The Scout Squad: Our top picks for FPL Gameweek 13

It’s Scout Squad nominations time as Sam, Marc, Tom and Neale list their 18-man squads for Gameweek 13.

There is consensus about seven players, with another five assets getting three votes apiece.

MORE ABOUT THE SCOUT SQUAD

In this article series, our in-house panel discuss who they think the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players are for the upcoming round of fixtures in isolation. Therefore, there’s no medium-term planning involved.

The players who get the most votes are much more likely to make Friday’s Scout Picks.

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: GAMEWEEK 13 PICKS

Most popular picks: Pedro Porro, Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, Bryan Mbeumo, Joao Pedro, Matheus Cunha (four), Andre Onana, Mark Flekken, Dominic Solanke, Yoane Wissa, Chris Wood (three)

MARC SAID…

Fresh from my best Gameweek of the season being Erling Haaland-less, I’m also without him here, instead opting for five forwards who cost no more than £7.6m. I’m just very thankful for the big hauls of Joao Pedro and Matheus Cunha, both doing it for a second consecutive Gameweek and named here as part of double-ups.

Brighton host last-placed Southampton knowing they could briefly go up to second whilst entering a good-looking fixture run. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was so close to a fourth clean sheet but the 10-man Seagulls let in a stoppage-time consolation to Bournemouth. Let’s see if Rayan Ait-Nouri can successfully keep out the Cherries and contribute in attack. Cunha’s team-mate is on three goals, where the only defenders with a higher number of big chances are Gabriel Magalhaes and Nikola Milenkovic.

Arsenal’s centre-back is hoping to follow up the Gunners’ long-awaited shut-out with a performance similar to last season’s trip to West Ham. Then, he scored the third goal of a 6-0 thrashing. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s giant Serbian is yet to score for his new side but can be confident at both ends ahead of Saturday. Opponents Ipswich Town possess the lowest expected goals (xG) tally so far (11.83) and Forest have conceded the league’s fewest big chances (16).

They surprisingly restricted Chris Wood to a bench role at Arsenal but it’s expected that he’ll re-enter the line-up, aiming to grab his ninth goal of the campaign. My fourth cheap forward is Yoane Wissa, with Brentford being the only triple-up for their home clash against Leicester.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has had over one million owners since the very start and finally delivered a clean sheet in last week’s Goodison Park stalemate, so congratulations to those who stuck with him. Interestingly, the Bees top the home league table, where each occasion is averaging 4.83 goals. Bryan Mbeumo has seven of them, making him the player with the most home points (60). Therefore, managers shouldn’t rashly sell based on his last three matches featuring just one shot and 0.09 xG – at least wait until after facing Leicester City.

My heavyweight midfield selection contains Bukayo Saka – scorer of two goals in February’s demolition of West Ham – and Cole Palmer. Owners shouldn’t be concerned by the Chelsea attacker’s four blanks from five. After all, last week’s tap-in was only denied on the line by team-mate Noni Madueke. He ranks near the top for both goals and creativity, meeting an Aston Villa side that’s probably tired from the draw with Juventus.

Palmer is a good captaincy option but maybe Mohamed Salah remains the best, based on individual form and the freefall of his opponents. It’s eight double-digit hauls from 12 matches for the Egyptian, sitting far ahead of everyone else with 120 points. Man City’s latest calamity versus Feyenoord means they’ve conceded 17 times in this winless half-dozen.

Four of these were in an unfathomable hammering by Tottenham Hotspur, where Dominic Solanke set up Pedro Porro for the third. Recent home encounters with Aston Villa and Ipswich have showcased Solanke’s erratic, untrustworthy nature but, heading into their Fulham game, Porro can boast about being the leading defender for shots (20).

I’m unable to name another big midfielder like Bruno Fernandes, so will instead go for cheaper Man United coverage via Amad Diallo. He’s assisted in successive matches and should start against Everton. There’s a slight concern that the Toffees have only conceded twice in six matches, although they’ve merely netted three themselves, boosting Andre Onana’s clean sheet potential.

Finally, Leif Davis gets the nod. Still the number one defender for creating chances (28) and big ones (nine), he’ll fancy a return at Nottingham Forest.

SAM SAID…

Gameweek 13 signals the start of the busiest and, for me, the most exciting period in an FPL season. Yes, it’s the festive period. In the space of 39 days, we will be treated to 80 Premier League matches. Interestingly, many of the players that I have opted for here for my Gameweek 13 Scout Squad Picks are likely to appear a lot in my picks throughout December – maybe with the exception of the Brentford trio.

In goal, David Raya is my preferred goalkeeper this week. The Arsenal shotstopper kept a clean sheet in Gameweek 12 at the eighth time of asking. As for the opposition, West Ham United have had 165 attempts on goal this season and have converted just 15 of them. This bodes well for save points for the Arsenal man.

Alongside Raya, I also nominate Mark Flekken – likely for the final time in a while. Flekken kept his first clean sheet of the season in Gameweek 12 and he has made 60 saves so far this season, more than any other goalkeeper in the league. With regular saves and a good standing in the bonus points stakes, Flekken could do well against manager-less Leicester this weekend.

