Dugout Discussion

Lacazette and Luiz benched as budget FPL forward Martinelli gets first start

The final match of Gameweek 16 takes place this evening, as West Ham United take on managerless Arsenal.

Kick-off at the London Stadium is at 20:00 GMT.

Interim boss Freddie Ljungberg takes charge of the Gunners for the third time and has made a big call with his team selection, dropping Alexandre Lacazette (£9.3m) and David Luiz (£5.8m) to the bench.

Nicolas Pepe (£9.1m) and Calum Chambers (£4.4m) come into the side, as does Kieran Tierney (£5.4m) at left-back.

Budget Fantasy Premier League forward Gabriel Martinelli (£4.5m) is handed his first-ever start in the English top flight, meanwhile.

Sead Kolasinac (£5.2m) and Joe Willock (£4.9m) are also cut from the starting XI, with the latter failing to make the matchday squad.

Hector Bellerin (£5.4m) was injured in the warm-up, meanwhile, so Ainsley Maitland-Niles (£4.6m) comes in at right-back.

The West Ham United team news is far more straightforward: Manuel Pellegrini’s only change sees the fit-again Michail Antonio (£6.9m) replace Sebastien Haller (£7.0m) in attack.

Robert Snodgrass (£5.2m) recovers from a minor knock to start, while there is no place for Andriy Yarmolenko (£5.6m) even among the substitutes.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£10.9m) is by some distance the most-selected player on show this evening and the only FPL asset from either side who can boast a double-digit ownership.

The Gabon international sits in more than one in five Fantasy squads and in 8.59% of the teams who were in the top 10,000 at the point of the Gameweek 16 deadline.

Aubameyang has scored 50 FPL points on the road this season, compared to just 39 at the Emirates – and has played one fewer away fixture.

FPL’s cheapest playing goalkeeper, David Martin (£4.0m), gets his third straight start for the hosts.

Martin has already banked one clean sheet, three save points and two bonus points in his two appearances so far.


West Ham United XI: Martin, Fredericks, Ogbonna, Balbuena, Cresswell, Rice, Noble, Snodgrass, Fornals, Anderson, Antonio.

Arsenal XI: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Chambers, Sokratis, Tierney, Torreira, Xhaka, Pepe, Ozil, Martinelli, Aubameyang.

1,065 Comments Post a Comment
  1. EL tridente
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Auba to Rashford?

    1. Vamos Los Celeste
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      i did it yesterday

      1. Dthinger
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        and how do you feel today?

        1. Vamos Los Celeste
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 4 months ago

          confident , a good farewell

  2. FPL_Crisis
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Have Pope Heaton rotation
    Gonna trigger wildcard gw17
    Any chance Guiata doesn’t go up in price this week? Tempted to use ft on him now to avoid price rise

  3. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Lundy Williams VVDijk Kelly Rico

    1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Fresh as a daisy for Sunday

      1. Don Kloppeone
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 4 months ago

        Who Jimbo?

        1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 4 months ago

          Yep

          1. Don Kloppeone
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 4 months ago

            I can’t decide between saving FT and getting in Tammy or Rash (for Jimi)

            1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
              • 10 Years
              4 years, 4 months ago

              Im keeping personally but I see the appeal of the others

              1. Don Kloppeone
                • 6 Years
                4 years, 4 months ago

                What a GW score for you mate!

                Are you holding Mount also yeh?

                1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
                  • 10 Years
                  4 years, 4 months ago

                  Cheers yeah needed it. Have to keep Mount for BOU. Defence is a mess so likely Aurier or Evans for Pieters

                  1. Don Kloppeone
                    • 6 Years
                    4 years, 4 months ago

                    Makes sense

                    I’m def keeping Mount this week then he’s gone for Son

                    Jimi is a real coin toss

                    1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
                      • 10 Years
                      4 years, 4 months ago

                      Tempting the state BMouth are in

                      1. Don Kloppeone
                        • 6 Years
                        4 years, 4 months ago

                        That’s what’s tempts me re Tammy over Rash tbh

  4. MikeLowrey
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    A) Laca to Tammy
    B) Laca to Rashford

  5. HollywoodXI
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Who should I bench this week?

    Pope Button
    Söyüncü Lundstram Aurier Kelly Rico
    Mane KDB Alli Maddison Mount
    Vardy Abraham Rashford

  6. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Anyone thinking Arsenal are redeemed in any way from this game... Awful performance masked by West Ham completely switching off after conceding one. Arsenal were absolute garbage for 60 minutes, Freddie looked clueless in the dugout, Ozil lazy and useless as ever.

    Sterling (TC)

    1. Don Kloppeone
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Good luck with that

      (But I agree they are a shambles and any team should be able to beat them unless they get their usual jam)

  7. wulfrunian
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Lindelof or Maguire?

    1. Party time
        4 years, 4 months ago

        None