Robertson starts and Wilson returns as FPL managers turn to Salah for captaincy

The final Premier League match of the calendar year draws a shorter-than-expected Gameweek 16 to a close.

Reigning champions and league leaders Liverpool take on Newcastle United this evening, with kick-off at St James Park at 20:00 GMT.

This is the only top-flight fixture of the day, following the earlier postponement of Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham.

Amid all the rotation and cancellations elsewhere, Liverpool’s teamsheet is reassuringly familiar from a Fantasy Premier League perspective.

The usual front three and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) all start, along with Andrew Robertson (£7.3m), who hasn’t missed a single minute of Premier League football all season – earlier rumours that the Scot would be rested on Tyneside proving wide of the mark.

Jurgen Klopp has made two changes to the side that underwhelmed in the match against West Bromwich Albion in Gameweek 15.

The injured Joel Matip (£5.5m) and the benched Georginio Wijnaldum (£5.3m) make way, with budget FPL defender Nathaniel Phillips (£4.0m) and the versatile James Milner (£5.3m) brought in to replace them.

That means another start for the cut-price Curtis Jones (£4.4m) in midfield.

Thiago Alcantara (£5.7m) makes his long-awaited return from a knee injury, taking his place among the visitors’ substitutes.

Steve Bruce has made just the one change to the side that lost 2-0 to Manchester City on Saturday and it’s a significant one from a Fantasy perspective.

Callum Wilson (£6.5m) is back in the starting XI following his benching at the Etihad, with Miguel Almiron (£5.6m) dropping out.

Jamal Lewis (£4.3m) is again on the bench, where he is joined by fit-again goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (£4.8m).

Wilson, whose points-per-match average is inferior to just two other Fantasy forwards, is the only Newcastle starter owned by more than 2% of FPL managers.

There is unsurprisingly a lot more interest in the Reds.

Salah was the most-captained asset of Gameweek 16 overall, with over half of the top 10,000 handing the armband to the Egyptian.

Given that over a third of the other top 10k managers backed a non-playing Spurs or Manchester City asset, Salah will no doubt also be on vice-captaincy duties for many others.

Newcastle United XI: Darlow, Yedlin, Schar, Fernandez, Clark, Ritchie, Murphy, Hayden, M Longstaff, Joelinton, Wilson.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Fabinho, Robertson, Henderson, Milner, Jones, Salah, Firmino, Mane.

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