FPL GW31 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups

Welcome to our FPL GW31 Scout Picks blog! We’re into the final stretch of the Premier League season now, as FPL managers are making their final push for mini-league glory and overall rank success! Regardless of whether you are ‘wildcarding’ or not, our scout picks will be useful reading for all FPL managers, as we pick the best players in each position for this weekend’s Premier League fixtures!

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AAFPL Team	84	65	92	44	59	42	59	26	72	35	83	70	83	67	63	51	95	65	73	71	77	49	78	113	92	78	69	70	70	48	17
Official FPL Team	64	96	77	46	54	39	44	46	71	55	78	66	97	66	78	46	89	59	82	68	72	59	61	121	86	80	72	58	80	37	12

Despite not having a great week ourselves, we still managed to get back to winning ways, taking our lead over the official fpl scout picks to 18-12 going into FPL GW31! As always, our Scout Picks will be based on the eye test, stats, and analysis. Let’s first take a look at the fixtures for FPL GW31!

Link to all our FPL GW31 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, best forwards, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW31 Fixtures

FPL GW31 Scout Picks

FPL GW31 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper

Though he is yellow-flagged, Alisson (5.6m) is our goalkeeper choice for FPL GW31. Liverpool put in a solid defensive showing in the Merseyside derby in midweek against city rivals Everton, limiting the Toffees to just 5 shots and 0.67xG. While Beto caused VVD and Konate some problems in the first half, the second half was a fine defensive performance. Unfortunately, Ali missed that game through the concussion protocol, meaning that his over-qualified understudy stepped in to take command between the sticks at Anfield. We expect AB1 to be back for the trip to Fulham, as his injury is not serious.

Liverpool have managed to keep 3 clean sheets in their last 5 matches, with all three coming in games against tough opposition (City, Newcastle, and Everton). Slot has slowed the tempo of the team and calmed things down since he took over from the heavy metal Klopp in the summer, which has clearly had a positive impact on Liverpool’s ability to keep clean sheets – the Reds remain top of the CS table with 13, level with Forest.

Key stat: Fulham have both the 12th highest xG and the 12th most goals scored!

Their opponents this week are Fulham, who are in decent form, narrowly losing to Arsenal in GW30 and picking up wins against Spurs and Wolves in recent weeks. 7 of their 9 shots and 0.96xG of their 0.99xG against Arsenal came in the second half, in fact, most of their attacks (5/7 shots and 0.75/0.96xG) came after Timber went off injured in the 77th minute. Arsenal were down to the bare bones defensively by that point having also lost Gabriel to injury in the first half – what I’m trying to say is that their 2-1 loss against Arsenal perhaps wasn’t as heroic as it may seem at first glance, and that they are still fundamentally a pretty average attacking side.

FPL GW31 Scout Picks – Defenders

Our backline for FPL GW31 is made up of Munoz (5.1m), Livramento (4.5m), and Ait-Nouri (4.8m)!

Munoz is becoming a staple of the AAFPL scout picks team, having been included in 3 of the last 4 teams (not included in FPL GW29 only because Palace blanked)! His attacking numbers speak for themselves, 0.19xG/90 and 0.16xA/90 illustrates that he is one of the most potent full-backs in the league – and a very valuable FPL asset!

Palace face Brighton this weekend, in the M25 derby – only yesterday I heard it described on a podcast as ‘the most prestigious derby in modern football‘ (it was a Palace fan being ironic, don’t get mad at me). It’s getting to that point in the season where results between mid-table teams become almost impossible to predict, and though Brighton are technically still in the race for Champions League football, so are about 6 other teams so… Palace are at home, which in a derby gives them a big advantage, though they did fumble in mid-week against Southampton, only coming away with a 1-1 draw. Fundamentally, we’ve gone for Munoz as Palace’s defensive record is still exceptional: prior to Southampton away, they had 3 clean sheets in 5 games, and Munoz always has the potential to bag an attacking return.

