FPL GW1 Scout Selection Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups

Welcome to our FPL GW1 Scout Picks blog. Returning victorious after beating the Official FPL Scout picks 19.5 – 18.5 last season (our picks returned more points in 19/38 GWs, and both sets of picks returned exactly the same number of points in 1/38 GWs), we’re ready to go again this time around!

Link to all our 2024/25 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, differentials, players to target, budget enablers and more. Completely free to access as well!

As always, our Scout Picks will be based on the eye test, stats, analysis and in this case also Pre-Season. Let’s first take a look at the fixtures for FPL GW1.

GW1 Fixtures

FPL GW1 Scout Picks

FPL GW1 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper

Palace’s Henderson (£4.5m) gets the nod between the sticks for our FPL GW1 team. A £4.5m goalkeeper pick is probably sensible, due to the challenging prices of some players in FPL this season, and Henderson is one of the best options. In 10 games under Glasner, Henderson kept 4 clean sheets, conceding just 10 goals in the process.

The English ‘keeper was also averaging just over 3 saves per 90 last season (final 3 games of last season he averaged just under 4 per 90), which only adds to his appeal. However, if we dive deeper into the data, Henderson becomes an even more enticing option…

Palace Defense last season:

• 5th best for xGA (57.99)
• 5th best for GA (58)
• 4th most clean sheets (10)

There is a very small question mark over his minutes, as Johnstone was the Palace number 1 for the first few games of Glasner’s managerial tenure at Palace before Henderson became the preferred option. Henderson has started all 3 of Palace’s most recent friendly fixtures, and recent rumours online have confirmed that he is likely to be the N.1 going into the season.

Matchup wise, Brentford scored the 10th fewest goals last season, and massively under performed their xG. They’ve struggled to score goals from open play in pre-season, and with the future of talisman Toney still up in the air, they may well struggle offensively this time around too.

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FPL GW1 Scout Selection – Defenders

We’ve gone for a three man defense to kick off the new campaign, with one premium, one mid-price and one 4.5m defender. You can see the fixtures we’re targeting, with all 3 players playing a promoted side in GW1. In the first round of fixtures in 23/24, the 3 promoted sides conceded a total of 8 goals, and similarly this time around, all 3 promoted sides are expected to struggle against tough opposition in GW1.

With regards to Liverpool, I don’t need to remind people of Trent’s (£7.0m) attacking capabilities, but I would like to point out that the Reds should be much more defensively solid this year, as Slot’s Feyenoord were top 2 defensively (GA/xGA) in the Eredivisie for two seasons running; TAA’s attacking potential + higher clean sheet potential = happy FPL managers.

Best Liverpool FPL Assets to Target for FPL GW1

Porro (£5.5m) got 10 attacking returns last season (+ 2 goals in pre-season), and was an FPL revelation at his new club. He’ll be playing an identical role, with a fully fit Madison and new signing Solanke ahead of him so don’t expect the attacking returns to dry up! What’s more, his opponent this week is Leicester, who’s top scorer last season was 37 year old Jamie Vardy, a player who only managed 3 goals the last time he was in the Prem; they may well struggle to score goals.

Finally, Lewis Hall (£4.5m). Newcastle struggled defensively last season, but with no European football I expect them to be far more solid than last year. Defensive injuries cost them, and with fewer games to play, there’ll be a decreased risk of injury and thus more consistency which leads to more solidity at the back. I prefer Hall over Livramento (£4.5m), as he faces less competition for his spot in the team (Trippier has not yet officially left the club), and is ever so slightly more attacking. He is not entirely nailed, but has played a large portion of pre-season, and also started the last 7 games of the 23/24 season at LB, so I’m fairly confident he’ll be starting there against Southampton. Read more about Hall in our FPL GW1 Differentials article.

Further Read: Best FPL Gameweek 1 Drafts with Haaland and Salah

FPL GW1 Scout Selection – Midfielders

Salah (£12.5m) and Jota (£7.5m) complete the Liverpool triple up, with Jota likely to start up-front for Liverpool in GW1 (and for the foreseeable future), and Salah looking back to his best in pre-season with 1 goal and 2 assists. As mentioned, Liverpool have been in fine form in pre-season, scoring some wonderful goals, so it seems necessary to triple up on their players for GW1, especially considering the fixture (Ipswich (A)). Read more about Jota as he also features in our FPL GW1 Differentials article.

Salah is our captain for FPL GW1, due to his GW1 record and form in pre-season. The matchup with Ipswich is impossible to ignore, especially considering he will be up against Leif Davis, who is notoriously attacking and could leave extra space for Salah to exploit.

Eze has been a lock in many managers teams, due to Palace’s form at the end of last season, and is still a great pick for GW1, despite Olise’s departure. At £7.0m he’s a great price, and will provide managers with the chance to move to other mid-priced options like Gordon, Bowen or Bailey depending on fixtures and form.

At £5.5m Murphy comes in as the cheapest midfielder, and one of the cheapest players in the team, but his value should not be underestimated! The Newcastle winger scored 5 goals and provided 3 assists in pre-season and ended his PL campaign with a NpxG/90 of 0.21, and an xA/90 of 0.39. He’s a great, inexpensive way into the Newcastle attack, and is fairly nailed for GW1 (likely to start ahead of Barnes and Almiron on the RW).

