Dugout Discussion

Ill Aubameyang misses out as Xhaka starts at left-back

The last of four Premier League matches to take place on Sunday sees bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United play host to Arsenal.

Kick-off at Bramall Lane is at 19:00 BST.

These two sides aren’t exactly hot property in Fantasy Premier League, with not a single asset on show owned by more than 10% of managers overall.

Looking within the top 10k, which is often a better gauge of popularity among ‘active’ FPL bosses, only Rob Holding (£4.2m) has a double-digit ownership.

There is more than one notable omission from the Arsenal squad this evening but the headline team news is the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.3m), who is unavailable today due to illness.

The news of his ailment only broke after the FPL deadline had passed on Friday, as did the confirmation of an ankle injury for Emile Smith Rowe (£4.2m), who is also sidelined in South Yorkshire.

There are four changes to Mikel Arteta’s starting XI from the Gameweek 30 defeat against Liverpool, with Aubameyang among the players to drop out.

Two further changes are enforced, with Martin Odegaard (£5.9m) and Kieran Tierney (£5.2m) also sidelined.

Gabriel (£4.9m) drops to the bench, meanwhile, with Pablo Mari (£4.4m), Bukayo Saka (£5.2m), Gabriel Martinelli (£4.9m) and Granit Xhaka (£5.2m) all promoted to the side.

With Cedric Soares (£4.6m) benched, it appears as if Xhaka is playing at left-back this evening.

Paul Heckingbottom makes three changes from the side beaten 2-1 at Leeds United, with John Egan (£4.7m), Ethan Ampadu (£4.3m) and Oliver Burke (£4.3m) in for Phil Jagielka (£3.9m), Jayden Bogle (£4.3m) and Oli McBurnie (£5.6m).

The Blades are unbeaten in all four of their previous home Premier League matches against Arsenal.


Arsenal XI: Leno, Chambers, Holding, Pablo Mari, Saka, Thomas, Xhaka, Pepe, Ceballos, Martinelli, Lacazette.

Sheffield United XI: Ramsdale, Egan, Ampadu, Stevens, Baldock, Fleck, Lundstram, Norwood, Osborn, Burke, McGoldrick.


GAMEWEEK 31 SO FAR…

Ill Aubameyang misses out as Xhaka starts at left-back

Some of the lesser-owned Fantasy Premier League assets from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United took centre stage as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side triumphed 3-1 in north London.

Blanks for Harry Kane (£11.7m), Bruno Fernandes (£11.6m), Luke Shaw (£5.3m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.7m) meant that four of the five FPL players with double-digit ownerships in this fixture didn’t deliver anything more than appearance points.

Only Son Heung-min (£9.4m) from this quintet popped up with anything meaningful, tapping Spurs into a first-half lead for his first goal since Gameweek 23.

Edinson Cavani (£7.8m) and Mason Greenwood (£7.0m) both registered two attacking returns apiece along with bonus points to supplement their scores.

It was far from a convincing audition for Spurs assets ahead of Double Gameweek 32, with their defence looking particularly suspect again.

Son topped the shot count and key passes table to further his case for inclusion in our squads next weekend but there was more misery for those who retained the services of Gareth Bale (£9.2m), who was benched for the third straight Premier League match; his total pitch-time over the last three Gameweeks comes to ten minutes.

496 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Just end this god forsaken fu***g game week already

    1. OLD Rafiki
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      is there any good GW? all are forsaken.

  2. Mr. O'Connell
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Laca became Vardy after the Europa League start. In turn Trent became Azpi. Wildcards, you gotta love em.

    1. Baps hunter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Good luck! Maybe top 1M still possible!

    2. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Ouch

    3. Bagheri Arce
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Wow, that's rough.

      I also talked myself out of Laca and punted on Augero.

      He missed out with random injury and Laca gets a start due to Auba random injury.

      Funny old game 😀

  3. Eh, just one more thing ...
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Mousses ... woeful miss.

  4. The 12th Man
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Laca. Whahoo

  5. Drogo
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    So happy I went Lacazette as captain. Picked him over Jota, Kane, Gundogan, Fernandes 🙂

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Why wouldn’t you be happy?

    2. The 12th Man
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Same here. Took the armband off him though and put it on Jota.

  6. WVA
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Couldn't quite afford Laca over DCL, come on Dominic!!!!

    1. OLD Rafiki
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      preach brother preach!!

    2. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      It's Brighton, conceding header is almost certain.