Livramento put in an excellent performance against Liverpool in the Cup Final a few weeks ago, pocketing Salah and at the same time playing a huge role in Newcastle’s attack. Though the magpies have just 2 clean sheets in their last 8 Premier League games, we’re backing them this week in large part due to their fixture – Leicester at home.

The Foxes are really on the beach at this point. Ipswich seem to be playing with a sense that they still have a chance (albeit slim) of surviving, while Leicester, who are only 3 points adrift of the Tractor Boys, seem well and truly beaten. Leicester haven’t scored a goal since January. Let me repeat that – Leicester haven’t scored a goal since January, in fact, they’ve only scored two goals this calendar year – they are in perhaps the worst vein of form I’ve ever witnessed in the league. Livramento’s attacking numbers are pretty good in recent weeks too, and he’s pretty nailed, especially considering Trippier is yellow flagged – so he’s a solid pick for FPL GW31.

Finally, we have RAN. Aït-Nouri continues to be an absolute gem for FPL managers, picking up 8 points against West Ham in FPL GW30, reminding us of his potential as an asset! He has been instrumental in Wolves’ recent defensive improvements, contributing to their clean sheet against the Hammers. His ability to get forward also adds an extra dimension to his appeal – he’s still averaging just under 0.2xGI/90, not bad for a defender for the worst team in the league outside of the promoted sides!

Wolves face Ipswich, a side that has struggled in front of goal all season, scoring just 30 goals in their 30 matches so far this season. Given Ipswich’s attacking struggles and Wolves’ recent improving form, Aït-Nouri is an excellent choice this GW!

FPL GW31 Scout Picks – Midfielders

Salah (13.8m), Mbeumo (8.1m), Saka (10.3m), and Murphy (5.0m) make up our midfield for FPL GW31!

Salah not our captain 2 gameweeks in a row :O – what is going on?!?! Last week, we made the bold decision of going for Marmoush over Salah for captain, a choice which paid off as Salah blanked while Marmoush scored and secured a huge 9 points. The Egyptian king has lost his crown, and he’ll have to show us through his performances why he is the rightful heir to the captaincy! Liverpool face Fulham in FPL GW31, a team with a decent defensive record and excellent underlying numbers. That being said, it would be crazy to go without Salah – it’s bad enough that we’re not captaining him!

Mbeumo returns to the team after reminding us of his FPL importance by scoring and taking home a huge 8 points in midweek against Newcastle – a side who are in excellent form. Mbeumo converted from the spot in that game, but was also heavily involved in all that Brentford did going forwards, picking up 0.24xA to go along with his 0.87xG.

This week the Bees go up against Chelsea in what is, on paper at least, a tough fixture. Chelsea have been struggling in recent weeks, though, perhaps due to Cole Palmer’s dip in form, and they barely scraped past Spurs, securing a 1-0 win against their London rivals on Thursday night. Even when the Blues are in great form, however, they are no match for Mbeumo, who scored and secured 9 points against them earlier this season in the reverse fixture, which took place at Stamford Bridge. Frankly (pun intended), Brentford fans will be hoping that their star man can repeat the trick this time around!

Saka is back from injury!! Which means he’s going straight back into our Scout Picks team. Arsenal’s star boy was selected by many managers on a WC in 30 and will be chosen by many in 31 following his dynamic performance off the bench, scoring the crucial goal which ultimately secured Arsenal the win. Saka’s numbers are superb: 0.4xG/90 and 0.65xA/90 puts him in a group of only a handful of players averaging over 1xGI/90.

This week the Gunners face Everton away, and Saka’s creativity will be crucial if Arteta’s side are to overcome the Toffees. Moyes’ side demonstrated how they can frustrate and be difficult to broken down in their match against Liverpool in midweek – they’ll be looking to do something similar against the Gooners in GW31. In the reverse fixture, while Saka did blank, he managed to produce 0.89xGI in that game and was very unlucky not to come away with an attacking return. I don’t expect this game to be a goalfest, but if Arsenal are to win, their returning star boy will be key to their success.

