Welcome to our FPL GW9 Scout Picks blog! Gamweek 9 is just around the corner, and though there are still european fixtures to be played on wednesday and thursday night it is time to start thinking about potential moves and transfers for this weekend’s round of PL action.
FPL GW8 was a fairly successful week for our Scout Picks team which picked up a decent 67 points despite both Romero and Enzo ending up with 0 points due to injury. Our score bettered the Official PL Scout Picks’ 63, meaning that we extend our lead to 5.5-2.5 going into FPL GW9. Can we make it four in a row?…
| GW1 | GW2 | GW3 | GW4 | GW5 | GW6 | GW7 | GW8 | |
| AllAboutFPL Team | 62 | 58 | 57 | 68 | 34 | 60 | 77 | 67 |
| Official FPL Team | 56 | 50 | 57 | 90 | 43 | 57 | 67 | 63 |
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 GW9.
Link to all our FPL GW9 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 GW9 Fixtures
Teams to target in FPL GW9:
- Manchester United
- Chelsea
- Newcastle
- Leeds
Further Read: Team Wise Players to Target from FPL GW9 onwards
FPL GW9 Scout Picks
FPL GW9 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper
Pope (5.2m) makes his debut for the AAFPL Scout Picks 25/26 team in FPL GW9 with Newcastle facing Fulham at home on Saturday lunchtime. Newcastle have some of the best defensive stats in the league so far this season, and their FPL assets have been popular picks in many wildcard squads in recent weeks as a result.
Newcastle are ranked second in the division for expected goals against, trailing only league leaders Arsenal in that metric. The Magpies are also joint fourth for goals against, having conceded 7 across their first 8 fixtures of the new season. Pope himself has played a role in Newcastle’s defensive success and has thus far managed to ward off the spectre of new signing Ramsdale to retain the number one spot under Howe.
Pope has managed 3+ saves in 5 matches so far this year and has picked up bonus points in 2 games as well. The English shot stopper is the second-highest scoring ‘keeper in the game with 43 points (that’s over 5 points per game by the way) and should be on everyone’s radar at just 5.2m. This weekend, Newcastle face Fulham at home, a side that has scored just 8 goals (joint 15th) from 8.25xG (16th), making them one of the worst attacks in the league. Against Arsenal in FPL GW8, Fulham created just 0.44xG (0 big chances) from 9 shots, with 0 of those shots on target.
Further Read: Team Wise Players to Target from FPL GW9 onwards
FPL GW9 Scout Picks – Defenders
Rodon (4.1m), Cucurella (6.1m) and Gabriel (6.4m) make up our back three for FPL GW9…
Rodon is perhaps somewhat of a surprise inclusion, so allow me to explain my reasoning. Leeds actually have the 4th best expected goals against in the league, only just below Manchester City in third, but have conceded 13 goals (from 8.68xGA). What does this tell us? Stop reading so much into underlying stats and xG? Perhaps. Or maybe it tells us that Leeds’ defensive setup is sound, but that, so far this season at least, Farke’s team has been unlucky, be it due to goalkeeping errors or above-average finishing. If we look deeper into the numbers, it becomes clear that the reality is a combination of both, with first-choice keeper Darlow currently on -1.8 PSxG+/- (fbref) for this season, accounting for some, but not all, of the xGA underperformance of the team.
This weekend, Leeds face West Ham at home, which is a perfect opportunity for those of us with Leeds assets on the bench to consider starting them as West Ham continue to struggle despite the appointment of ex-Forest coach Nuno. The Hammers have the third-worst attack in the league (for both goals and xG, they are ranked 18th) and have scored just 1 goal in the league since Nuno’s arrival. Leeds’ defensive record is even better at home, making this fixture all the more appealing. Rodon himself is averaging 8.25 CBIT/90 (according to FantasyFootballHub) and has the most defensive contributions of any Leeds defender so far this season, making him the ideal pick from West Yorkshire this weekend.
