz, on the other hand, got a rest as recently as a week ago. A medium-term risk, but a short-term bet with a high upside.

Most goal attempts by midfielders GW17

The big omission here is Cole Palmer (£11.3m), but his price tag was prohibitive. Opponents Fulham are also difficult customers, having held Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks. With the likelihood of them wanting at least one defensive midfielder (we would have believed again if the Cottagers had been missing Messrs Lukic and Berge), going without the England international is a reluctant sacrifice we will have to make on our meager budget – especially with Arsenal and Liverpool having excellent games.

FORWARD

Nottingham Forrest have achieved their highest Premier League points for this stage of the season and that is in no small part due to the achievements in Chris Wood (£6.6m), who is having the season of his life. The former Burnley forward is the second highest scoring striker in the division with 10 goals and we fancy his chances of adding to that haul against Spurs.

The north London side are without both first-choice centre-halves and their first-choice goalkeeper, while their first-choice backs are running on fumes. That combined with Ange Postecoglou’s insistence to “give it a go mate” has left them very vulnerable at the back.

The Lilywhites have shipped 10 goals in two of the last three gameweeks and could well come close again against a Forest side who have won four of their last five, and four of their last five at home. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side love to play on the counter-attack, so this match-up should suit Wood, who also takes penalties, down to earth.

Fresh from scoring a hat-trick last time out, Alexander Isak (£9.0m) can add to his 10 goals this season against an Aston Villa side struggling to keep clean sheets, having managed just two clean sheets so far in 2024/25 – none of they have been away.

The Newcastle forward has produced attacking returns in seven of the last nine gameweeks, producing six goals and two assists in the last four. Since Gameweek 14, he also boasts more shots on goal than any forward in that span. Unsurprisingly, he is the most transferred player in this Gameweek.

Most goal attempts by forwards Gameweeks 14-17

Gabriel Jesus (£6.8m) is being reborn – just in time for Christmas – making our final entry into our Scout XI. Fresh from scoring a hat-trick against Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup last midweek, the Brazilian scored two more against the same team three days later. He looks sharp, quick and dangerous in front of goal and can make the most of his rediscovered form at home against a struggling Ipswich side.

It remains unclear exactly where Jesus will play as Mikel Arteta tries to figure out how to reconfigure his side in the absence of the injured Saka. But Saka’s injury only strengthens the striker’s case for inclusion, and after scoring five goals, hitting the post and missing a sitter over the last two games, Arteta will almost certainly field him where he can continue to deliver the end product.

REPLACEMENTS

• Lukasz Fabianski (£4.1m): A cheap replacement but a keeper facing the division’s lowest scorer this week.
• Tosin Adarabioyo (£4.2m): The former Fulham man was once again set to replace the injured Wesley Fofana (£4.4m) at centre-back for Chelsea. He has had four shots in three starts since returning to the Blues XI in Gameweek 14.
• Dean Huijsen (£4.3m): Two goals in four starts for the budget Cherries defender, who has already helped shut out Man Utd and Spurs this month.
• Archie Gray (£4.6m): There isn’t much left in the kitty for an attacking-minded budget midfielder, so our remaining budget is spent on Gray, a ghostly starter while Spurs’ centre-half is shattered. Listed as a midfielder, at least he won’t be punished for the inevitable conceding goals.

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THE CAPTAIN

We chose the scout election captain by voting among our scout group panel.

• Neil: Salah, Diaz, Jesus
• Empty: Salah, Isaac, Bowen
• Marc: Salah, Jesus, Isaac
• Sam: Salah, Isaac, Bowen

We deliver Mohamed Salah the armband, with Alexander Isak our vice-captain.

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COMMUNITY CHAMPION

A member of the Fantasy Football Scout community accepts Scout Picks each week.

The community member who beats our team by the biggest margin will win a £100 Amazon voucher. They also get a place in our moderator and contributor league for the following season.

Boleyn boy‘s 80-44 win in Gameweek 6 gave them the biggest win (36 point difference) of 2024/25 so far.

Our champion this week is FPL blows inwhich has been followed by: Fabianski, Alexander-Arnold, Gabriel, Gvardiol, Salah (c), Fernandes, Bowen, Jota, Martinelli, Isak, Jesus.

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FOLLOW THE SCOUT’S WEEKLY TRANSFER PLANS

We’re running a Scout FPL community team this season, with regulars like TopMarx, Tom Freeman, Marc Jobling and more contributing to the weekly decisions.

And we don’t just look ahead a week like we do with Scout Picks, but instead plan ahead for the weeks and months ahead.

You can follow our team via Premier Fantasy Tools Pro Planner, which you can read more about here.

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