Finally, we have AAFPL Scout Picks hall of famer, OG, legend: Jacob Murphy. The Englishman came in absolute clutch for us in FPL GW30, securing a huge 5 points for our squad. Murphy’s 0.32xA/90 and 0.25xG/90 is excellent considering his price, and we’re backing him to return again this week, as the Magpies have a great fixture against relegation candidates Leicester. Gordon is still not 100% fit – Murphy is a great (and cheaper) alternative!

FPL GW31 Scout Picks – Forwards

Two attackers retain their spots in this week’s team as Larsen (5.3m) joins Isak (9.5m) and Marmoush (7.5m) for FPL GW31!

Let’s start with El capitano Alex Isak. 0.7xG/90 (+0.21xA/90) and 25 goal involvements in 26 Premier League games – he just keeps on getting better every season! Isak is 3rd in the division for xG/90 (behind Salah and Haaland), and is also third for goals scored (again behind the same duo).

On Monday night, Newcastle face Leicester, and their talisman is in a race against time to be fit for the Foxes. Howe suggested that the injury wasn’t too serious, so he retains his place in our team and takes the armband from Marmoush for FPL GW31.

Eddie Howe’s team news ahead of Monday: “We’ll wait and see today, I will see them [Kieran Trippier and Alexander Isak] for the first time today. We don’t think we have any big injuries from Wednesday night, but we have a few niggles.

The Egyptian prince put in an outstanding shift for us as our captain in GW30, scoring and taking home all 3 bonus points! He was a popular WC pick in GW30 and remains so a fabulous choice for those on a WC this week too. Again, I’ll point you in the direction of my substack article for a more in-depth breakdown of Marmoush’s numbers and how he compares to other forwards in FPL (hint: he’s quite good), but if you don’t fancy reading the whole thing then here’s a graphic which summarizes the findings…

The stats are a few weeks old now – if anything Marmoush’s output has gotten even better since the publication of the piece – but the analysis remains the same: he’s a great pick with or without Haaland!

Completing our XI is Larsen, who makes his debut for the scout picks team! I’ve been fighting against including Larsen in teams of late, as, up until their game against West Ham, I was fairly unconvinced by Wolves – especially sans Cunha. However, I have seen the light : I’m fully onboard the Larsen hype train!

His 0.3xG/90 is not great (but reminder that he plays for Wolves), but his performances in recent games have demonstrated that he is able to pick up the slack when Cunha isn’t around to produce magic. He overperformed his xG substantially in Wolves’ last two fixtures, and is +3 goals up from where he should be according to the expected data for the season. What does this tell us? – he’s a man in form! Certainly, it’s likely the goals will dry up at some point, and Larsen is a fairly patchy player anyway, but when he’s in the form he’s currently in (3 goals in 2 games) and he’s up against a very leaky Ipswich defense, he’s a decent option.

Ipswich have shipped 4 or more goals in 4 PL home games this season, highlighting their poor form at Portman Road – despite their surprise win against Bournemouth, I’m expecting them to struggle this weekend. Wolves are in good form, winning their last two PL games and 3 of their last 5, while Ipswich were winless in 10 before their victory over Bournemouth. We’re backing Larsen all the way!

Full FPL GW31 Scout Team

Further reads from AllAboutFPL ahead of FPL GW31:

2024/25 Ultimate Chip Strategy Guide- Best Windows to play all Chips & Combinations
FPL GW31 Wildcard Team- Tips, Players to Target and Best Drafts
FPL GW31 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups
Top FPL GW31 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Deadline
FPL Gameweek 31 Transfer Tips- Players to Buy/Hold/Sell
FPL GW31 Tips – Gabriel Replacements, Players to Target, Premium Mids & More
Premier League GW31 Predictions and Prizes- Sleeper Pick’em
FPL GW31 Tips & Ultimate Guide: Differentials, Captaincy & More 
Upcoming FPL Double/Blank Gameweeks | 24/25 FPL Season

Link to all our FPL GW31 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 31 of the 2024/25 FPL Season?

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