Dugout Discussion
28 August 2021 1532 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
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Manchester City v Arsenal gets the final Gameweek before the September international break underway.

Kick-off at the Etihad is at 12:30 BST and you can follow the fantasy action on our live Matchcast.

A manager naming an unchanged side after a 5-0 win wouldn’t come as a shock in most instances but where Pep Guardiola is involved, it’s almost more of a surprise than when he makes multiple alterations.

The City head coach has indeed stuck with the same starting XI that demolished Norwich City 5-0 last weekend, so that means substitute roles for Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m) and Raheem Sterling (£11.0m).

Jack Grealish (£8.0m) makes it three Premier League starts from three following his summer move from Aston Villa, with Ferran Torres (£7.0m) also keeping up his 100% record.

Torres may well be leading the line again this afternoon, with Gabriel Jesus (£8.5m) turning in an excellent performance down the right flank against the Canaries in Gameweek 2.

Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m) misses out with an ankle injury, as previously disclosed by Guardiola.

The Arsenal team news is bamboozling in its own right.

Head coach Mikel Arteta makes four changes following the Gunners’ 2-0 defeat by Chelsea a week ago, with Martin Odegaard (£5.5m) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£9.9m) brought into the side after starring in the EFL Cup in midweek.

Calum Chambers (£4.4m) is also recalled but the biggest surprise is the involvement of Sead Kolasinac (£4.4m), in for his first Premier League start since Gameweek 2 of last season.

Bukayo Saka (£6.3m) and Kieran Tierney (£4.9m) have shrugged off minor injuries to feature.

Pablo Mari (£4.5m), Albert Sambi Lokonga (£5.0m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£5.4m) drop to the bench, while Nicolas Pepe (£7.3m) is absent because of illness.

Ben White (£4.4m) still isn’t involved following his own spell in self-isolation.

LINE-UPS

Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Silva, Rodri, Gundogan, Jesus, Torres, Grealish.

Subs: Stones, Ake, Sterling, Zinchenko, Steffen, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Doyle, Palmer.

Arsenal XI: Leno, Cedric, Chambers, Holding, Kolasinac, Tierney, Odegaard, Smith-Rowe, Xhaka, Saka, Aubameyang.

Subs: Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Tavares, Pablo Mari, Sambi Lokonga, Elneny, Ramsdale, Okonkwo, Martinelli

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1,532 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. iL PiStOlErO
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Arsenal having 7% possession in second half says it all really...wow, just wow. Poor goonies...

  2. MIGHTY JOE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Punt on Nacho failed.

  3. Paqueta Rice
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Willock to score today!

  4. JONALDINHO
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Barnes starts suiiii

    1. Andy_Social
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      What is "suiiii"?

      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 16 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        Some sort of godawful Twatter nonsense

        Inazuma was at it the other day too

        1. @persecuted_by_mods
          4 years, 11 months ago

          Its ronaldos celebration

          1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
            • 16 Years
            4 years, 11 months ago

            It’s also Spanish for yes

        2. Arvin-ation
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 11 months ago

          It's Ronaldo's celebration, and how it sounds when he says Si

        3. Andy_Social
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 11 months ago

          It's not an invasion of cuckoo clocks then?

      2. jia you
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        should be siuuu no? as in Ronaldos celebration?

        1. jia you
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 11 months ago

          as in the Spanish for yes with a bit of an uuu afterwards!

      3. diesel001
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        To do with Ronaldo and what he says after scoring a goal. I think it is a play on the Spanish word for 'yes' (si)

    2. Il Capitano
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      For me it's TSUUUUU

    3. TheBiffas
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      It's siuuu

  5. Chalobah's Witness
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Chukwuemeka starting!
    Glad I capped him

    1. OPTA FPL
      • 15 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      17 years old

    2. Nomar
      • 16 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Quality move.

    3. Bennerman
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      This sort of joke still happening?

  6. Davros
    • 17 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Get in Pukki for next week then??

    1. Revival
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      only if you captain him

    2. Dynamic Duos
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      I am

    3. yousunkmybattleship
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 17 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Triple captain

  7. Rainer
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Just what Arsenal needed...

    1. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Down to 9 ...

  8. Twisted Saltergater
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 17 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Price drops are such a killer. You can be patient but effectively you’re gambling on a player returning FPL points in the very next game, otherwise you’re punished for being patient.

    1. It’s gonna Ben Mee
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      It’s the name of the game

      1. Twisted Saltergater
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 17 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        Perhaps a change could be made so that players could rise but not drop beyond his starting price.

        1. Harry the Hack
          • 17 Years
          4 years, 11 months ago

          Actually not a bad idea. FPL should upend the game we all love cos Twisted Saltergater had a price drop in his team.

