Dugout Discussion

Vestergaard absent for Southampton as Konsa returns on Villa bench

Jannik Vestergaard (£5.0m) misses out for Southampton’s trip to Fulham today after Ralph Hasenhüttl reported a knee problem.

In his pre-match press conference, the Saints boss revealed there was fluid on the joint and that the issue would need further investigation before confirmation could be made about his fitness.

With the glut of fixtures between now and the end of the calendar year, Hasenhüttl is taking no chances, going without Vestergaard for the first time since the Gameweek 2 home drubbing by Spurs.

Jack Stephens (£4.6m) comes in for the Danish defender, sitting alongside Jan Bednarek (£4.7m) in Southampton’s back-four.

With Danny Ings (£8.3m) still on the sidelines, Shane Long (£5.1m) comes into the side to pair with Che Adams (£6.1m) up-front.

That is because an injury to Nathan Redmond (£6.4m) has forced Theo Walcott (£5.8m) to continue operating on the flanks of midfield with Stuart Armstrong (£5.5m).

Southampton visit a Fulham side going with the so-called makeshift attack that spurred them on to win at Leicester and draw with Liverpool.

Ivan Cavaleiro (£5.3m) is back up-front as an out-of-position Fantasy Premier League midfielder, supported by an attacking midfield trio of Ademola Lookman (£5.0m), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£5.9m) and Bobby De Cordova-Reid (£5.3m).

Aston Villa welcome Ezri Konsa (£4.8m) back against Crystal Palace today although the centre-back is fit enough only for the bench following an illness.

Tyrone Mings (£5.4m) and Kortney Hause (£4.4m) occupy the heart of Villa’s defence for the third consecutive Premier League match, flanked by Matt Targett (£4.6m) and Matt Cash (£5.0m).

Jack Grealish (£7.8m) appears to be in a central attacking midfield position for the visit of Palace, Bertrand Traoré (£5.9m) and penalty taker Anwar El Ghazi (£5.7m) either side of him and Ollie Watkins (£6.1m) up-front.

The Eagles shape up in a 4-4-2 formation with Wilfried Zaha (£7.5m) out of position as a striker once again.

Aston Villa XI: Martínez; Targett, Mings, Hause, Cash; Luiz, McGinn; El Ghazi, Grealish, B Traoré; Watkins.

Crystal Palace XI: Guaita; van Aanholt, Dann, Kouyaté, J Ward; Eze, McArthur, Milivojevic, Schlupp; Zaha, Benteke.

Fulham XI: Areola; A Robinson, Adarabioyo, Andersen, Aina; Anguissa, Reed; Lookman, Loftus-Cheek, De Cordova-Reid; Cavaleiro.

Southampton XI: A McCarthy; Bertrand, Bednarek, J Stephens, Walker-Peters; Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Diallo, Walcott; Adams, S Long.

1,963 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    FFS predicted bps

    Bednarek 28
    Areola, KWP 25
    Aina, Andersen, McCarthy 24

    Hause 36
    Martinez 34
    El Ghazi, Traore 28

  2. MIGHTY JOE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Parting ways with Martinez, thanks for everything!

    Best replacement going forward?

    1. Stupendous
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Martinez

    2. grumpyman
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Don’t sell him. Just upgrade your bench keeper. You’ll want him back after the doubles.

  3. Londongeezaa
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Martinez has been an awesome asset. Looking good for 2bps again.

    Gutted I sold on Chillwell. On the plus side, Mings and Vestergaard were potential replacements. Let’s go Dallas 🙂

  4. Atimis
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Thoughts on Grealish to Raphinha?

    Good fixtures and DGW.

    1. grumpyman
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Raphinha is a great pick for the next few weeks.

    2. Whiskerz
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Did that last week to upgrade Mitchell.

  5. Paqueta Rice
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Mings, Grealish and Adams combining for a total of 3 points is a load of ball aches.

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

    Rightly no BAPs for Watkins, one of the luckiest hauls in FPL history.

    Abysmal finisher.

    1. Balls of Steel
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Liverpool beg to differ 🙂

    2. TheSteel
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Unluckiest*

      1. Bobby Digital
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        This

  7. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Finally a decent start of a GW! (:

  8. Zimo
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Villa could go second if they win their game in hand. Wow

  9. pundit of punts
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Martinez + KWP + Bruno + Grealish so far

    Great start to the gw 🙂

  10. Shark Team
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Watkins 11pts
    Martinez 10pts
    ...

  11. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Any chance KWP drops by one in bps?

    Would mean mccarthy bap lol

  12. F4L
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Lampard is a fraud

    1. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Not the first time.

    2. ivantys
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      As fraud as Mourinho, hate such managers always giving fake team news.

    3. Balls of Steel
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Maybe James and Chilwell will both get re-injured early in the game and be subbed off!