Finally, despite the unexpected defeat to West Ham in Gameweek 12, Nick Pope has the potential for a clean sheet against Crystal Palace this weekend. Only Southampton have scored fewer goals than the Eagles so far this season. However, Oliver Glasner’s side have actually had the same number of attempts on goal as Arsenal and the fifth most in the league – this should lead to save points at the least for Pope.

I have opted for Gabriel Magalhaes as my first-choice defender. He went off with “discomfort” in the Champions League on Tuesday night so this is one to watch when Friday’s press conferences take place. If fit, attacking threat makes him the best pick of the Arsenal defenders.

Diogo Dalot played in the wing-back position that we were all hoping he would in Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge in Gameweek 12. In Gameweek 13, he faces an Everton side who haven’t scored a goal in the last three weeks. Dalot has created nine opportunities so far this season, of which three have been classified as big chances. Armed with an attacking wing-back role, this could bode well for returns at both ends of the pitch against Everton.

Pedro Porro was the second-highest-scoring defender in Gameweek 12 and now has back-to-back attacking returns in the last two Gameweeks. Fulham may be without Joachim Andersen against Spurs this weekend after he was forced off from injury in Gameweek 12, which would not only weaken them defensively but also inhibit their build-up play from the back.

Rayan Ait-Nouri played a more central role in Gameweek 12 due to the players who were missing for Wolves but I have included him as I am hoping he will be back in all-out-attack mode this weekend.

Finally, whilst Lewis Hall disappointed in Gameweek 12, he has a couple of routes to points with corner-taking responsibility and a decent chance of a clean sheet against Palace.

Mohamed Salah was the first name in my picks this week – even against Man City – and will be likely for the rest of the season. Making up the expensive midfield alongside him are Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer. Saka returned to scoring ways in Gameweek 12 and were it not for Noni Madueke getting in the way, Palmer would have done the same.

As with Flekken, this might be the final week that Bryan Mbeumo makes my picks for a while. Against a Leicester side who have only kept one clean sheet all season and who are currently manager-less, I think Mbeumo could sign off in style at a venue where he has shone in 2024/25.

My obligatory sub-£6.0m midfielder is Callum Hudson-Odoi. Nottingham Forest had an incredible start to the season, however the last two matches have been difficult. I expect to see them return to winning ways at home against Ipswich Town this week and Hudson-Odoi is only bettered by Chris Wood for attacking returns at Forest this season.

Erling Haaland bagged a brace in the Champions League on Tuesday evening but it was still not enough for me to bring him into my picks. Instead, it’s budget enablers across the board in my forward line.

Matheus Cunha headlines the selection after back-to-back double-digit hauls and returns in five of the last six Gameweeks. Alongside him, Joao Pedro who returned from injury in Gameweek 11 and has since returned two goals and two assists.

Like with Porro, I think Dominic Solanke could be a good pick against Fulham, especially if their defence is missing Andersen. Solanke only returned an assist against Manchester City in Gameweek 12 but hopefully he can build on this in Gameweek 13.

The final two picks go to Yoane Wissa and Nicolas Jackson. Jackson registered 12 points against Leicester last weekend and faces an Aston Villa side who haven’t kept a clean sheet since Gameweek 7. Meanwhile, as with Mbeumo, Wissa has a decent opportunity for goals against Leicester. Since returning from injury in Gameweek 8, Wissa has had eight attempts on goal, seven of which have been classified as big chances. In that time he has scored four goals, all of which have come from inside the box. A proper poacher.

TOM SAID…

Brighton players are likely to populate our Scout Picks in Gameweek 13, due to a strong home fixture against Southampton.

The Saints have conceded eight goals from their errors in 12 games, the most of any team. Playing out from the back has been a factor, but they also leave far too much space between their defenders and midfielders. Georginio Rutter and Joao Pedro therefore come into my thinking this weekend.

They are both excellent out of possession and you’d think Albion’s counter-press will force mistakes/turnovers at the Amex on Friday.

The shameless targeting of the newly promoted clubs continues elsewhere, with four players making my selection from Brentford and Nottingham Forest: Mark Flekken, Bryan Mbeumo, Ola Aina and Chris Wood.

Arsenal’s trip to West Ham will surely see at least two of the Gunners making the Scout Picks.

I’ve gone with Riccardo Calafiori over flavour of the month Jurrien Timber, who I tipped in Spot the Differential last week. The Dutchman is developing a really good relationship with Bukayo Saka and was Arsenal’s most creative player (three key passes) in the thumping win over Sporting. However, the Hammers have allowed the highest number of chances to be created from their right flank this season. I also thought they looked much weaker down that side against Newcastle on Monday. With Calafiori tucking into the left-sided central midfield position in possession, it cements his place in my squad.

