Dugout Discussion

Pogba back in attacking midfield as Matic returns

Paul Pogba (£8.9m) owners will be delighted to see Nemanja Matic (£5.0m) back in the side for Manchester United.

The Serbian international has missed the last three Premier League matches with injury, which forced Pogba to sit deeper than usual.

Matic’s return should allow the Frenchman to play a more advanced role in midfield once again, against an Arsenal defence with just one clean sheet in the last six Gameweeks.

Also of note is the fact that defender Diogo Dalot (£5.3m) has been named in front three once again.

He played there against Crystal Palace and Southampton, lining up on the right of Romelu Lukaku (£10.8m) at the Emirates Stadium today.

Marcus Rashford (£7.6m) also keeps his place although we will have to wait and see whether he plays centrally alongside Lukaku or out on the left flank.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has named both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.8m) and Alexandre Lacazette (£9.4m) in the starting line-up for the first time since Gameweek 25.

He has also gone with a back-three of Sokratis Papastathopoulos (£5.1m), Laurent Koscielny (£5.4m) and Nacho Monreal (£5.4m) while Sead Kolasinac (£5.0m) and Ainsley Maitland-Niles (£4.4m) occupy the wing-back spots.

Arsenal XI: Leno; Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal; Maitland-Niles, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Özil; Lacazette, Aubameyang.

Manchester United XI: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelöf; Diogo Dalot, Fred, Matic, Shaw; Pogba; Lukaku, Rashford.

1,439 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Captain Beefheart
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    We're can I find confirmed blanked gameweek (31/33) fixtures? Wondering if I should buy Fab or Boric to cover blanks

    1. TheNovocastrian
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Ben Crellin on twitter keeps an excellent xls table. Check there.

    2. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Both play in 31/33.

    3. Ghost Gooner
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Get the cheaper guy with better fixtures til the end of the season

    4. Captain Beefheart
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Thanks for replies

      1. Captain Beefheart
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Thanks mate

  2. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    well this was not an expected result

  3. Debauchy
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Fergie time lol

  4. Alli 3',17',64�…
    • 5 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    If Shaw was a Kit-Kat he would be the chunky one

    1. DGW blindness is for Kinnea…
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      *racist.

      1. Brosstan
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        The racist Kit-Kat?

        1. DGW blindness is for Kinnea…
          • 10 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Shaw is white

          1. Deulofail
            • 8 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            On the outside

    2. Fred54
      • 9 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Pipe down Blind Date.

    3. Richd
      • 11 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      If you were a kit kat you’d be funnier

      1. YEAH PITCH!
        • 5 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Flapjack, hit me with the captain choices for 31 lol

        1. Richd
          • 11 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          I’ve sucked recently. Had Kun this week 😉

          I really dunno. Salah or Mane I guess ! I’ll look into it further this week.. gonna be a tough one !

          1. YEAH PITCH!
            • 5 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Haha. Kun was a good choice I think. I had him too. 7 changes to Watford and I thought he'd nick 2 goals at least. Kinda hoping Salah suddenly explodes next week and makes up for this mess.

    4. Stay Back
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      You like four fingers? 😀

    5. Alli 3',17',64�…
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      he looks like he jsut finished off 5 christmas dinners, hardly the epitamy of fitness

  5. waitinginthelonggrass
    • 13 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Shar, Son and Rashford to Luiz, Almiron and Vardy?

    8 pointer.

    1. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      0 vs -8 + 3 players.

      1. waitinginthelonggrass
        • 13 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        I meant more player selection.

        1. TorresMagic™
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • Has Moderation Rights
          • 14 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Most transfers are worthwhile this GW.

  6. Debauchy
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Well aimed Rash

  7. Ambrosiana Inter
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Just transferred richarlison in for silva...mmmm

  8. jtreble
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Ramsey MOTM for me.

  9. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Pogba total of zero points for his last two games.

    1. elchilangles
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      yup, i benched him this week as i was expecting a blank!

  10. Fpl Richie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    5 years, 1 month ago

    Some weeks are bad. Others cruel.
    Looks like a nasty 38 with baps.

    1. Ambrosiana Inter
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      Bad, not much better for me though 61 with sterling not captain, only haz (c) and jimmy provaided good returns..can’t keep a clean sheet anymore these tpdays

      1. MTPockets
          5 years, 1 month ago

          "not much better" ok

        • TheDragon
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          How is 61 not much better than 38?

        • Danno - Emre Canada
          • 9 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          23 points difference, yep pretty much the same

      2. JoeSoap
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Try 28

      3. DandyDon
        • 5 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Got 38 as well ...don’t want to see how much my rank has dropped

        1. Silecro
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          54, and happy with that since just in the morning i was on 8 from 5 players..

        2. Eddie
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          livefpl.net/rank

    2. DGW blindness is for Kinnea…
      • 10 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      It would be great if the title race, top 4 and relegation go down to the last day.

      1. The Enlightener
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        'Twould

    3. elchilangles
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 1 month ago

      estimated average score this week????

