FPL GW8 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups

Welcome to our FPL GW8 Scout Picks blog! And breath… The international break has given us FPL managers a well-needed break, but as FPL GW8 creeps closer, decisions must now be made! Hopefully, this week’s post will help you in that decision-making process as we run through our Scout’s Picks for this weekend’s round of fixtures.

We’re on a roll now, picking up back-to-back wins against the Official FPL Scout Picks team, having scored a huge 77 points in FPL GW7. Our Scout Picks are now leading 4.5-2.5 to the Official FPL Scout going into FPL GW8.

	GW1	GW2	GW3	GW4	GW5	GW6	GW7
AllAbout FPL Team	62	58	57	68	34	60	77
Official FPL Team	56	50	57	90	43	57	67

The question is, can we go 3 for 3?… As always, our Scout Picks will be based on the eye test, stats, and analysis. But before we discuss player picks, let’s take a look at the fixtures for FPL GW8.

Link to all our FPL GW8 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 GW8 Fixtures

Teams to target in FPL GW8:

• Arsenal
• Spurs
• Chelsea

FPL GW8 Scout Picks

FPL GW8 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper

Raya (5.7m) retains his place in the team, having delivered a solid haul of 6 points in FPL GW7. Arsenal’s ‘keeper is the second-highest scoring goalie in the game, having scored 34 points so far this season, 7 fewer than league leader Pope. The Gunners make the short trip across London (17 kilometers!) to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday. Fulham have been in decent form so far this year and sit 14th on 8 points after 7 games, but their attack has let them down this far, having scored just 8 goals (12th) from 7.75xG (13th). The cottagers are fairly defensively solid but lack thrust and clinical edge, so Arsenal will be confident they can keep another CS this weekend.

Arteta’s side have conceded just 3 goals so far this year, the fewest in the league. They have also only conceded 5.04xGA, so while they have been slightly lucky to only concede 3, the stats back up that their status as the best defense in the league is warranted. Raya’s price tag and lack of save points puts many FPL managers off, but he is a consistent FPL point scorer and should thus not be ignored as an option! An Arsenal defensive double-up is a must considering their record and fixtures, and this week we’ve gone for Raya as our first option…

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FPL GW8 Scout Picks – Defenders

Romero (5.1m), Cucurella (6.1m), and Timber (5.9m) make up our back three for FPL GW8!

Romero is another player who retains their place in the team, despite disappointing in FPL GW7 and returning just 1 point for the managers who put their faith in him. It was really a coin toss between Romero and Porro – Defcon security versus attacking possibility – and we’ve gone for the safer option yet again, despite being bitten last time out (we never learn).

Spurs’ captain has reached the defcon threshold twice this season, against Brighton and Man City, but has been within 3 points of the minimum on two other occasions. The main attraction for Spurs’ defenders is CS points, and no defender is more nailed than Romero, who has started and played 90′ in all 7 games thus far. Frank’s side have the 6th best xGA and the joint second best GA record in the league, 7 GWs into the season, and are thus a great team to target from a defensive standpoint. Villa, on the other hand, have been struggling to score, and Emery is clearly unsure of his best team, meaning that currently Villa are one to target, especially away from home…

Cucurella makes a return to the team after a prolonged absence due to fixtures. Cucu last featured in our AAFPL Scout Picks team in FPL GW3, in which he scored 6 points, we’re hoping he can repeat the trick and haul again this time around! Chelsea are clearly a team to target this week as they face Nottingham Forest, who are still winless under new manager Ange Postecoglou. Forest have played 4 in the league since Ange’s appointment and have lost 3, conceded 7, and scored just 1 in that time. In only one of those games did they create more than 1xG (against Sunderland in FPL GW6).

Cucurella is still the best Chelsea defensive option and arguably the best overall premium defensive option. While teammate Chalobah has scored more points so far, he was sent off in FPL GW6 and may have fallen out of favour as a result. Furthermore, Cucurella’s underlying attacking numbers are very good, and far better than other Chelsea defensive assets. Reece James is the only defender with a higher xGI/90, but his shifting positions/roles under Moresca this season make him a less appealing option in my opinion. Cucurella is nailed, has a high xGI/90, and has an excellent fixture against a team out of form – an obvious pick for FPL GW8.

Timber completes our defensive trio and the Arsenal defensive double-up. The full-back scored a huge 11 points in FPL GW7, 2 more than our Arsenal defensive pick, Gabriel, who scored 9. The two are now ranked first and second for points scored by defenders in FPL this season, and are only beaten by Semenyo and Haaland for overall points scored. As mentioned in the Raya section, Arsenal have a great fixture, an excellent defensive record, and underlying defensive numbers, making them the perfect team to double up on defensively for FPL GW8. Timber offers that little extra attacking threat than Gabriel and Saliba, and is thus our pick for this weekend.

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 8 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell

FPL GW8 Scout Picks – Midfielders

We have selected a midfield of Saka (9.8m), Enzo (6.7m), Sarr (6.5m), and Kudus (6.8m) for FPL GW8.

Saka is the only midfielder to keep his place from last week’s team, with all of the other 3 midfielders dropping out… Saka completes the Arsenal triple up, and is by far the most popular attacking option in FPL that the Gunners have to offer. His underlying stats leave a lot to be desired, but he is clearly the most exciting option and definitely the most nailed.

