The Premier League published its Scout Selection for Gameweek 38 on the final day of the 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League season, naming Erling Haaland captain as Manchester City prepare to host Aston Villa.
Haaland was picked alongside Nico O’Reilly as City’s representatives in the final Scout list, while Newcastle’s Nick Pope and Bruno Guimaraes were included for the trip to Fulham and Tottenham’s Pedro Porro and Richarlison were selected for the home match against Everton. Richarlison was named vice‑captain in the Scout Selection.
The timing is tight: the Gameweek 38 deadline is Sunday at 14:30 BST and all 10 Premier League matches kick off at 16:00 BST, leaving managers with a short window to set lineups for the season finale.
The selection leans on recent form. Haaland arrives after scoring and taking maximum bonus points in Gameweek 37, and O’Reilly’s Etihad record gives managers a tempting differential: he has combined four goals and four assists with eight clean sheets in home matches this season, has blanked in only two of his 14 starts at the Etihad Stadium and averages 7.4 points per start there.
Newcastle’s double pick carries its own case. Nick Pope’s inclusion as a goalkeeper and Bruno Guimaraes’ spot in midfield reflect Guimaraes’ return to the starting line‑up in Gameweek 34 after injury and the fact he earned 10 points against Fulham earlier in the season. Fulham’s attack, however, has been blunt—Fulham failed to score in six of their last nine Premier League matches ahead of Gameweek 38, and they managed just five goals across Gameweeks 29 to 37, four of which came against Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Tottenham’s representation is built on a short but strong run under Roberto De Zerbi. Pedro Porro and Richarlison were both credited with 24 points over Spurs’ six matches since De Zerbi took charge in Gameweek 32, and Porro has created 13 chances in that time, making both players attractive on a single‑match basis for managers chasing points on the final day.
The Scout Selection also highlights season‑ending streaks elsewhere in the league. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes had blanked just once in the last 10 Gameweeks before Gameweek 38, a run in which he scored twice, supplied 11 assists and collected 76 Fantasy points. Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs‑White brought a late mini‑surge into the weekend, scoring five goals and supplying two assists over his last four matches and collecting 44 points in that span. Nottingham Forest’s forward attraction was underlined by more than 90,000 new owners ahead of Forest’s home match against AFC Bournemouth.
There is friction behind the tidy Scout list. The captaincy of Haaland is obvious on paper given his recent match performance, but O’Reilly’s exceptional record at the Etihad complicates the choice for managers weighing a high‑ownership star against a lower‑owned, reliably productive home starter. Likewise, Newcastle’s midfield pick sits against Fulham’s recent drought: a midfielder who has produced double‑figure hauls earlier in the season meets a side that has been unable to score in two‑thirds of its last nine matches.
The final day context matters. This is the season’s decisive Gameweek and the Scout Selection doubles up at both ends of the pitch on City, Newcastle and Tottenham, nudging managers toward proven quantities in a one‑match sprint where small margins decide mini‑leagues and season ranks. With the deadline at 14:30 BST and every match starting at 16:00 BST on Sunday, managers must choose whether to follow the Scout picks or back differentials based on fixture‑level nuances.
For now, the Scout Selection is a clear vote of confidence in Haaland to close the season out; in a contest measured by moments and margins, naming him captain is the Premier League’s single‑player answer going into Gameweek 38. Managers who follow it will be banking on Haaland to convert that vote into the final decisive points of the 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League season.
