FPL experts answer 10 KEY questions ahead of Gameweek 12

The Scout's panel of experts answer 10 key questions, offering advice ahead of the return of Fantasy Premier League on Saturday. 

Keep or sell Haaland?

Pranil Sheth (@lateriser12): Erling Haaland (£15.2m) is playing against a Spurs team on Saturday that could again be without the injured Micky van de Ven (£4.6m). He is also top of the league for Expected Goals (xG) over the last five matches and has massively underperformed his underlying stats. With a home game and the potential of Kevin De Bruyne (£9.4m) being back to add extra creativity, I'd want to hold Haaland at least for one more Gameweek to see if Manchester City turn their fortunes around before making a big decision. 

Is it time to sell Nottingham Forest players? 

Oscar (@FPLFocal): Given Nottingham Forest's upcoming fixtures, there's a strong case to be made for selling them after they host Ipswich Town in Gameweek 13. I'm looking to pivot away from Chris Wood (£6.6m), with the likes of Matheus Cunha (£6.8m), Alexander Isak (£8.5m) and Joao Pedro (£5.4m) having much better fixtures.

Forest's fixtures

*Fixture Difficulty Ratings: 1 = easiest possible match, 5 = hardest possible match

Is it worth picking Man Utd players? 

Gianni Buttice (@GianniButtice): We often see a "new manager bounce", and with Ipswich and Everton up next, the upside is there. Of course, there is more uncertainty over the starting XI now, but expect Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) to still be the key cog in this team. As a Fernandes owner, I am very hopeful he plays as one of the two players behind the No 9 in Amorim's likely 3-4-3 set-up. 

Is time to triple up on Liverpool?

Harry Daniels (@FPL_Harry): Liverpool have had a fantastic start to the season, but predicting where the FPL points will come from has not been straightforward. Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) is the obvious first pick, being the highest-scoring player in the game. On top of this, I would look to add a defensive asset from the team with the most clean sheets so far this season. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m), the usual go-to pick, has not been producing many attacking returns and is currently an injury doubt. The best picks look to be Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) as a cheaper option, or Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m) for reliability.

But given two of the next three games are against Man City and Newcastle, a triple-up isn’t essential right now. There is the option to double up defensively, with two of Konate, Van Dijk and even Alisson (£5.4m) when he returns from injury, or looking at another attacker. Diogo Jota (£7.2m) was a popular pick, but his struggles to stay fit makes him hard to pick, while the constant rotation between Luis Diaz (£7.7m) and Cody Gakpo (£7.1m) leads to a similar conclusion.

So overall, as much as a triple-up might seem tempting, it is harder to do in practice. I would go for Salah and one of Konate and Van Dijk for now.

Who are the best five midfielders?

Ben Crabtree (@FC_CrabDogg): Salah (£12.9m) is first choice and needs little explanation; he is the top points-scorer, and a captain option in almost every Gameweek. Secondly, Cole Palmer (£10.9m), who is continuing last season's form, possibly making him the best-value premium. He is a strong captain option in three of the next five Gameweeks. Budget-friendly Morgan Rogers (£5.4m) has produced attacking returns in four of his last seven outings and now has three favourable home fixtures over the next four Gameweeks. Given his price, he also enables you to own Salah AND Palmer.

Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) has not quite carried on from last season, but there are some signs Newcastle might be coming into some form, and coupled with some enticing fixtures, Gordon is my fourth pick. Finally, Pedro Neto (£6.2m) has played 90 minutes in each of the last three Gameweeks, delivering a goal and an assist over some difficult matches. There's some risk, but a price of £6.2m and some great fixtures make him worth a shout.

What to do with the Arsenal defence? 

Pras (@Pras_FPL): This might be an unpopular opinion after no clean sheets since Gameweek 4, but I really do still think Arsenal are fundamentally a defence-first team and that their players in the rearguard remain great buys now that the tougher fixtures are largely out of the way. In Gabriel (£6.1m), William Saliba (£6.0m) and David Raya (£5.6m), they have players who are "set and forget" for the foreseeable future - an important element during the hectic upcoming period. I'd be looking to own at least one Arsenal defender very soon. 

Is it time to invest in Chelsea? 

Utkarsh Dalmia (@ZopharFPL): Chelsea embark on a great run of fixtures, and while Palmer is the obvious pick, there are also other investible options. Pedro Neto looks to be finding his feet in the team and is a consistent selection at just £6.2m. Nicolas Jackson (£7.9m) should also benefit over this run, but managers need to be wary that he is just one booking away from a one-match suspension. In defence, Levi Colwill (£4.5m) is probably the most reliable pick, with Marc Cucurella (£5.0m), Malo Gusto (£4.9m) and Reece James (£4.9m) all looking like rotation risks.

What to do with Gvardiol? 

Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily): I held Josko Gvardiol (£6.3m) on my Gameweek 11 Wildcard. Mostly that was because he had attacking or defensive returns in three straight Gameweeks, and he was unlucky not to register another attacking return in the dying minutes of Man City's 2-1 defeat at Brighton last time out. He now has two very difficult fixtures against Spurs and Liverpool. While I don't expect clean sheets, he always has potential for an attacking return. Eventually the plan is to move him to a Liverpool defender, likely Konate, however Gvardiol could also be moved to an Arsenal defender if the right option is to double up on the Gunners defence. 

Which of Smith Rowe, Rogers and Semenyo is the best budget midfielder?

Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily): Despite having the most points out of the three options with 54, I'd put Emile Smith Rowe (£5.7m) third, although I wouldn't be selling this week ahead of a home game against Wolves. My reasoning lies in the fixtures in the medium term. Three of Aston Villa's next four games are at home to opposition that are high up the Expected Goals Against (xGA) table, particularly Brentford, who haven't kept a clean sheet yet this season - so Rogers gets my backing. 

Who are the best defenders priced £4.5m and under?

Nick Harris (@WGTA_Nick): Lewis Hall (£4.4m) looks like an excellent pick. Newcastle have a run of great fixtures and he has nailed down a starting berth, having started the last six matches. Another interesting pick is Ipswich's Leif Davis (£4.5m). Although they have found clean sheets hard to come by, Davis has been heavily involved with their attacking play, with three attacking returns and surely more to come given their promising run of fixtures. Colwill is my third pick, given Chelsea have looked more defensively assured this season. They also have some kind fixtures coming up.