His 0.35xG/90 and 0.29xA/90 amount to a decent 0.74xGI/90. While this may seem decent on paper, it is far below last season’s average of over 1xGI/90! It took a bit of time for Saka to settle back into this side post-injury earlier this season, but he now looks to be getting up to full speed, and just in time too, as Arsenal sit pretty in first going into FPL GW8! Gyokeres could and should also be considered, but if you have the funds and the midfield space, then Saka is probably the safer and better option.

Sarr has stunned FPL players and football fans alike with his performances on the pitch so far this year, ranking highly for most attacking statistics amongst midfielders. These were his stats going into FPL GW7…

In FPL GW7, he did, of course, provide an assist and secure 2 bonus points, taking his season-long tally to 36 points despite having missed a large portion of it through injury. When playing, Sarr averages 7.2 points per match, a score beaten only by Semenyo amongst midfielders. Admittedly, it’s a toss-up between the two of them for FPL GW8. We’ve gone for Sarr over Semenyo due to Palace being at home, but this one could go either way…

Kudus joins Romero as the second Spurs player in the AAFPL Scout Picks team. Kudus has been an inconsistent FPL performer thus far in a Spurs shirt. He has managed attacking returns in just 3 of his 7 matches so far this season, blanking in 4. With a fixture against Villa at home in FPL GW8, he will be hoping to continue his pre-international break form this weekend.

The summer signing from West Ham is the most nailed Spurs attacker at the moment and is therefore likely the best option. His underlying numbers suggest he should be returning a goal involvement every other game, a decent average for a player of his price. With Sarr, Enzo, and others playing on managers minds, this weekend might be the last chance for Kudus to show his worth before players look to move him on! He’ll be up against a Villa side that have conceded a goal a game so far this year and will be looking to exploit Digne’s defensive weaknesses when the two face up on Sunday afternoon.

Finally, we have Enzo. This pick comes with the caveat that Enzo is, in fact, an injury risk going into the weekend, and if we receive a negative injury update from Moresca before the deadline, we will likely look to swap him out for an alternative option. All that being said, if fit Enzo is a great FPL asset!

At such a cheap price, Enzo’s 0.68xGI/90 is astonishing! He ranks highest in the Chelsea squad for xG (500+ minutes) and fairly highly for xA too. The midfielder has also reached the defcon threshold once so far this season, missing out on another occasion by just 1 CBIT action. Chelsea’s second most expensive midfielder is a great asset for his price and looks to have successfully filled Palmer’s attacking boots in the Englishman’s absence through injury. With a fixture against an out-of-form Forest side in FPL GW8, and buoyed by a late victory against Liverpool in FPL GW7, Fernandez looks like a fantastic pick up (if fit).

Latest Update on Enzo Fernandez:

Maresca on Enzo, Neto, and Caicedo: “They didn’t take part in the session yesterday, but we will see if they can train today. Otherwise, they would be out for tomorrow.”

Enzo was also not spotted in any of the training pictures released by Chelsea so far. So go for him at your own risk.

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 8 Wildcard – Position Wise Players to Target

FPL GW8 Scout Picks – Forwards

Completing the team is a forward line of JP (7.7m), Haaland (14.5m) and Woltemade (7.2m)…

Haaland naturally takes the captaincy for the 3rd week in a row, having returned all of the previous times he has donned the armband for the AAFPL Scout Picks team this season. He faces Everton at home, which is by no means an easy game, but one which he will doubtless find a way to score in. The City striker is the highest scoring FPL player this season and has scored in his last 5 consecutive matches in the league. 9 goals in 7 games is an exceptional tally and he should be in everyone’s teams by now…

Joao Pedro began the season on a high, but has since fallen back to reality with 3 consecutive blanks in FPL. This poor form came against decent opposition, but managers will nonetheless be disappointed considering how well he commenced the campaign. JP is still the second-highest scoring forward behind only Haaland, but if this poor run continues, he may not be on that podium for much longer.

His underlying numbers are at once reassuring and concerning. He is marginally overperforming his xGI/90 of 0.48, but an expected goal every four games (otherwise known as 0.24xG/90) is far from ideal for a premium forward in FPL. JP is an excellent player and will have benefited from an extended rest over the international break. He will be coming up against Ange’s forest in FPL GW8 and will thus fancy his chances to end his scoreless run.

Finally, we have Big Nick Woltemade. With 3 goals in 4 games in the league, the big German striker has quickly found his feet in the Premier League. Woltemade is the focal point and pinnacle of Newcastle’s attack, and while he may struggle to match the output of Isak, he’s definitely giving it his best shot!

0.69xG/90 is extraordinary (albeit a small sample size) considering his age and unfamiliarity with the league (and indeed the country for that matter!). With Brighton up next, a side who rank 13th for xGA and 12th for GA, he’ll be keen to keep his excellent form up post-international break. Gordon is another great option, but for us, considering form and price (and the lack of quality forward options in FPL this year), Wolte looks like the best option for FPL GW8.

Further Read: FPL GW8 Wildcard Team – Tips, Players to Target and Best Drafts

FPL GW8 Scout Picks Full Team

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL GW8

FPL GW8 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
Top FPL Gameweek 8 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
Premier League Players who will miss PL due to AFCON 2025
FPL GW8 Predicted Lineups, Injuries, & Press Conference Updates
FPL GW8 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups
DEFCON Analysis: Top Defenders for DCs, Best Opponents + More
FPL Gameweek 8 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
FPL Gameweek 8 Wildcard – Position Wise Players to Target
FPL GW8 Wildcard Team – Tips, Players to Target and Best Drafts

Link to all our FPL GW8 blogs, including 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 8 of the 2025/26 FPL Season?

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