  13. jimmy.floyd
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Martinez to Leno would be stupid, right?

    1. OrmskirkFC
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Well that's what Arsenal did, how's it working out for them?

    2. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Beyond stupid imo

    3. beetlejuice
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      I am doing it

  14. gooberman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    James and Chilwell both start!

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      We know. It’s a joke

      1. gooberman
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        I guess Lampard at no point ruled either of them out and said they were only a doubt so always a chance they could play. Glad I held James.

  15. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    So sick of Martinez points, Martinez to Mendy up there as one of the worst decisions of my season

    1. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Never, but never do a transfer if good option is out for just one week, that's my personal rule. Even if you have to field 10 men. Kept Martinez, kept Chilwell.

    2. The Pesci challenge
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Yep, lets see how they do with their fixture’s turn bad

  16. Cantona's Kung Fu Kick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    so far so good. 23 from 3 before baps. Takes the sting from selling James

  17. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    So Watkins is clearly a better option than Adams, another horrendous transfer backfired 🙂

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      He isn't. Can't finish.

    2. grumpyman
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Made the same move. For a hit lol.

      1. g40steve
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        Same !

  18. Slitherene
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Was thinking of,
    Grealish, Watkins -> Son, Davis, for free.

    Martinez ¦ Forster
    Coufal Taylor Holding
    Salah KdB Bruno Grealish Soucek
    Vardy Watkins
    ¦ Wilson Ayling Lascelles

    2 FT, 0.7 ITB
    Not so sure now... What to do?

  19. HellasLEAF
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    ???

    What is this madness.

    Chillwell AND James both in and starting for Chelsea today??

    1. Pedram
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Lampard is trying to outfraud Pep

  20. JJeyy
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    What a game as a Watkins and Martínez owner. Patience paid off

  21. balint84
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Selling Watkins for Bumford wasn't a good idea...

    1. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Bumford hasn't played yet

  22. Saka Punch
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Am I silly to consider these moves for -8:

    Adams -> Vardy
    De Bruyne -> Son
    Grealish -> Raphinha

    Yay or nay?

    1. I Must Break You
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Not silly

  23. Cruicky
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    The Martinez-McCarthy GK duo is really something.

    Palace losing 7-0, then 3-0 vs 10 men Villa is a bad look - should be looking to get shot off Roy Hodgson and get some energy into that club - Eddie Howe makes sense. Might look to get Vardy in for Monday...

  24. Do I Not Like Orange
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Benched Chilwell. Least he's cover if Coufal gets his paternity leave.

    1. tafrère
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Wait what ? Don't tell me Coufal could miss out ?

      1. Do I Not Like Orange
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        His wife's just given birth.

  25. tafrère
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Nobody watched the Fulham-Southampton game then. No one can tell us what happened to McCarthy 2 saves lmao. We need Mitchell & Ferguson to resolve the mystery.

    1. badgerboy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      One of the saves, the last one irk, was a RLC cross.

      1. Maddamotha
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        A cross that wouldve went in? That is surely a save?

        1. badgerboy
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 3 months ago

          It was deemed off target. Take it up with the Premier League chief.

          1. Maddamotha
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 3 months ago

            Talking to them now. Will keep you updated.

    2. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Fulham only had 1 shot on target.

  26. Right In The Stanchion
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    23 from 2 any good?

    1. Cruyff's Eleven
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Oh, please...

      How old are you?

    2. CONNERS
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Same here : )

    3. I Must Break You
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      God I loathe these posts

      1. FPL DONKEY
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        I know, right? Anyone can go to livefpl.net and find out for themselves

  27. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Watkins xG = 1.64 (almost the same as Fulham, Soton + Palace combined xG today)

  28. All For One
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Watkins on 3 assists how does he not on any bonus pts?

    1. All For One
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      How is he not

      1. how now brown cow
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        He missed a hatful.

    2. The Train Driver
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Missed like 17 big chances

    3. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Because he missed loads of chances. Even his assists came from rebounds because he missed.

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

      Missed soooooo many chances.

      2 assists came from rebounded shots other players finished off.

      1. All For One
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        Lmao! Just glad he finally returned, time to transfer him out nowm

    5. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      missed like 5 big chances

      1. All For One
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        Lol

    6. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      9 baps for each assist

      -3 for each big chance missed

      -1 for each shot off target

      You do the maff

      1. All For One
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        Nice and easy breakdown

  29. The Train Driver
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    This is a hard one, play:

    A. Johnstone (LEE)
    B. Martinez (che)

    1. jimmy.floyd
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      A

  30. Party time
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Grealish blank as expected

      1. tafrère
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        LOL

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

        That's why I sold him.

        1. Party time
            3 years, 3 months ago

            Never good to have someone without balls in your team. You made the right decision