Dugout Discussion
24 February 2019 1786 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
Share:

Gameweek 27 came to a conclusion earlier this afternoon with two matches held at Old Trafford and the Emirates, so our focus now switches to the EFL Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City.

Kick-off at Wembley is at 16:30 GMT.

Both of these sides blanked in Gameweek 27, of course, as a result of this tie.

Pep Guardiola has made only one change to his starting XI from the side that beat Schalke in midweek, with Oleksandr Zinchenko starting instead of Ilkay Gundogan.

That alteration means that Aymeric Laporte will move back over to centre-back, with Fernandinho pushed forward into his usual central midfield position.

Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling start in a front three with Bernardo Silva again.

Leroy Sane is among the substitutes, though Gabriel Jesus hasn’t recovered from injury to make the bench.

Eden Hazard starts as a central striker in Maurizio Sarri’s usual 4-3-3, with Gonzalo Higuain only among the substitutes.

Marcos Alonso is not part of the match-day squad, so Emerson Palmieri starts at left-back.

Both of these sides return to Premier League action on Wednesday evening: Chelsea face Spurs at Stamford Bridge, while City take on West Ham at the Etihad.

Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Kepa, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger, Emerson, Jorginho, Kante, Barkley, Willian, Hazard, Pedro.

Manchester City XI (4-3-3): Ederson, Zinchenko, Laporte, Otamendi, Walker, Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling, Aguero.

1,786 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Ógie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    The quadruple is on 🙁

  2. FPL Scoop
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Sterling oh boy

  3. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 16 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    City win?

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

      yep

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

    Kepa in big trouble now......

    1. MTPockets
      7 years, 5 months ago

      So he should be

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

    First Kepa to be blamed in a pen shootout.

  6. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 16 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    sterling and aguero jumping and dancing with lots of energy, look fine for midweek

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

      Lol

    2. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Lol

  7. LǝgleSs e|even
    • 10 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Bye Sarri!
    Take Sarri ball back to Italy

  8. Infamy, Infamy
    • 9 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Odious club getting everything they deserve.

    1. Kiwivillan
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Never too late for the plastic fans to jump on the City train

      1. Postman Ty
        • 11 Years
        7 years, 5 months ago

        give it a rest.

  9. THE SHEEP HUNTERS
    • 8 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    City win the Moose Cup!!

    Congrats! 🙂

  10. Rainer
    • 9 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Quadruple alive, well done, Raheem!

    Now rest up midweek 😉

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

    glad kepa lost tbh

  12. LǝgleSs e|even
    • 10 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Pep signing Willian next season?

    1. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Why doesn't he sign Hazard - another winger to go with the others.

  13. Yome
    • 14 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Sarri still without a trophy, sack him now

  14. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Kepa is the new number 2 goalkeeper. What a muppet

  15. Deulofail
    • 10 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    "Earlier in the season, Sarri said Hazard is not a leader. Hazard has just made him eat his words"

    wtf these commentators man...

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

      Seriously, not sure where that came from.

      1. Deulofail
        • 10 Years
        7 years, 5 months ago

        Don't know if I'm just wise to it from life experience, but seems to me that everyone is trying to "write the narrative" as soon as they get any slight bit of new information. Sensationalism at every turn

        1. Deulofail
          • 10 Years
          7 years, 5 months ago

          I mean, I don't know if the times have changed or whether I've simply learnt how the world works.

  16. fedolefan
    • 12 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Raz you GOAT penalty taker.

  17. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 16 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    kepa getting it right now in the dressing room

  18. drughi
    • 16 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Sterling owner but not very confident he starts against west ham

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Why not?

    2. Twisted Saltergater
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 17 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Pep loves him.

      1. Salah’s Sonnet
        • 14 Years
        7 years, 5 months ago

        Lol, hiw many times we’ve heard pep loves players and still benches them

        1. Twisted Saltergater
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 17 Years
          7 years, 5 months ago

          He may get benched, but he doesn't get benched very often at all.