Next up are our two more conventional picks, starting with Cucurella. The Chelsea full back delivered for our Scout Picks team last weekend, picking up 8 points in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Forest on Saturday lunchtime. The Spanish left back remains the best defensive pick from Chelsea due to his high attacking numbers and nailed-ness. In FPL GW8, Cucurella also managed to pick up 2 DC points, highlighting his versatility from an FPL point of view.
Reece James remains one to keep an eye on, as if he can keep his place in the team at the base of midfield, then he could be a very interesting FPL proposition. Since moving there, his underlying numbers have shot up, and we all know that a defender playing out of position higher up the pitch is always something to keep an eye on… For now, though, Cucurella remains the best bet, and with a home fixture against promoted Sunderland this weekend, he is a solid pick for our teams. Sunderland’s attacking stats are not great, and they have struggled particularly away from home, so a trip to Chelsea may be a (Stamford) bridge too far…
Finally, we have Gabriel. In spite of a tough fixture against Crystal Palace this weekend it felt too risky to go without Gabriel due to the high EO of Arsenal defenders. Furthermore, Arsenal’s defensive stats are outrageous, and it is not out of the realms of possibility that they are able to keep a clean sheet against Palace this weekend. Gabriel has shown that he remains the best Arsenal defensive pick, having picked up an assist in FPL GW8 and a goal in midweek against Athletico, as well as ranking highly for CBIT/90 (8.9), so he’s back in for Timber (which, knowing our luck, means that Timber will haul and Gabriel will blank!)…
Further Read: FPL Gameweek 9 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
FPL GW9 Scout Picks – Midfielders
We’ve gone for a midfield five this week consisting of Semenyo (8.0m), Enzo (6.7m), Bruno F (8.9) and Mbeumo (8.0m)…
Let’s start with the Manchester United double-up. Red Devils players will be on many managers’ minds going into FPL GW9 following their dramatic victory over historic rivals Liverpool last weekend. Bruno and Mbeumo were central to that victory, with the latter scoring early to give United the lead, and the former setting up the winner late on. The pair are perhaps the most attractive United assets (apart from Maguire, who is getting a lot of love from the FPL community at the moment), but should they be targeted going forwards?
With Palmer out due to injury, Wirtz and Salah failing to live up to expectations, and Pep rotating his midfield and attacking options on a week-by-week basis, Saka and Bruno have been the only real ‘premium’ midfield options for a while now. Bruno is currently averaging 0.71xGI/90 but has delivered just 2 goals and 1 assist so far this campaign. He is slightly underperforming both his expected goals and expected assists, part of a wider trend that is plaguing many of United’s attacking players. That being said, he is central to United’s attack, which is ranked 2nd in the league for expected goals, so is certainly one to target.
Mbeumo similarly has good underlying numbers but is currently failing to deliver. Part of the ex-Brentford wingers’ appeal was that he massively overperformed his underlying numbers last season, so this drop-off is somewhat concerning. That being said, he has still delivered 2 goals and 1 assist, and has been one of United’s most consistent performers so far this year. United face Brighton this weekend, a side who are fairly mid-table defensively, which should prove to demonstrate if their current form is a purple patch or if it is something more sustainable. United are in a good run of form at home, having won all three of their previous home matches in the Premier League, last losing at home on opening day to league leaders Arsenal.
Next up is superstar Semenyo. The Bournemouth winger is the highest-scoring midfielder and the second-highest-scoring player in FPL so far this season. At just 8m, he offers fantastic value, and should be in every manager’s team by this point (36.5% managers do not own him). His underlying numbers and real-term output are both exceptional – he is a must-have in FPL. In FPL GW9, Bournemouth face Nottingham Forest, which is, on paper, a good fixture, though I have my concerns. One should expect Forest to be far more defensively solid under Dyche, so an attacking double-up is perhaps a risk, but Semenyo remains an excellent pick.
