FPL GW5 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups

Welcome to our FPL GW5 Scout Picks blog! The champions league began this week, with many popular FPL assets, such as Salah, VVD, Palmer and Van De Ven, shining under European night floodlight’s. Now we must turn our attention back to FPL and the fast approaching gameweek 5.

Our Scout picks returned a very good 68 points in FPL GW4, but were outshone by the Official FPL Scout who’s team managed to score a whopping 90 points. Going into GW5 we are 2.5-1.5 versus the Official Scout Picks.

	GW1	GW2	GW3	GW4
AllAboutFPL Team	62	58	57	68
Official FPL Team	56	50	57	90

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 GW5.

Link to all our FPL GW5 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 GW5 Fixtures

FPL GW5 Scout Picks

FPL GW5 Scout Picks – Goalkeeper

An AAFPL Scout Picks favourite Sanchez (5.0m) makes his return to the team! Now in his third season at Stamford Bridge, Robert Sánchez has cemented himself as Chelsea’s undisputed number one under Enzo Maresca. The Spanish goalkeeper has matured into a reliable shot-stopper for the Blues, combining his natural reflexes with improved command of the penalty area. Heading into FPL GW5, Chelsea travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, a matchup that carries intrigue for FPL managers!

United have yet to find their rhythm in attack this campaign, while they rank highly for xG, they have scored just 1 goal from open play in their first four fixtures of the new campaign. Their forwards have struggled for consistency as Amorim has tinkered with his personnel game by game, leading to uncertainty and a lack of cohesion.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have started the season in great form, conceding just 3 goals and 3.9xG so far. They have kept two clean sheets in those four fixtures, and limited the opposition to less than 1xG in both GW2 and GW3. They looked pretty good against Bayern in mid-week but succumbed to the German giants in the end, losing 3-1 in their first Champions League game of 25/26. The Blues will be keen to continue their unbeaten record in the league when they travel to face United on Saturday evening.

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FPL GW5 Scout Picks – Defenders

A back three of Andersen (4.5m), Munoz (5.5m), and Virgil (6.0m) complete the defence…

Fulham welcome Brentford to Craven Cottage this weekend in what promises to be an exciting London Derby! Brentford’s attack has been inconsistent this season, ranking 14th for big chances created and registering 5.3 xG across their last 4 matches. Thiago and Schade are now the main men in attack for Brentford following the summer departures of Wissa and Mbeumo. Thiago offers an aerial threat while Schade likes to run in behind – a resurrection of the classic big-man little-man front two of old! The duo may struggle when faced with Fulham’s decent defensive unit this weekend, however…

Fulham have conceded 4 goals in the league in their first 4 matches, which at first glance does not render Andersen a fantastic FPL option. However, 2 of those goals have been penalties, and 1 was an own goal, meaning Fulham have actually only conceded 1 goal from open play in the league. They are ranked 5th for non-penalty xGA, highlighting that, penalties and freak own goals aside, they have actually been pretty solid! Andersen is a pretty consistent Defcon scorer too, having achieved over 10 Defcon in 3/4 matches so far. If you’re looking for a regular defcon scorer from a solid defense and a good fixture, then look no further – Andersen is your man!

Next up we have two men who retain their places from our FPL GW4 Scout Picks team, Munoz and VVD. Let’s start with Munoz.

Since joining Crystal Palace, Daniel Muñoz has become one of the most exciting full-back options in FPL thanks to his blend of defensive reliability and attacking intent. The Colombian quickly settled into the Premier League, and his performances continue to give Palace an added edge down the right-hand side. Ahead of GW5, Palace travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham, a side that are languishing dangerously close to the relegation zone…

Munoz has not yet blanked in FPL this year, scoring 5 points in GW1, GW2, and GW4, while hauling 9 points in GW3. 1 Assist, 3 CS, and 24 defcon – he is a fantastic FPL pick. His underlying numbers don’t look too bad either, the Colombian is currently averaging 0.34xA/90, making him Palace’s most creative player. This weekend Palace face a West Ham side that have only managed to score in 2/4 of their games so far this season and who have looked fairly poor going forwards (Forest match aside). Palace are perhaps the safest bet for a CS this weekend, and Munoz is by far and away the best defensive asset for the Eagles.

Liverpool’s captain and defensive rock, Virgil van Dijk, is once again staking his claim as an elite FPL defensive option. With Everton visiting Anfield in GW5, the Dutchman offers not only strong clean sheet potential but also represents a great threat from set-pieces, as we saw on Wednesday when he scored from a corner to win the game against Atletico Madrid!

“Never back the early kick off.” Saturday lunchtime games are often low-scoring affairs (don’t ask me why), and the fact that this is a derby match makes a 0-0 or a 1-0 either way even more likely. Both Liverpool and Everton have been solid defensively this season, so do not expect a goal fest. Virgil is the most nailed Liverpool defensive asset and offers great CBIT/90 numbers plus goal threat – is he the perfect FPL defender?…

Further Read: Top FPL GW5 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of GW Deadline

FPL GW5 Scout Picks – Midfielders

Salah (14.5m), Palmer (10.4m), Semenyo (7.4m), and Yeremy Pino (6.0m) make up our midfield quartet for FPL GW5!

Salah retains his place in the team and the captaincy in spite of his recent performances and underlying numbers. Liverpool are the joint top scorers in the league, and Salah is their most nailed attacker, making him the safest option for this weekend. It’s anyone’s guess who starts up front for the Reds, and though Gakpo is likely nailed on the left, there is a chance that Wirtz or Ekitike could be pushed wide to accomodate others, so for now we’re sticking with Salah. 2 goals and 1 assist so far is not bad at all, while his underlying numbers (0.28xG/90 and 0.18xA/90) suggest that, if you can afford him, he might still be a decent option.