    3. Yome
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      He will, he deserves it after his penalty winner

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

      Benched for Mahrez and/or Sane

  19. Positive vibes
    • 9 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    What will happen to Kepa?

    1. Deulofail
      • 10 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Gonna get "taken care of"

    2. EMBOLOFAN
      • 7 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      hes going to hell

    3. OPTA FPL
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Sarri want to kill him

    4. The Bandit
      • 15 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      New manager won’t care about today

    5. FPL DONKEY
      • 8 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      He'll be sleeping with the fishes

    6. LǝgleSs e|even
      • 10 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Sarri has summoned the Italian Mafia to sort him out

    7. Sim Simma
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      No manager will want him as his number 1 after the lack of respect. He has messed up his future

  20. OPTA FPL
    • 14 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Both Jorginho and Luiz misses look most stupid as f 😆

    1. George Sillett
      • 10 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Not true. Luiz penalty was 6" away from bring the perfect spot kick.

      1. Infamy, Infamy
        • 9 Years
        7 years, 5 months ago

        WTF? Couldn’t hit the target from 12 yards???

    2. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Fair play to you for coming on here to share your wisdom after your lengthy football career.

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

    Caballero at 4.7m anyone? 😀

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      For Chelsea.

  22. -GK22-
    • 14 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Jorginho more to blame than kepa

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

      nah

  23. fr3d
    • 8 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Caballero worth a punt?

  24. Bury94
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    I'm gonna presume Sane starts midweek, might be a nice differential for us few remaining owners

  25. Forza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Kepa owns himself in Fantasy Carabao Cup and thought he'd get penalty save points. That's the only possible explanation.

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

      What a casual...

  26. FPL Scoop
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Kinda wanna do Son to Sterling....

    1. Do I Not Like Orange
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Don't think I want to sell Son now, Chelsea could implode on Wednesday.

    2. DandyDon
      • 7 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Probably rested midweek

  27. fedolefan
    • 12 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Raz has gone from being a joke and serial tap-in misser to absolutely thumping in a trophy winning penalty kick. Incredible. Never thought he'd get to this level.

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

      hes still a serial tap in misser he just scored 1 pen in the league cup

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

        Know how many have bottled and missed them? For someone used to missing and being mocked, it is quite a transformation.

    2. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      There was far too much rubbish, and vitriol, written about him originally. He's a very effective footballer, with a few shortcomings.

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

        Actually I was once for a rumored Alexis/Sterling swap. Thought City were crazy if they wouldn't swap Sterling for Alexis. Look where they are now.

        1. Old Man
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 15 Years
          7 years, 5 months ago

          Indeed - Pep has shown faith, and how he's blossomed!

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

      He's gone a long way but he was Golden Boy 2014. The talent was always there.

    4. Deulofail
      • 10 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Iwobi next

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

        Lol, I'm an Arsenal fan, and all the talk on AFTV is Iwobi has the potential of Sterling.

        1. Deulofail
          • 10 Years
          7 years, 5 months ago

          It is? I think that's fair enough. Arsenal fans are too harsh on Iwobi. He's often the best player on the pitch for real. They're just scapegoating for more team performances and he's an easy target because he isn't expensive and hasn't quite sorted out his final ball. But Sterling was also very frustrating only a year go

          1. Deulofail
            • 10 Years
            7 years, 5 months ago

            poor team performance*

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

              You're right. They are actually all hating on him. I said it wrong. It's Robbie who mainly said that and has repeated it a few times.

              1. Deulofail
                • 10 Years
                7 years, 5 months ago

                Robbie isn't a complete narrow-minded twit like half the people on there, despite how he pretends to be one of them 😆 I try to avoid AFTV though. It makes me feel like the world is ending because Ozil has a cold or Iwobi make a single mistake etc

  28. Positive vibes
    • 9 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    A neutral but really want City to win after that drama.

    1. The Bandit
      • 15 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Good news, they did

    2. Sim Simma
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Dial up ?

  29. Bouncebackability
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 17 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Winds me up that best penalty takers go fifth. Hazard was lucky his counted. Its stupid. best penalty takers go first surely.

    1. Here's Tom with the We…
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Totally agree with this

    2. BOATIES FC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Yep I agree. Drives me mad when it happens

    3. Yank Revolution
      • 14 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      It's an insane strategy that makes zero sense.

  30. El-Kloppico
    • 11 Years
    7 years, 5 months ago

    Post match presser will be funny from.Sarri

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 10 Years
      7 years, 5 months ago

      Kepa not taking it?