Home matches for Chelsea, Brentford and Manchester City play a major part in our Scout Picks selection for Gameweek 27.
The chosen XI draws on the Scout Squad submissions from Neale, Tom F, Sam and Marc.
As usual, we are limited by certain restrictions:
An £83.0m budget for our starting XI
An overall squad limit of £100.0m
No more than three players per team
GAMEWEEK 27 SCOUT PICKS
GOALKEEPER
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Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.6m) is our chosen goalkeeper for Brentford’s encounter with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Gtech Community Stadium. Keith Andrews’ troops are fifth for fewest goals conceded on home turf in 2025/26, having already kept clean sheets against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland since the turn of the year. Brighton, meanwhile, have scored just four goals in their last six matches and rank 17th for expected goals (xG) in that period, leading to uncertainty regarding Fabian Hurzeler’s future.
DEFENDERS
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The appointment of Vitor Pereira at Nottingham Forest perhaps dents the appeal of Liverpool assets this week, particularly after Thursday’s 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in Turkey. However, Arne Slot’s team have looked pretty solid at the back in 2026, ranking third for StatsBomb expected goals conceded (xGC).
Above: Teams sorted by xG conceded per 90 minutes in 2026 only
Even if the clean sheet is busted at the City Ground, Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m) is more than capable of delivering other returns, such as defensive contribution (DefCon) points and goals.
Chelsea’s defence hasn’t been entirely convincing under Liam Rosenior thus far. Overall, however, they’ve kept five clean sheets on home turf in 2025/26, with only Arsenal and Manchester City surpassing this number (both with seven).
Above: Teams sorted by clean sheets (home matches only) in 2025/26
Burnley, meanwhile, have failed to find the net in two of their last four away matches, a run which has seen them generate a measly 1.28 xG, including just one Opta ‘big chance’. Trevoh Chalobah (£5.8m), who is on a seven-match run of DefCons, consequently gets the nod.
Nordi Mukiele (£4.6m) makes it into the Scout Picks after three of our four pundits picked a Sunderland defender in their Scout Squad submissions. As above, Arsenal and Man City are the only teams with more clean sheets than Sunderland on home turf this season. Their unbeaten record at the Stadium of Light only ended last week, too. Mukiele provides DefCon potential and attacking threat, having supplied three assists in his last five matches.
James Hill (£4.0m) is our fourth and final defender, partly due to our modest £83.0m budget. However, the bargain bin enabler has impressed recently, banking three assists, eight DefCon points and one clean sheet in his last four matches. Hill could also get some joy from set-pieces in Gameweek 27, given the hosts’ weakness from such situations this season.
MIDFIELDERS
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