FPL Scout Report 22 – Players Watchlist And Captaincy Picks For Gameweek 28

We’re back with another FPL preview ahead of Gameweek 28. It’s the second blank gameweek 28 of the season with four teams blanking – Manchester City, Arsenal, Sheffield United, and Aston Villa. Let’s take a look at three players who have impressed over the recent weeks with a view of getting them into our FPL teams in the near future. Also, we’ll be discussing the best captain options for gameweek 28.

Bruno Fernandes (MUN MID: 8.2m)

Upcoming fixtures: Everton (A), Manchester City (A), Tottenham (A)

Bruno Fernandes was at the heart of everything positive during United’s 3-0 victory over Watford. The Portuguese scored a penalty after he was brought down by Ben Foster in the box. He then set up Greenwood for United’s third goal of the game and was unlucky to not register an assist for Martial’s goal after the Frenchman missed his first effort and scored off the rebound. Since arriving ahead of gameweek 25, no midfielder has fired more than his 10 shots, while only Richarlison and Son can better his 4 shots on target. He has also created 7 chances during this period.

FPL Managers may be put off by the fixtures on paper, however, Everton and Spurs haven’t been great defensively over the past few gameweeks and the Manchester Derby could go either way, with United’s tendency to perform better against the better teams with their counter-attacking play. The 25-year-old is also on all set-pieces and penalty duties which is a massive positive. However, FPL managers would have to keep gameweek 31 in mind, which will most probably be a blank for United due to FA cup fixtures/results.

Matt Doherty (WOL DEF: 6.2m)

Upcoming fixtures: Tottenham (A), Brighton (H), West Ham (A)

Since the return of Boly, Wolverhampton Wanderers have registered four consecutive clean sheets in all competitions and the fixtures ahead do look good for Nuno Espírito Santos’ men. While Boly and Saiss provide a budget-friendly route into the Wolves’ defense, Matt Doherty clearly looks like the stand out pick. Over the last four gameweeks, no defender has amassed more big chances than the Irish fullback and only Ricardo Pereira and Trent Alexander-Arnold have had more attempts on goal.

Over the same period, he is also on top for shots in the box, level with Virgil van Dijk. Only Chelsea and Manchester City have allowed opponents fewer shots in the box in the last four gameweeks. Wolves also play in gameweek 31, where we could have as many as 7 matches postponed and with favorable fixtures ahead, Doherty looks worth his price to get in for the run-in.

Harvey Barnes (LEI MID: 6m)

Upcoming fixtures: Norwich (A), Aston Villa (H), Watford (A)

Harvey Barnes provides a cheap yet very effective route into the Leicester attack who have a kind run of fixtures coming up. The 22 year was benched against Manchester City in a tactical switch where Brendan Rodgers opted for a back 5 with the absence of all of his defensive midfielders. With Leicester trailing and the Iheanacho injury, he came on and changed the complexion of the game, giving a new dimension to the Foxes’ attack. However, with the return of Choudhury and with favorable fixtures, we expect Barnes to start every game.

Over gameweeks 23 to 26, only Salah and Son have had more efforts inside the box and more efforts on target than the young winger. Over the same period, only Salah, Son and Alli have had a better xG than him. Leicester in the next three fixtures face the worst three defenses in the league with away trips to Norwich and Watford sandwiched between a home game against Aston Villa. With an ownership of just 2.9%, Harvey Barnes could prove to be a massive differential to shoot you up the rankings.

Captaincy Options for Gameweek 28

Gameweek 28 provides us with a great chance to make huge ground by nailing the captaincy. Here are the three best captaincy shouts for Gameweek 28:

Sadio Mane/Mohamed Salah:

Liverpool these days have been the go-to options for captaincy with such great form on their side. Jurgen Klopp’s men next face an away trip to Watford where the attacking duo of Salah and Mane could have a lot of joy. Over the past five weeks, Watford have conceded around 11 shots in the box and 2 big chances per game. Only West Ham over the last four gameweeks have conceded more goals than the Hornets. Over the last four gameweeks, no team has had more goal attempts, shots in the box or big chances than Liverpool. The Liverpool attacking duo have been in great form recently and we could see both of them returning a double-digit score.  However, if you own both Mane and Salah, here’s a fact for you – Salah hasn’t scored a single away Premier League goal this season when both him and Mane have started. But Salah has penalties. Pick your choice.

Jamie Vardy:

Although Jamie Vardy has had a barren, goal draught run all these weeks, it’s Leicester’s opponents, Norwich that increase the 33-year-old’s appeal for captaincy this week. Wolves had 1

9 shots last weekend against the Canaries, with 13 in the box, 5 big chances and an xG of over 3. Norwich are struggling big time, having just one victory in their last 14 matches. Jamie Vardy scored in the reverse fixture against Norwich as well, adding to the fact that this match is on a Friday night. Sweet memories for Leicester and Vardy on a Friday night at St. Mary’s. Could be fireworks for both Vardy and Leicester.

All the very best for the upcoming gameweek. Do not forget, it’s an early Friday night deadline with four teams blanking – Manchester City, Arsenal, Sheffield United and Aston Villa. We hope this attempt has helped you guys. Until next time.

Written by Samson Baretto

El Arte Del Futbol is an official content creator for OneFootball. Find more Original Features, Player Profiles and Tactical Analysis’ on www.elartedf.com. If you are reading this on our website, we’d like to thank you for your continuous support! Follow us on twitter to stay updated with all the latest content.