Finally we have Enzo Fernandez. After a thumping 5-1 win over Ajax in midweek in which the Blues cruised to victory, we’ve decided to back Enzo again in FPL GW9. We selected him for our Scout Picks last week, acknowledging that he may not start due to injury, and were left disappointed, but not surprised, when he was left out of the matchday squad.
Enzo has thrived in Palmer’s absence as one of the central attacking forces in this Chelsea side. 3 goals and 1 assist and an average of an expected goal involvement every 61 minutes – he has really grown into this more attacking role. With a decent fixture run coming up and Palmer still out for the foreseeable, Enzo looks like a great pick up in FPL GW9.
Further Read: Premier League Players who will miss PL due to AFCON 2025
FPL GW9 Scout Picks – Forwards
Completing the team is a familiar front three of JP (7.5m), Haaland (14.7m) and Woltemade (7.4m).
While Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a popular FPL pick for this weekend due to the fixture, his price, and Leeds’ decent underlying numbers, we’ve opted to stick with our FPL GW8 front three again, with Haaland, JP and Woltemade all keeping their spots in the team. Haaland naturally retains his place in the team and the captaincy.
The City striker has now scored in 12 consecutive games in all competitions, the second-longest streak since 2000, and is certainly eyeing Vardy’s Premier League record too. Villa were lucky to come away having conceded just 1 last weekend and still look suspect defensively, so it makes sense to leave Haaland with the captain’s armband for FPL GW9.
Big Nick Woltemade also keeps his spot in the team, having returned again for the AAFPL Scout Picks team in FPL GW8. The German has now scored 4 goals in 5 appearances for Newcastle this year in the league, extending his own consecutive scoring streak to three matches with his goal against Brighton in FPL GW8.
I’ve been a big fan of Woltemade from the start due to his nailed-ness (thanks to Wissa’s injury) and the fact that Newcastle create so many chances for their number 9. Isak is clearly an excellent striker, but his difficult start to life in Liverpool has demonstrated that his success up north was at least in part due to Howe’s Newcastle playing to his strengths and creating so many chances centrally for him. Woltemade has benefited from this approach and already looks like a fan favourite. His backheel goal against Brighton was exquisite, and it encapsulates his recent form in front of goal – he’s a great player in good form and has a decent fixture at home in FPL GW9, what’s not to love!
Joao Pedro will be a surprise inclusion for some as his performances and FPL returns in recent weeks have left a lot to be desired. That being said, he remains the second highest scoring forward in FPL only behind Haaland for total points at this stage. This pick is fueled by the hope/expectation that JP starts a bit deeper at the weekend with Guiu or perhaps the returning Delap starting as the number 9. Pedro has put in some good performances there, but definitely does his best work slightly deeper.
This theory is based on the fact that Guiu played just 45′ in midweek. This coupled with the news that Delap will soon be returning may suggest that Moresca is looking to reintegrate a ‘proper’ striker role into this team, which in turn would free up JP to play a bit deeper. If our theory does not come to fruition, JP’s numbers are by no means bad (he’s also one of the only nailed Chelsea attackers), and he remains one of Chelsea’s primary goal scoring threats regardless of his position on the pitch.
Further Read: FPL Gameweek 9 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
FPL GW9 Scout Picks Full Team
Our bench includes 1x 4.0m goalkeeper, 2x 4.0m defenders and 1x 4.5m midfielder.
All expected data is from understat unless stated otherwise.
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL GW9
FPL Gameweek 9 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
FPL GW9 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups
Top FPL GW9 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of GW9 Deadline
Top FPL Gameweek 9 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL GW9 Predicted Lineups, Injuries, & Press Conference Updates
Team Wise Players to Target from FPL GW9 onwards
FPL GW9 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
Premier League Players who will miss PL due to AFCON 2025
Link to all our FPL GW9 blogs, including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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