      1. DGW blindness is for Kinnea…
        • 10 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        40

      2. LÖrKingMuch
        • 13 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        47

      3. DandyDon
        • 5 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        52 in top 10k

      4. zdrojo187
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        71

      5. LÖrKingMuch
        • 13 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        48 on FFFix

      6. LÖrKingMuch
        • 13 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        53 in top 1k

    4. Party time
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Ole Gunnar Sucksjaer

        1. SM001
          • 8 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Genius

      • tm245
        • 12 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Not sure Lukaku should be pushing Kola around, he shoots green bile out of his mouth.

        1. Debauchy
          • 11 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          😆

      • Pukki Party
        • 6 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Better combo?

        A) Vardy & Fraser
        B) Wilson & Maddison

        1. GREEN IS GOOD
          • 7 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          A

      • DandyDon
        • 5 Years
        5 years, 1 month ago

        Are we thinking TAA will be able to play next week?

        1. Pukki Party
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Yes

        2. Chenku╰☆╮
          • 9 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Wait till mid week

        3. TorresMagic™
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • Has Moderation Rights
          • 14 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          The doctors from here are on call atm.

        4. Numb
          • 9 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Yeah

        5. YEAH PITCH!
          • 5 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          One shoulder will do for him.

      • Party time
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Defeated and counting

        • tm245
          • 12 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Vincible!

        • Debauchy
          • 11 Years
          5 years, 1 month ago

          Gotta love that result oh yeah

          1. Party time
              5 years, 1 month ago

              I love it. I love it. I looove it.

              Too much hype on the care taker.

            • fedolefan
              • 9 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Yep, nothing like bursting that PSG bubble.

          2. Gudjohnsen
            • 7 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Team for gw31:
            TAA, Robertson, Luiz
            Salah (C), Hazard (VC), Brooks, F.Anderson
            Wilson, Barnes, Higuain

            Bench: Lascelles

            Worth a hit to get a gk?

            1. TRE2
              • 6 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              If you dont have a gk for 33 it is worth it

          3. lindeg
            • 5 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            halleluja, finally man uniteds luck ran out

          4. Fred54
            • 9 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Since when have Arsenal been playing Sweet Caroline?!

          5. tucaoneo
            • 5 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            11 from 5 today any good?

            1. TorresMagic™
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • Has Moderation Rights
              • 14 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Not bad.

            2. TheDragon
              • 6 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Salah, Robbo, Luiz, Pogba, Rashford?

              1. tucaoneo
                • 5 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                No Rash. TAA. Double liverpool defense they say.

            3. Firminooooo
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 8 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              11 from 5 today... 6 players got 1 point. 2 points return seems like gold.

          6. drughi
            • 14 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            What a terrible game week, really need some magic here in gw 31 and 32. Everything that could go wrong went wrong

            1. Gudjohnsen
              • 7 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              Yeah, same here. Was stupid in my moves this week. Went with Brooks and Higuain instead of Fraser and Vardy which I was contemplating.

          7. Bruno Bruno!!
            • 8 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            28 from 11 🙂

          8. JustPark
            • 8 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Benched Laca, Jimmy, Kola. Started Son, Pogba, AWB.

          9. fedolefan
            • 9 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Lol, all those predictions of Pogba brace, Rashford hatty from United fans, as I welcome Kola CS points. Come on!!!

          10. Jon Snow
            • 8 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Thank you Vardy (C) for carrying my team to another tiny green arrow. At least we broke 50 points this week

            1. Fred54
              • 9 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              'Total football' type GW for me, Salah captain, everyone else chipped in to scrape 55 together.

          11. The Royal Robin
            • 8 Years
            5 years, 1 month ago

            Anyone going with anyone other than Salah for cap next week? Wilson is a tempting prospect.

            1. Alli 3',17',64�…
              • 5 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              King personally

            2. TheDragon
              • 6 Years
              5 years, 1 month ago

              They say insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results.... however I will still be captaining Salah next week

              1. Hulk Smash
                • 8 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                I captained Sterling last week for 3 points. I did it again this week for 21 points.

                1. MMN
                  • 10 Years
                  5 years, 1 month ago

                  Same, got him in for a hit for his 3 pointer times two last week. Luckily didn't swap to Salah this week.

            3. MTPockets
                5 years, 1 month ago

                On Mane, but will change if captain poll hugely favours Salah

                1. The Royal Robin
                  • 8 Years
                  5 years, 1 month ago

                  I think even Vardy is worth considering. The obvious isn't always working out that well.

                  1. MTPockets
                      5 years, 1 month ago

                      Haven't captained Salah for last 4, and gone ok
                      Just don't want to be too differential in a gw with limited matches

                  2. lindeg
                    • 5 Years
                    5 years, 1 month ago

                    mane for cap

                2. LÖrKingMuch
                  • 13 Years
                  5 years, 1 month ago

                  Keeping on Salah, hope that he'll get his mojo back.

                3. DandyDon
                  • 5 Years
                  5 years, 1 month ago

                  I know everyone laughs at me but reckon Arnuatovic is a good captain pick next week. I’ll be bringing in Wilson for longtevity but would worry about Newcastle springing a surprise to much to captain him next week

              • SM001
                • 8 Years
                5 years, 1 month ago

                Leno on the bonus. Do you lose bonus points for voming on the pitch?

                1. Fred54
                  • 9 Years
                  5 years, 1 month ago

                  What's Kola gotta do with this?