          1. Twisted Saltergater
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 17 Years
            4 years, 11 months ago

            Am I that important 🙂

            I’ve taken drops in the chin this season but did sell Gundogan this week.

    2. KAPTAIN KANE SERVES THE PAI…
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Just wait for them to drop again

      1. Twisted Saltergater
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 17 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        Keep and let them drop until they return points?

    3. Nomar
      • 16 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      That's the break, though.

      Get a player in early and he gets injured before the GW deadline and you're 4 points down if you replace him.

      1. Twisted Saltergater
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 17 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        Pro’s say pick a player for a 6 gameweek run. I think you could do that in the past, now it’s a price drop if they don’t return in the first 2 games.

    4. Plant Based FPLer
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      If a player was owned by only 5 managers, and one sold, I swear FPL would price drop him.

      It, is, RIDICULOUS. At least we're all in the same ridiculous boat, like person said above.

  9. Nightcrawler
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    You just LOVE to see it oh yes you do!

    1. TheBiffas
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Missed u pal

      1. Bennerman
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        I missed him too. Had a really good telescopic sight as well, damn

  10. dark91
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Sterling wasted at least 3 goals since coming on. Can't really blame Pep for benching him most of the time now

    1. dark91
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      2 of which would have been Mahrez asists

      1. Paqueta Rice
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        He should have squared it for a tap in for Grealish

    2. diesel001
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Tap-in guy. Could have seen him dovetail well with Kane with Kane dropping deep and creating space for tap-ins by Sterling.

  11. Paqueta Rice
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Sterling making me want Torres even more. Terrible finisher

  12. Andy_Social
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Pleased with my hedging re DCL. Kept him in the starting lineup with Duffy 1st sub. DCL plays, so he scores and Duffy gets nowt.

    1. Paqueta Rice
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Or else Duffy scores and Brighton win 1-0 😉

      I hope not btw

    2. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Or Duffy scores and DCL gets nowt

  13. Scholes Out For Summer
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Sterling stop wasting Mahrez assists

  14. Keith Kiely
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Anyone know if Mings was injured? Not on the team sheet at all. Not starting or bench

    1. Rainer
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Rumours of Covid in their camp.

      McGinn missing too...

    2. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      McGinn out too

    3. Bartowski
      • 15 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Rumour is covid.

      1. Andy_Social
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        Just when we all ditched Toney. Damn.

  15. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 16 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Tierney long overdue an injury in fairness

    It’s been nearly 5 games now since his last one

    1. Deulofail
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      He went off injured in the last game.

      1. Revival
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        Had cramp. He's the only one giving 100% in the Arsenal team to be fair.

  16. Marvin.
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    What a complete clown Xhaka is. Why do Arsenal put up with him?

  17. seewhyaxe
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Raz wasting 2 potential assists from Mahrez there....

    1. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Sterling doing Mahrez dirty

  18. Hotdogs for Tea
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Gundo punishing the sellers 🙂

    1. Hiiler
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Not much so far, since man city shares their goals as brothers. 🙂

      1. Boberella
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 11 months ago

        Looking like 10 pts if he keeps the 2 BAPS, which will do for me.

        1. Boberella
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 11 months ago

          Make that 1 BAP now!

  19. ClassiX
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Arsenal possession lowest ever in PL since records kept from 2003 at 18%

    1. Pep bites Kun
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Wowza!!

    2. @persecuted_by_mods
      4 years, 11 months ago

      WENGER OUT

  20. Paqueta Rice
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Just 5 players for me today, 3 in the WHM game

  21. KAPTAIN KANE SERVES THE PAI…
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    My Triple West Ham boys and Mbuemo all start 😎

  22. Nomar
    • 16 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Livramento looking essential now.

    1. KAPTAIN KANE SERVES THE PAI…
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      So annoying that he’s risen already

    2. Andy_Social
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      In my Starting line-up

  23. Oggle22
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Dcl news forced me into using my 2ft this week and the little cat starts reckon Antonio outscores him?

    1. Paqueta Rice
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      They will both do well hopefully

    2. Hiiler
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 11 months ago

      Didn't have DCL , but hoped he starts as well, since I have Martinez as GK instead of Sanchez. 🙂

  24. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 16 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    OMG torres

  25. Rainer
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Torres G
    Mahrez A

  26. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    G Torres
    A Mahrez

  27. diesel001
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Torres G
    Mahrez A

  28. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    19 pointer for Torres

  29. Tango74
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Well I’m screwed only one in all my leagues to gamble Son capt,

    Seems whole works Antonio captain

  30. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 11 months ago

    Poor Mark