  7. Danno - Emre Canada
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Was on Laca (c) and Holding but then swapped to Vardy and Phillips after the Europa, story of my season, please play a tiny ickle violin for me

    1. Baps hunter
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Auba flu was impossible to guess tbh.

      1. Baps hunter
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        But getting Vardy over Nacho is another matter.

        1. Danno - Emre Canada
          • 9 Years
          2 years, 11 months ago

          Haha yep

          1. Danno - Emre Canada
            • 9 Years
            2 years, 11 months ago

            No excuse for that

    2. HaveYassineChikhaoui
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Swapped Trent & Laca (C) to go Phillips & Sterling (C)... pain.

      1. Danno - Emre Canada
        • 9 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        I feel ya pain.

  8. lilmessipran
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Will we know more about DGW35 confirmed matchups before this gw's deadline ? No wc or fh left need to plan accordingly with fts

  9. Ha.
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Laca was in all but my last WC drafts

    RIP

  10. Nice to Finally Michu
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Laca (C) absolutely saving my team from an ugly no Lingard or Nacho induced red arrow

    1. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Nice punt, playing EL deemed him too risky for me.

      1. Eh, just one more thing ...
        • 12 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Yeah ... that was a fair factor for sure, pencilled con but dismissed for same reason .. good on the backers.

        1. Nanoelektronicar
          • 9 Years
          2 years, 11 months ago

          Exactly, hats off to them.

          1. Baps hunter
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            2 years, 11 months ago

            Many didn't even bother to check who played in EL tbh. Sometimes it helps.

      2. Nice to Finally Michu
        • 10 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Cheers! Happy it came off I was in a bit of a free fall otherwise

      3. Baps hunter
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Same here 🙁 Hindsight is always easy, had Auba been fit to play, what would have happened?!?

  11. Nanoelektronicar
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Has Magnus targeted Sheffield again?

  12. Eh, just one more thing ...
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Well well well ... who would have thunk it ... a CS for the Gunners ...

    1. WVA
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Full time?

  13. Life_Ban
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    HOLD-ing

    Ker-ching or Ka-ching

  14. Herman Toothrot
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Holding in for Alonso.

    That'll do

    1. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Jam!

  15. Pep Roulette
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Is Amartey a safe option?

    1. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      No I don't think so, Soyuncu will be back soon enough.

      1. Pep Roulette
        • 6 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Cheers mate

  16. Baps hunter
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    *Time to check Shu fixtures again*...

    1. Qaiss
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Kane in 34... oof

      1. Baps hunter
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Annoying that TC Kane might be better then. But with dgw his ceiling is higher. Yet, now I am starting to consider punt on Moura and benching him in the middle. It is The Punt, (perhaps)?!?

  17. Life_Ban
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Someone needs firing they got the fixture ticker all messed up

    Woooooo HOLDing

    1. Life_Ban
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Fixture ticker back to normal

  18. balint84
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Who brings more points?

    A) Son+Vydra
    B) Lloris+Reguilon (dgw, bgw, sheffield)

    1. Ha.
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      A

  19. OLD Rafiki
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Sheffield is probably one of the teams which mistakenly got through to epl level, so pathetic.

    1. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      They were great before last season's lockdown.

  20. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Who’d have thought the highest scoring player this gameweek is still to play....

    1. wulfrunian
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Pereira?

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        No, the English Lewandowski

    2. Qaiss
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Diagne? 🙂

    3. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Ings

  21. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    People loving the Holding CS

  22. Pukkipartyy
    • 5 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Holding cama!

  23. Flair
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Holdini 2 BP, 56 all out first week of WC. Despite the Lingard tragedy, a strong start.

  24. wulfrunian
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Holding you beauty!

  25. Life_Ban
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Is GW32 still the one for Bench Boost???

  26. Ha.
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Double Arsenal defence is going to be lovely for the next fee

  27. Nanoelektronicar
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Holding to keep 2 baps, or not? He made foul at the end...

  28. Tinmen
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Guys, Sterling to Bruno -4 or keep?

    1. Mr. O'Connell
      • 11 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      I'd do Sterling to Ozil for a -4

  29. Mr. O'Connell
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Wildcard 40 points all out with 23 points and counting on the bench not coming in.

    Bench boosting next week. Can't wait for mass chelsea rotation and a load of Leicester Injuries in the FA cup. The beautiful game does it again.

  30. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Arteta the chump dropped holding after their decent run so I sold him now he comes back and they are back to keeping CS again