Key Stat: Salah has 10 goal contributions in 13 matches against Everton in the league.

Palmer makes a return to the team for GW5 after a stunning cameo in GW4 and a mesmerising performance in midweek. The Englishman looked back to his best when coming off the bench against Brentford in GW4, taking 5 shots, scoring, and missing 1 big chance in the 34 minutes he was on the pitch! In that short period, he managed to accrue 0.63xG, taking 3 shots from inside the penalty area. When fully fit, Palmer is one of the best players in the league, and he finally looks to be finding his feet again in recent weeks following his underwhelming end to last season.

Chelsea face Manchester United in FPL GW5, a side that has conceded 7 goals and over 6xGA in their first 4 games of the new season. The Red Devils have conceded in every single game so far this campaign, and look nowhere near defensively solid. Palmer has scored 4 goals in 5 matches against United in the league, and, as a former City player, will be keen to continue this excellent record.

Semenyo retains his place in the side following another outstanding performance in the Premier League last weekend. Semenyo is the highest scoring midfielder in FPL after 4 GWs, let that sink in! 5 goal contributions in 4 games is astonishing, but the Bournemouth winger is showing no signs of slowing down so we’ve decided to include him yet again in spite of a ‘tougher’ fixture this week against Newcastle.

Semenyo is currently averaging 0.97xGI/90 in the league this season – he is arguably the most in-form attacker in the league, making him a quasi-essential FPL asset! Newcastle have proved to be a solid defense at the start of this season, while Bournemouth have turned out to be an exceptional attacking outfit – immovable object vs. unstoppable force? Due to his form in the league (and his price tag), we felt we just couldn’t leave him out!

Key Stat: Only Haaland and Gyokeres are averaging a higher xG/90 than Semenyo!

Finally, we have Crystal Palace’s Yeremy Pino! Glasner’s shiny new attacking toy got his first start in the PL in GW4 when Palace faced Sunderland. The young forward took 3 shots (totalling 0.73xG) and missed 2 big chances against Sunderland, but really showed why Palace spent big money on him. He has big shoes to fill, but he made a great impression on his full debut.

Palace face West Ham (as previously mentioned) in FPL GW5, a side that is not only struggling to score goals, but are also conceding them at an alarming rate… The Hammers have conceded the most goals in the league thus far (11), shipping 5 against Chelsea (GW2) and 3 against both Sunderland (GW1) and Tottenham (GW4). Their backline has looked error-prone and erratic under Potter, so Glasner and his players will fancy their chances going into their match this weekend. Pino looks like an exciting FPL option at 6.0m and played well in FPL GW4, so we’re taking a punt and backing him for FPL GW5!

Further Read: 2025/26 FPL Chip Strategy Guide – First Half of the Season

FPL GW5 Scout Picks – Forwards

An attacking trio of Wood (7.7), Mateta (7.5m), and Pedro (7.6m) completes the team!

Despite Forest’s two recent losses against Arsenal in the league and Swansea in the cup, we have faith that Wood remains a decent FPL option. With Burnley this week and Sunderland next week, the Forest forward looks like a decent mid-priced forward option for the next couple of GWs. Wood was not named on the bench for Forest mid-week against Swansea, which suggests that he is in line to start against Burnley, having had a week to recover from the Arsenal match.

Wood looks like the only nailed Forest attacker at the moment, with the other striking options at Ange’s disposal either not match fit or not Premier League proven. Burnley were solid against Liverpool but will likely change their approach and be far more open against Forest as they look to secure a second win of the campaign, meaning that the Forest attackers will be able to get at Burnley’s inexperienced backline…

Mateta keeps his spot in the team as Palace travel to London to face the Hammers. Everything mentioned about the fixture and the form of Palace in the Pino section applies here, Palace are in fantastic form while a leaky West Ham languish near the bottom of the league. Mateta is Palace’s best attacking asset, the Frenchman has scored 1 goal from 1.9xG so far and is averaging just under 0.5xG/90.

Key Stat: Mateta has scored 4 goals in 5 appearances against West Ham.

Finally, we have Joao Pedro. Perhaps Chelsea’s best player in midweek, Pedro, continues to impress in the Royal Blue of Chelsea FC. JP is the second-highest scoring forward in the game, behind only Haaland (who costs around double what JP costs!). Chelsea travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, a side who have been inconsistent defensively and prone to lapses when faced with mobile, technically gifted attackers like Pedro.

United were opened up time and again by the talented Foden and Doku, highlighting how easily they can be ‘got at’ by technical forwards. JP has already produced 2 goals and 3 assists in his opening 4 appearances of the season, ranking 3rd among all forwards for expected goal involvement per 90(xGI/90). Due to the injury of Delap, his minutes look fairly secure in the short term, so if you haven’t bought him already, JP is still a great option going forward!

Further Read: Best FPL GW5 Midfielders to Target Based on Stats & Fixtures

Full FPL GW5 Scout Picks

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL GW5

2025/26 FPL Chip Strategy Guide – First Half of the Season
FPL GW5 – Fixtures & Players to Target for Gameweek 5 
FPL GW5 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups
Top FPL GW5 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of GW Deadline
Best FPL GW5 Midfielders to Target Based on Stats & Fixtures
FPL Fixture Swing Analysis – Best Fixture Runs to Target

Link to all our FPL GW5 blogs, including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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