Dugout Discussion

Sane in for Mahrez while Hazard is named on the Chelsea bench

Two Premier League matches overlap one another this afternoon, with Manchester City and Chelsea enjoying enticing-looking home fixtures and carrying the hopes of legions of Fantasy managers after a somewhat underwhelming set of results for many FPL bosses on Saturday.

The action kicks off at 15:00 GMT, with Southampton – without a goal in five Premier League matches – the visitors to the Etihad.

Manchester City have won all five of their home league games this season, scoring at a rate of 3.6 goals per fixture at Eastlands in 2018/19.

Nine of Sergio Aguero‘s (£11.3m) ten attacking returns this season (five goals, four assists) have come at the Etihad. The Argentinean striker leads the line for City again this afternoon in his 11th straight league start of 2018/19.

Benjamin Mendy‘s (£6.4m) rate of 7.6 points per match is the best among FPL defenders this season and the French left-back hasn’t failed to record an assist, clean sheet and/or bonus in his seven Premier League appearances of this campaign.

Ederson (£5.8m) and Aymeric Laporte (£5.9m), meanwhile, come into this fixture off the back of recording six straight FPL clean sheets.

Pep Guardiola has made only one change from the side that beat Spurs last Monday, with Leroy Sane (£9.2m) replacing Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m). Raheem Sterling (£11.1m) will, presumably, move across to the right flank to accommodate Sane’s re-introduction.

Nicolas Otamendi (£6.1m) and Ilkay Gundogan (£5.4m) are not quite fit enough for a place on the bench, meanwhile.

Mark Hughes has made three changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Newcastle United last weekend, with Shane Long (£4.8m), James Ward-Prowse (£5.1m) and the fit-again Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£4.5m) replacing Charlie Austin (£5.5m), Mohamed Elyounoussi (£6.2m) and Oriel Romeu (£4.3m).

In the 16:00 kick-off, Chelsea take on Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have dropped points in their last two home Premier League fixtures but are nevertheless still unbeaten in the top flight this season.

The 44% of FPL managers hoping for a start for Eden Hazard (£11.3m), whose minutes were in doubt ahead of the visit of Roy Hodgson’s side, were left disappointed when the Belgian was named only among the Chelsea substitutes for this encounter.

The Blues, indeed, are unchanged from the side that started the win over Burnley in Gameweek 11, with Ross Barkley (£5.9m) again lining up in the centre of midfield.

Roy Hodgson has made one change to his Crystal Palace side from the 2-2 draw with Arsenal, meanwhile: Max Meyer (£5.6m) replaces Jordan Ayew (£5.8m).

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Mendy, Fernandinho, Silva, Sane, Sterling, Bernardo, Aguero.

Southampton XI: McCarthy, Soares, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Ings, Long, Redmond.

Chelsea XI: Kepa, Alonso, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger, Kante, Jorginho, Barkley, Pedro, Morata, Willian.

Crystal Palace XI: Hennessey, Van Aanholt, Tomkins, Sakho, Wan-Bissaka, Townsend, Milivojevic, McArthur, Kouyate, Meyer, Zaha.

 

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5,272 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Parm
    • 12 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Hazard coming on and we're only 4 days into no nut November. Stay strong everyone.

    1. Dannyb
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Haha quality

  2. UKG
    • 13 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Haz coming on to get the winner and the baps.

  3. Rash
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Hazard blocking jammy auto subs and some vc's 🙂

    1. Forza Papac
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Laaaaaav it

  4. IAWC ( It's a Wonderfu…
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Luis wtf

  5. IRBOX ⚽
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Hazard and Kovacic ON
    Willian and Barkley OFF

    1. Corgz Dark side of the Loon
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Great news. My rival had Aguero as VC

  6. R.C
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    This City fixture hurt.

  7. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Hazard and Kovacic on
    Willian and Barkley off

  8. how now brown cow
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Haz and kovacic on
    Willian and barkley off

  9. Smurf
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Before today, Southampton had conceded less goals than Man Utd. Sterling essential next GW?

    1. Witty Pun: Not good at this…
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      FUL is the bigger priority

  10. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    30 painful minutes as non Hazard owner

    1. SuperMane Returns
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Not if he blanks and his 1pt'er blocks all the jammy bench points coming on.

      1. SuperMane Returns
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Oops. My bad.

  11. redbeard
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Does Billing cover Sterling?

  12. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Ings stays on my bench

    1. Hotdogs for Tea
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Never bench ... never captain 🙂

  13. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 7 months ago

    Barkley 😆

    Remember when he was essential.

    1. Am sorry to say again it�…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

    2. MTPockets
        5 years, 7 months ago

        But no Hazard is good for Barkley...

      • Fred54
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Next week's Sterling...

    3. TheTinman
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Even sweeter that Barkley is coming off.

    4. BigBillyBass
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Anyone know of any City injuries (if any) after today?

      1. Scholsey
        • 12 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Walker missing next game. Just had a word with Arteta.

        1. BigBillyBass
          • 5 Years
          5 years, 7 months ago

          Did Walker choke on a peanut?

    5. Man Getting Hit By Football
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Jimenez staying on my bench by the looks of it. Hazard haul would be nice.

    6. Tasty Jerk
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Hazard 1 pointer please 😀 (even as a Hazard owner)

      1. Ha.
        • 8 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        I'd take an assist for an Alonso goal

    7. Forza Papac
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Jonty spewing

    8. lindeg
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      barkley=trap

    9. Fred54
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Barkley.

      Grand opening.
      Grand closing.

    10. It’s gonna Ben Mee
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Barkley CS locked in

      1. It’s gonna Ben Mee
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Oops! Strike that

    11. mad_beer ✅
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Can we get a Hazard RC?

    12. 007 [RoboKlopp]
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Come on Haz and Alonso!!

    13. FER FUSCH AKE
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Thank God those jammy VC points that kill ranks have been blocked by eden.

    14. Scholsey
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      If haz doesn'e come on i'll get 7 points for Neves. What a differential it would be from the bench!

      1. Burger
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Oh, this is awkward..

    15. FPL ZB
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      All of the Barkley vs Fraser debate didn’t really matter in the end eh

      1. Rainer
        • 7 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Wasting a transfer on a rotation risk was never wise.

      2. Desperately Seeking Dusan
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Seldom does

    16. SirStevieG
      • 11 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Lol Barkley

    17. Game of Throw_ins
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      So no CS for super heavy RAM !

      1. Desperately Seeking Dusan
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Old model. Move on. By defying Scouts and ditching Alonso I’ve gotten way higher returns by being able to upgrade to Sterling/Haz (I made both transfers at the same time so take your pick) from GW5 and got much higher returns from Doherty than Alonso. Before I get quoted season averages, Alonso’s returns were mostly the first 4 GW’s and he hasn’t played as attacking since.

    18. R.C
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      KDB ruined my FPL :/

      or still early days? xD

      1. Desperately Seeking Dusan
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        5 years, 7 months ago

        Getting him in last week definitely put me in a spot.

    19. DV8R
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      5 years, 7 months ago

      Hazard blocks 2 pointer from Højbjerg