Murphy gets in ahead of other popular £5.5m FPL assets like ESR, Minteh, Kamada and Semenyo due to the fixture, his minutes and his form in pre-season-⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽AAA(Read more: Pre-Season Summary of all 20 Premier League Teams). Kamada and Minteh are unproven in the Prem, Semenyo’s position/minutes are unknown and ESR is a big minutes risk for GW1.

FPL GW1 Scout Selection – Forwards

There’s been a heated debate in the FPL community on whether it’s feasible, and/or optimal to have just Haaland, just Salah or both. So we’ve taken a pragmatic decision and included both of them! Joking aside, any manager who goes without last season’s (and the season before) top goalscorer is running a big risk, so for FPL GW1, we feel it’s imperative to include him in our team. Chelsea have been very leaky in pre-season and are still getting to grips with a new playing style under their new coach, so chances won’t be hard to come by for City.

Wood (£6.0m) gets the nod ahead of Muniz (£6.0m), again due to their respective fixtures. Forest have been recieving a lot of hype in pre-season in the FPL community, and have an appealing run of fixtures for the first 3 GWs, meaning cover of their attack is necessary. Wood is nailed, and scored an impressive 14 goals last season, overperforming his already outstanding 0.67xG/90.

Chris Wood Pre Season form – ⚽⚽⚽AA (Read more: Pre-Season Summary of all 20 Premier League Teams)

Bournemouth conceded the 5th most goals in the league last season, and conceded 89 headed shots. Wood will be hoping to capitalise on this, as he scored 4 of his 14 goals, and took 19 of his 44 shots from inside the box using his head (43%).

We’ve also decided to triple up on Newcastle players, with £8.5m Isak completing our starting XI for FPL GW1. Of players to play over 1000 minutes, only Haaland had a better xG/90 than Isak’s 0.86. The Newcastle forward is currently the player with the highest ownership (58%), meaning that, similar to Haaland, those who go without run the risk of a ‘false start’ to their FPL season. At home, at the fortress that is St James’ Park, against a promoted side with a new manager, it feels foolish not to target Howe’s players, and Isak is arguably the best there is on Tyneside!

Further Read: FPL GW1 Team Structure Analysis with Drafts and Ratings

Full GW1 Scout Picks Team

Please note that our bench includes a 4.0m ‘keeper, 2 x 4.0m defender and a 4.5m midfielder, as all of the players selected are expected to start and have significant game-time in FPL GW1.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2024/25 FPL Season

FPL Gameweek 1 Articles:
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks(<10% TSB) To Target Ahead Of GW1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Scout Selection- Top Picks for GW1 with Stats and Analysis
Best FPL Drafts with Salah + Haaland with Pros/Cons and Key Notes
AllAboutFPL FPL GW1 Team Reveal with Key Notes
Top FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL Team Structure Analysis with Drafts and Ratings
FPL GW1 Tips- Best Formations & Structure, Haaland + Mo?, More

Must Read articles:
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2024/25 PL Season
2024/25 Pre-Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
Best FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations for 2024/25 FPL Season
Best FPL Budget Enablers For The 2024-25 FPL Season
List of Free to Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues Ahead of 24/25 Season
List of Creative FPL Team Names for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £6.5m FPL Midfielders Comparison For 2024/25 FPL Season
Team wise Best FPL Differentials(<10% TSB) for the 2024/25 Season
Best Liverpool FPL Assets to Target for FPL GW1
2024/25 FPL Season – Teams & Players to Target | Fixture Analysis
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2024/25 FPL Season
2024/25 FPL Season- New Rules & Changes | What’s New in FPL?
Players to Avoid in FPL GW1 Drafts
Underpriced FPL Assets from Traditional Big 6 Teams
Ultimate 2024/25 FPL Pre-Season Guide: Tips, Preview & More

GW1 Drafts and Analysis:
AllAboutFPL FPL GW1 Team Reveal with Key Notes
204/25 Season FPL Team Structure Guide with Drafts & Ratings
Best FPL Drafts with Salah + Haaland with Pros/Cons and Key Notes
Initial FPL GW1 Drafts for the 24/25 FPL Season with Pros & Cons

Position-Wise Analysis:
Defenders and Goal Keepers series:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £5-5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best Premium FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season(>=6.0 million)

Midfielders Series:
Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 – £12.5 Million) | 24/25 Season
Best Mid-Priced FPL Midfielders (£6.5 -£7.5 Million) | 24/25 Season
£4.5 Million FPL Midfielders Watchlist for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best Budget FPL Midfielders (£5.0 -£6.0 Million) | 24/25 Season

Forwards Series:
Best Premium FPL Forwards Analysis Ahead Of 2024/25 Season
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £5.5 Million) | 24/25 FPL Season
Best FPL Mid Priced Forwards (£6 – £7 Million) | 24-25 Season
Best FPL Mid Priced Forwards (£7.5 – £8 Million) | 24-25 Season

If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.

Link to all our 2024/25 Pre-Season articles including all position-wise analysis, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2024/25 FPL Season?

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