Like all public transport, sometimes the ‘bus’ team can be a little late – and so it is with the Gameweek 8 early Scout Picks.

In this initial draft, we run the rule over the players and teams who are under consideration for our weekly selection.

The final picks will come on Friday and will be shaped by Scout Squad nominations, team news from the pre-match press conferences, and the midweek European ties involving English clubs.

There are, as ever, certain restrictions for our squad:

• An £83.0m overall budget for our starting XI
• An overall squad limit of £100.0m
• No more than three players per team

A reminder, too, that the Scout Picks are for the upcoming Gameweek in isolation.

GAMEWEEK 8 FIXTURES

Using our free-to-all ticker, here is the Gameweek 8 difficulty ranking:

THE LIKELY LADS

Enzo Maresca supplied the words we wanted on Tuesday: Erling Haaland (£15.7m) is ready to start in Gameweek 8.

“Yeah, he’s okay. He’s okay to start on Saturday.” – Enzo Maresca on Erling Haaland, speaking after Tuesday’s win over AEK Athens

Injury-free and nicely rested in midweek, there’s scant reason to overthink his inclusion, even though Aston Villa have improved recently. The Villans, indeed, languish in 15th for expected goals conceded (xGC) this season.

There was another fitness boost on Wednesday in the shape of Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.9m).

“He’s ready. He trained the entire week and so, no issues.” – Oliver Glasner on Morgan Gibbs-White

The Premier League’s leading ‘big chance’ creator (seven), as well as Nottingham Forest’s penalty taker, there’s a good chance he’ll feature in our weekly selection against an Ipswich Town side still without a clean sheet, and ranked 19th for goals conceded (15). Forest have looked better on the road, too, scoring in all three away matches.

Above: Premier League teams sorted by xG in away matches

At least one of Chelsea’s three attacking musketeers is probably going to be a Scout Picks feature for weeks to come, given the fixtures. Opponents Tottenham Hotspur have tightened up considerably defensively but the Blues have plundered 11 goals in three home matches, and Xabi Alonso’s side are even harder to back against given their lack of midweek commitments (and thus minimal risk of rotation).

At the other end of the field, Arsenal are so far ahead for projected clean sheet odds this week that it’s not a question of whether we include Gunners defenders in the Scout Picks but who and how many.

Riccardo Calafiori (£6.0m) offers the attacking upside that few other FPL defenders do, on top of the clean sheet potential that we’ve come to take for granted with the reigning champions. David Raya (£6.1m) and the more affordable Ezri Konsa (£4.6m) are also candidates for inclusion, should we decide to double up.

Brentford, second in the clean sheet odds table, are also probably going to have Scout Picks representation. Opponents Hull City, perhaps regressing to the norm now, rank 20th for xG.

Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) is a good DefCon bet, having racked up nine or more contributions in six of his seven appearances. Caoimhin Kelleher (£5.0m) is an alternative, should we be out of defender spaces.

IN CONTENTION

Could a Brentford attacker join Ajer/Kelleher? Hull tend to be better defensively than going forward, but we do have to go back to Gameweek 3 for their last clean sheet.

Igor Thiago (£7.8m) is an uneasy medium-term buy, sitting on four bookings, but is a risk-free Free Hit pick, and has ticked over with three returns in as many Gameweeks. Probably more likely to make our weekly XI, however, is Kevin Schade (£6.2m), who has looked in meaner form. Joint-second among midfielders for shots in the box (15), he had delivered three goals and two assists in Gameweeks 1-5 before a shoulder injury halted his progress. Having come off the bench last weekend, he should be fit enough to start on Humberside.

Should Leeds United picks be in the ‘likely lads’ section, instead? Very possibly, given the respective form of the Whites and their rock-bottom Gameweek 8 opponents, Sunderland. The Mackems also have a European tie in Poznan to come before Sunday’s Premier League clash.

Tarik Muharemovic (£5.0m) is such a great all-rounder, offering attacking and DefCon potential alongside a decent shout at a clean sheet. With the Black Cats down two centre-backs, and Omar Alderete (£4.8m) really struggling for form, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) is another Scout Picks candidate this week.

Newcastle United, Fulham and Manchester United have, in theory, favourable fixtures this weekend, but do we trust any of them to deliver? Faith in the likes of Harvey Barnes (£6.1m), Yoane Wissa (£6.1m), Gonzalo Garcia (£6.1m), Josh King (£5.6m) and Bruno Fernandes (£11.8m) has been shaken recently, although Bryan Mbeumo (£7.8m) continues to tick over nicely despite his team’s insipid displays.

You could well argue a case for the players facing them, indeed, from DefCon magnet Bobby Thomas (£4.0m) and penalty-taking cheapie Jack Rudoni (£4.9m) to Bournemouth’s in-form pair Marcus Tavernier (£6.2m) and Evanilson (£6.1m).

Returning back to Arsenal and Man City, there’s scope to add to the names we’ve already mentioned.

Bukayo Saka‘s (£9.6m) underlying numbers, if not his returns, have been very good recently. Meanwhile, does an Antoine Semenyo (£8.3m) injury rekindle interest in Jeremy Doku (£7.5m), Phil Foden (£6.8m) and/or Iliman Ndiaye (£5.8m)? The fact that we’ve listed three names there, let alone Rayan Cherki (£8.0m), shows that there’s still rotation risk even without the sidelined Ghanaian. Doku, you’d think, would surely start in Gameweek 8 after a midweek rest, but perhaps a City double-up isn’t essential this week anyway against Villa.

THE LONGER SHOTS

There’s been a lot of chatter this week about whether to start or bench Pascal Gross (£6.2m) and Maxim De Cuyper (£5.3m) away at Liverpool. Backing them to deliver something at Anfield is one thing, but a place in a cherry-picked XI is another – and so these two in-form Albion assets are probably long shots for Scout Picks duty.

So too, perhaps, is Alexander Isak (£9.0m), with Brighton sitting on a league-best five clean sheets – although the Seagulls have massively overachieved on that front.

Above: The Premier League clubs who have overachieved most in terms of goals conceded

GAMEWEEK 8 EARLY SCOUT PICKS