Dugout Discussion

Jesus benched despite Aguero injury as De Bruyne and Sterling are recalled

The final match of Gameweek 31+ could be the Premier League title-decider, with Manchester City needing a win to prolong Liverpool’s wait for their first top-flight crown in 30 years.

Chelsea provide City’s opposition, with kick-off at Stamford Bridge at 20:15 BST.

The injured Sergio Aguero (£11.7m) is of course missing from Pep Guardiola’s starting XI but Gabriel Jesus (£9.6m) doesn’t benefit from his positional rival’s absence, with the Brazilian only named among the substitutes.

Guardiola said of his selection ahead of kick-off:

We have Phil Foden injured, Joao Cancelo is injured, Sergio Aguero is injured.

Gabriel had a big kick, too, in the game against Burnley and the day after he could not train.

We have Newcastle and Liverpool, and we need him, so that’s why we decide to rest a little bit. He may help us for half an hour or an hour.

Guardiola has instead gone “strikerless” for the trip to west London, although it remains to be seen how exactly he lines his side up and which of his midfielders – if any – occupies the false nine role.

The City boss has made six changes in all, with Raheem Sterling (£11.7m), Kevin De Bruyne (£10.7m) and Aymeric Laporte (£6.3m) all returning.

Christian Pulisic (£6.9m) and Ross Barkley (£5.7m) are both recalled by Frank Lampard, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£6.2m) and Mateo Kovacic (£5.3m) making way.

Jorginho (£4.9m) is back from suspension but is only on the bench.


Chelsea XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rüdiger, Christensen, Alonso, Kanté, Mount, Barkley, Willian, Pulisic, Giroud.

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Laporte, Fernandinho, Mendy, Gundogan, Rodrigo, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling.

FPL Lessons Learned from Gameweek 31+

973 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Ffs Mount

    1. Detweiler
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Got to hit the target there. I haven't been impressed with him as a fantasy asset this evening with him playing deeper

    2. Fred54
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Did you try to pivot it?

  2. keefy59
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Pep must have reminded his players about the guard of honour at half time !

  3. Fuddled FC
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Who would you downgrade to afford Sarr > Martial

    a) Alonso > Lascelles
    b) Doherty > Saiss
    c) Jota > Nketiah

    1. Detweiler
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      A

    2. ViperStripes
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      A or C

  4. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Ederlolson

  5. gers23
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Mount n Auba get in the bin ffs

  6. ViperStripes
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Bring in: Martial or Mahrez

    1. Detweiler
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Martial

    2. Deeney-is-a-god
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Martial has more to play for

  7. JJO
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    What an idiot i am

  8. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Did people sell KDB cause he had red on his fixture ticker?

    1. JBG
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Sold him to get in Salah, Martial, Rashford and Fernandes.

  9. Revival
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Mount should have done much better.

  10. Fred54
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Pages never go OMG Sterling

    ( ̄ヘ ̄;)

    1. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Nobody's shocked by his lack of quality bar being a tap in merchant

    2. SADIO SANÉ
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Fair to say Sterling should be limited to a super sub role for England? Got some serious players coming through and I'm convinced he's going to ruin it 😀

    3. circusmonkey
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      In my auction league, Rashford got sold months ago (out for the season), then the guy with most money left didn't bother bidding and everyone else thought they won't get him, so they didn't bid. Crazy.

    4. BobB
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      KdB dead

    5. KGFC
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      KDB hurt

    6. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Pen for United there.

      1. BobbyDoesNotLook
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        This

      2. ASL
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        VAR refs are blind

    7. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Rüdiger takes out Kdb

    8. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      So I need 10 points from KDB in this game to draw my H2H. As it stands currently, he's on for exactly 10 but a booking or someone else taking 3 bonus would shaft me.

    9. GE
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Salah -> Sterling last minute paid off 🙁 (to afford Doherty).
      So unlucky!

      1. Coys96
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Not really. Sterling is awful

    10. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      I don't own KDB as I am on FH

      I now have a red arrow. I hate FPL

      Already taken a -12 for this week. Top 10k aim is dead

      1. DA Minnion (Former great)
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Meltdown

      2. Long ago I drew a walrus
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        How can you FH and -12 in the same week

        1. Tinkermania
          • 4 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          He means week 32+ when he says this week.

          1. Coys96
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            yeah

    11. TomSaints
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      On 73 and plummeted down rankings. Huge scores again this week

      1. Coys96
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        74 on free hit. From 10.5k to 14.5k 🙁

      2. TheDragon
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Nearly everyone has 4 clean sheets which is really pushing the average up

        1. TomSaints
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Just got off work. Pope 10 pointer is brutal after bailing on him on wc at last min

    12. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Sterling really wants to be the one.

      1. Fred54
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        He can me GOAL AGAIN.

        (Not actual lyrics...)

      2. Hazz
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        To hand his old team the title?

      3. FOO FIGHTER
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Highlander? Sterling to short for the role.

    13. Henning
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Come on KDB more goals please, 93 point ahead in ml and My closest rival dont have him

      1. DA Minnion (Former great)
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        I think you'll win that one.

        1. Henning
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Hope so.

      2. el polako
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        93 points ahead ?
        You either brilliant or closest rival is your dog.

        1. Henning
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Haha lets say im briliant( im not) so i dont make any enemies ; )

    14. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      If KdB gets an assist or goal I breach 100 for the 2nd week in a row.

      1. Henning
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Nice.

      2. Hybrid.power
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Nice

    15. Boomerang V
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Annoyingly the effective ownership of Kdb in my rank tier is 100%. So whatever happens makes no difference. I want City to win though because I don’t want the league to be wrapped up now before the Liverpool City game.

    16. manu4life99
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Any reason not to pull trigger on this WC team?

      De Gea Martin
      VVD TAA Aurier Doherty Lascelles
      Salah KDB Martial Pulisic Saka
      Nketiah Rash Jimi

      1. Hazz
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        That's a nice team.

        FA Cup could thrown a few spanners in the works, but your bench is possibly decent enough this week to cater for it anyway.

      2. Hitmonlee
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Wait for the FA cup to finish

    17. SuperMane Returns
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Saved by the Drinks Break.

    18. SHOOTER MCGINN
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      2 points below safety in LMS and only KDB playing. I'm done aren't I?

      1. Magic Zico
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Captaining KDB?

        1. SHOOTER MCGINN
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Nope 🙁

    19. Revival
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Good match this. Has the feel of a cup tie but it's Liverpool who get to lift the trophy.

    20. keefy59
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      If City go on to win this will they be the first team to win after falling behind since the re-start ?

      1. Forza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Brighton

    21. Hitmonlee
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      That KDB goal has given me my first 100+ week this season.. and I’ve not used a chip and made no transfers!
      75k rank rise. Just shows how quick things can change!

      1. Collie01
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Well done!

      2. DA Minnion (Former great)
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        100 s are lovely to get.

        1. Hitmonlee
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Thanks both