Dugout Discussion

Gundogan fit to start as De Bruyne returns to City XI and Foden drops to bench

After missing out on Manchester City’s win over Everton in midweek, Ilkay Gundogan (£6.1m) has made a swift return from a groin injury and makes Pep Guardiola’s starting XI this afternoon.

Arsenal are the latest team attempting to stop City’s 17-game unbeaten run, with kick-off at the Emirates at 16:30 GMT.

Gundogan featured prominently in both the transfers in and out columns in the run-up to Gameweek 24: 365,022 Fantasy Premier League managers recruited the German after his huge haul against Spurs, with 244,409 of us moving the in-form midfielder on – no doubt influenced by the yellow flag that appeared next to his name following his no-show on Merseyside.

There is other noteworthy team news from the City camp, with Gundogan one of five players who are recalled.

Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) makes his first start in over a month, with John Stones (£5.2m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.5m) and Fernandinho (£5.4m) also back in Guardiola’s line-up.

Phil Foden (£6.1m) drops to the bench despite scoring at Goodison Park, with Gabriel Jesus (£9.2m), Kyle Walker (£6.1m), Rodri (£5.3m) and Aymeric Laporte (£6.0m) also making way from the team that took to the pitch at kick-off on Wednesday.

Sergio Aguero (£10.3m), who has not played for City since the beginning of January, is also among the substitutes for the visitors.

Having named the same team in his last two competitive matches, Mikel Arteta also makes five changes to his starting XI.

Kieran Tierney (£5.2m), Rob Holding (£4.5m), Nicolas Pepe, Pablo Marí (£4.4m) and Mohamed Elneny (£4.2m) return, with Cedric Soares (£4.6m), David Luiz (£5.4m), Gabriel (£5.0m), Emile Smith Rowe (£4.3m) and Dani Ceballos (£4.7m) dropping to the bench.

LINE-UPS

Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Pablo Mari, Tierney, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Pepe, Aubameyang.

Man City XI: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling.

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 25 SO FAR…

Gundogan fit to start as De Bruyne returns to City XI and Foden drops to bench 1

Second-place Leicester City warmed up for their Gameweek 26 double-header with a win over Aston Villa on Sunday, a match that was notable for injuries to two well-owned FPL midfielders.

Harvey Barnes (£6.8m) recorded his second successive double-digit haul with a goal and an assist in the Foxes’ victory, which took his total to 10 attacking returns in 11 Gameweeks.

James Maddison (£7.3m) is in similarly fine form and opened the scoring at Villa Park – his 12th goal or assist in his last 14 appearances.

But the England midfielder hobbled from the field of play just after the hour-mark, having twice needed treatment from the visitors’ physios.

Missing altogether was Jack Grealish (£7.7m), who was sidelined with a reported shin problem.

While some reports suggest the Villa talisman may be absent for several weeks, manager Dean Smith said he was “hopeful” of the player’s return against Leeds.

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1,652 Comments Post a Comment
  1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Really stupid from cancelo that

  2. SADIO SANÉ
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Good one Cancelo you dweeb

  3. La Roja
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Ycancelo

  4. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Wait FFS cupentry is closed????

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

      Yeah. This week is the Qualifying Week.

      1. Nightcrawler
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Thought it would be open until monday ugh. Had a decent score too

      1. Nightcrawler
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Ughh nowhere to hide for me

  5. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo YC

  6. ivantys
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Dirty play by Cancelo

  7. FPLtfs
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    KdB ready for Dgw26. Anyone else bringing him in? On wc btw.

    1. EmreCan Hustle
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Will monitor midweek game.

      1. FPLtfs
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Sensible. He’s in my draft atm. Quite a differantial and two dgw’s coming up.

  8. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Canc YC

  9. moz_1983
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo yellow

  10. Salan
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo YC

  11. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Benched Dias and Richarlison, played Dallas, Ings

    1. Iwantmorepointsthanks
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      gw not over yet 🙂

    2. ivantys
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Thought Leicester showed you never to bench any player vs pool

  12. HonestBlatter
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    This GW finished me finally

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Don’t think anyone is smiling

  13. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancyellow

  14. fedolefan
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Canc-yellow!

  15. Mr. O'Connell
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo to Dias for a hit ahead of the double is something that should be considered.

  16. TRIPOS TOPPER
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    very tough to choose premiums

    KdB looks rusty
    Son off form
    Salah good form but Liverpool look awful
    Kane potential but Spurs form awful

    1. beric
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Sterling

  17. Royal5
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Lol nice dive Tierny

  18. Camzy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Tierney made the most of that. Was nowhere near his head and was down as if he got caught in the face. Annoying.

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Terrible challenge. Kind to even call it that.

  19. MIGHTY JOE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo heartbreak. Dias on bench

  20. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Sterling angry

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      And somehow not booked ...

  21. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Perfect, Kane and KdB blanking for the WC team, keeping a low profile for next week 🙂

    1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      What you really want is them to blank next week as well

      That will REALLY put non-owners in a false sense of security about them

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        That would be devastating as I’m looking to TC

  22. Salan
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    How come Sterling has no bonus pts... a winning goal he scores... joke bonus system

    1. Tinkermania
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      It happens. Maybe not enough involvement generally. Winning goal bonus could be added later.

    2. PogChamp
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      ikr. Gundo gets baps for farting.

    3. Make Arrows Green Again
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      That a haiku attempt or?

    4. Salan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Understood the system has its marking scheme. If it is, then it is a bad one if Sterling has no bonus points now.

      You can count on many statistics, but nothing can be more than a winning goal then winning assist

      1. Ginkapo FPL
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        How about they take away the pts for scoring and increase the bps?

  23. el polako
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Grealish injury...

    Dean Smith saying "Don't know, not long maybe back for Leeds" and then BBC headline says "Out for month"

    Confused...

    1. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      That BBC article can't even say what the injury is. How can they know he's out for a month?

      I still haven't heard what it is that Grealish has injured...

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

        Fractured shin was the rumour on Friday

      2. el polako
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Noticed this too, bit more transparency would be good.

    2. EmreCan Hustle
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Smith has been the one lying so far.

      1. el polako
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        In this case or in general ?

    3. Egg noodle
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Smith making a big fuss out of how the injury info leaked to the media = It is not a minor injury. I expect Grealish to miss quite a few games.

  24. La Roja
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Shirley Sterlo gets a yc for that

    1. Duke Silver ☑
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      He's too English there to get a booking.

  25. WVA
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    What a surprise Sterling doesn't get booked

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Only gets booked when owned

    2. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Why are you always desperate for people to get booked and sent off?

      1. WVA
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        I'm desperate for the officials to book players when they should, it will help the game in the long run, make it safer, players attitudes better etc

  26. aborg
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    So I bring in Gundo for the first time as he literally ruined my good season till 3 weeks ago, now he is going to blank...can see it going that way !

    Btw had Sterling for the DGW and sold him for Gundo !

    Unbelievable !

  27. fedolefan
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Stay calm useless Raz. Don't get booked now.

  28. sk24
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    I'm looking at -4 for Ings, Bamford > Kane, DCL. Would you go -8 for Dallas to Keane?
    Would give me 14 dgwers and Raphinha for BB

    1. EmreCan Hustle
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Not worth it IMO

  29. WVA
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    My defender from Burnley, Mee, booked nowhere near the baps
    My defender from City, Cancelo, booked nowhere near the baps

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

      You're the only one.

  30. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    What a boring match

    Almost all arsenal game like this under arteta

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yup ; he’s bang average to be kind