The form of Saka, who has four attacking returns, nine shots and five key passes in his last two matches in all competitions, convinces me to give him the nod as my top midfield pick. Given the fixture, I’d put him slightly ahead of Cole Palmer – Aston Villa looked much stronger defensively against Juventus on Wednesday night, with midfield anchor Boubacar Kamara adding more balance in central areas.

Elsewhere, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Andre Onana and Diogo Dalot bank clean sheets, given that Everton are struggling to create clear-cut opportunities this season, with their xG per shot of 0.08 the lowest in the division.

I’ve also backed Matheus Cunha to do the job against Bournemouth, with the loss of Antoine Semenyo to suspension a blow for the visitors.

Finally, Erling Haaland makes the cut for Man City’s trip to Anfield on Sunday. I even bumped him up a couple of spots in light of Ibrahima Konate’s injury. Despite the late capitulation in the 3-3 draw with Feyenoord, I actually thought City were good for 70 minutes, with Haaland bagging a brace and Matheus Nunes adding some much-needed pace and energy in the middle of the park.

NEALE SAID…

Remember the days when you’d consider benching your Liverpool or Manchester City players for a top-of-the-table clash? You’ll not find many owners of Mohamed Salah doing that this week. In fact, the Egyptian tops our on-site captain poll for Gameweek 13 – which is an indictment of City’s backline at present.

A potential injury to Ibrahima Konate is good news for Erling Haaland’s owners, meanwhile, but, for the first time this season, I think there might actually be five forwards more appealing for the upcoming Gameweek in isolation.

Two of them square off at Molineux, where Matheus Cunha is in superlative form. Given that Bournemouth are more Mr Hyde on the road, this is another favourable fixture for the talismanic Brazilian. But I’ve also gone with Evanilson in the same fixture. A scoring run of three successive matches was broken against Brighton but he really had the chances to extend his purple patch, and Wolves’ backline is nowhere near as convincing as the Cunha-led attack. Indeed, no team has conceded more on home soil than Gary O’Neil’s troops in 2024/25.

From conceding goals on home soil to not scoring them. Crystal Palace have found the net on only three occasions in six fixtures at Selhurst Park, two of them coming against lowly Leicester City. Four of the six visitors to south London have walked away with clean sheets. Newcastle United could become the fifth, boosted by the return of Dan Burn from suspension – oh how they missed him on Monday when understudy Lloyd Kelly fluffed his audition. The ever-improving Lewis Hall, taker of corners, consequently gets the nod but so too does Dean Henderson in the same fixture, with Newcastle in profligate mood: only three teams, one of them Palace, have scored fewer goals this season.

Joining Palace in the bottom three for goals scored are Southampton and Everton, so Bart Verbruggen and Andre Onana were straightforward selections between the sticks. Both have been in good form this season, each boasting healthy expected goals prevented (xGP) figures, and have home advantage in Gameweek 13.

Accompanying Brighton and Manchester United in the top six of the clean sheet odds table this week are Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur. A mixed bag of defences there: two of the better ones statistically, a Bees side clean-sheet less until Gameweek 12 and a Spurs outfit who look like Barcelona one week and Barnet the next. As is often the case in the Scout Squad, all four representatives from these teams also bring something else to the table.

Nikola Milenkovic and Ethan Pinnock are a presence at set pieces: Pinnock joint-third for headed attempts among defenders, Milenkovic joint-top for big chances. Pinnock also encounters a Leicester side that has allowed more opportunities from set plays than any other side in 2024/25. Pedro Porro has attempted 20 shots and created as many chances, the only defender to do so.

Meanwhile, in the expectation that Mikel Arteta will be inscrutable in Friday’s presser and offer us naff all on Gabriel Magalhaes, I’ve covered the Arsenal defence with Jurrien Timber. The Gunners’ right side is fizzing again after Martin Odegaard’s return, and joining in with the fun down that flank is Timber. Two key passes last weekend, another three (including an assist) on Tuesday: the Dutchman, as well as Bukayo Saka, could get plenty of space if Julen Lopetegui insists on his full-backs pushing high, which in fairness worked very well on Monday night.

Porro is the extent of my Spurs interest. The Premier League’s equivalent of The Simpsons shyster Lyle Lanley, they’ll lure you in with some silver-tongued patter only to leave you with a faulty monorail every time. Beaten immediately after their last three convincing league victories, you wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if they were defeated by Fulham on Sunday.

The three promoted sides, while not complete whipping boys this season, are nevertheless festering in the bottom three for xGC – as we probably have expected. Chris Wood will almost certainly be back in the Forest starting XI to face one of them, while there are dual representatives from Brentford and Brighton in my selection ahead of their favourable home encounters.

No surprise that I’d favour Joao Pedro over Georginio Rutter given the straight choice but I’d also go Yoane Wissa over Bryan Mbeumo if only one Bee was permitted, given that Wissa has had seven big chances to Mbeumo’s one (and even that was a penalty) since the two were reunited in Gameweek 8. Nevertheless, with Leicester ranked 20th for set-piece shots conceded and 20th for key passes conceded from their left flank (Mbeumo takes the odd corner and patrols the Brentford right), there’s plenty going for him in this fixture too.