Dugout Discussion
15 December 2021 2020 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
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We were meant to be enjoying four Premier League matches this evening but Burnley v Watford has become the second Gameweek 17 fixture to be postponed, leaving us a game short.

Brighton and Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace v Southampton and Arsenal v West Ham United do go ahead, however, with the match at the Emirates getting underway half an hour after the two 19:30 GMT kick-offs.

As for the team news, all eyes were on the Brighton starting XI after a number of players tested positive for Covid-19 in the run-up to tonight’s fixture.

It’s not a bad-looking line-up despite the raft of injuries and illnesses, with Neal Maupay, Pascal Gross, Jurgen Locadia and Jason Steele among the previously undeclared absentees.

Robert Sanchez is available and starts, despite rumours suggesting he was one of those affected by coronavirus.

Graham Potter has actually only made three changes to his team from Gameweek 15, with Maupay, Gross and the suspended Shane Duffy dropping out.

In come Jakub Moder, Solly March and Aaron Connolly.

Potter’s opposite number, Wolves boss Bruno Lage, has made four alterations from his side’s last outing.

Raul Jimenez is suspended after his red card at the Etihad, while Leander Dendoncker and Adama Traore drop to the bench.

Daniel Podence, Hwang Hee-chan and Francisco Trincao come in to make it an all-new front three.

The fourth change wasn’t planned as Rayan Ait-Nouri injured himself in the warm-up, with his place taken by Marcal.

As for the match at Selhurst Park, Patrick Vieira’s only change is an interesting one: Vicente Guaita drops to the bench and is replaced by Jack Butland between the posts.

Joachim Andersen is among the substitutes after recovering from injury, while Christian Benteke is on the bench too.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has made four changes from Southampton’s 3-0 defeat at Arsenal, with Lyanco, Oriol Romeu, Will Smallbone and Mohammed Salisu brought into the side.

Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens, Ibrahima Diallo and the injured Adam Armstrong drop out.

In the 8pm kick-off, Arsenal are unchanged from Gameweek 16, so that means another benching for Emile Smith Rowe. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is, of course, absent from the squad for disciplinary reasons.

David Moyes has made just one change to the West Ham side from the 0-0 draw with Burnley, with Pablo Fornals brought in for Said Benrahma. There’s again no Aaron Cresswell among the Hammers’ squad.

GAMEWEEK 17 LINE-UPS

Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Sanchez, Burn, Moder, Veltman, Cucurella, Mwepu, Bissouma, Lamptey, March, Connolly, Trossard.

Subs: Scherpen, Lallana, Roberts, Alzate, Leonard, Mac Allister, Richards, Turns, Ferguson.

Wolverhampton Wanderers XI: Sa, Saiss, Coady, Kilman, Marcal, Moutinho, Neves, Hwang, Semedo, Trincao, Podence.

Subs: Ruddy, Hoever, Boly, Cundle, Moulden, Traore, Silva, Dendoncker.


Crystal Palace XI: Butland, Ward, Guehi, Tomkins, Mitchell, Kouyate, Hughes, Gallagher, Zaha, Ayew, Edouard.

Subs: Benteke, Andersen, Riedewald, Olise, Guaita, Milivojevic, Schlupp, Clyne, Eze.

Southampton XI: Caballero, Walker-Peters, Lyanco, Salisu, Livramento, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Smallbone, Redmond, Tella, Broja.

Subs: Bednarek, Djenepo, Diallo, Long, Perraud, Lewis, Valery, Walcott, Elyounoussi,


Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, Tierney, White, Partey, Gabriel, Saka, Odegaard, Lacazette, Tomiyasu, Xhaka, Martinelli.

Subs: Okonkwo, Smith Rowe, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Pepe, Tavares, Lokonga, Elneny, Nketiah.

West Ham United XI: Fabianski, Coufal, Fornals, Antonio, Lanzini, Dawson, Bowen, Diop, Masuaku, Soucek, Rice.

Subs: Areola, Yarmolenko, Vlasic, Noble, Benrahma, Kral, Oko-Flex, Alese, Ashby.

  1. One More Hit
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Rank was going to halve from 14k to nearly 30k, it seems a Ramsdale clean sheet is inconsequential. But where the hell is everyone getting an average of 15 points from? Presumably at least one City asset with returns?!

    1. Rains of Castamere
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Lots of Watkins, Dias, Foden owners... some with Wolves defenders

  2. Rains of Castamere
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Any chance of Ramsdale baps?

  3. Kodap
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    FFS, ESR potentially now blocking my Broja points on the bench, this game week literally can not get any worse..

  4. Patio Kev
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Pen Arsenal

  5. DBW - Slug's Mortgage …
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Penalty Arsenal

  6. Rainer
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Laca wins pen

  7. how now brown cow
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Arsenal pen. Really?

  8. diesel001
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Penalty to Arsenal

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

    Why is Antonio playing as a RW?!

  10. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Coufal red

  11. Patio Kev
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Red card Coufal too

  12. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    ESR coming on

  13. Bggz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    How is Antonio going to score from the wing

  14. how now brown cow
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Coufal red

  15. diesel001
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Coufal RC (2 YCs)

  16. _Ninja_
    • 15 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Pen to Arsenal. Coufal rc

  17. Rupert The Horse
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Come on ESR. Give me that sweet point. Woohoo. Up to 3 points now 😎

  18. Rainer
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Coufal red, VAR pending

    1. TomSaints
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Well great. Because a -2 is really what I need this week

  19. TomSaints
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    West Ham have been awful fir weeks aside from that fluke win over Liverpool

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

    Are we starting to consider Alexander?

    1. Van der Faart
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Lol good timing

  21. Lieutenant Frank Columbo
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    11 minutes injury time added in Brighton v wolves … what did I miss?

    1. One More Hit
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Referee’s mic kept breaking and he had to keep stopping the game. His PL debut too

  22. how now brown cow
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Is that really a pen??

  23. Patio Kev
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    VAR going to overturn this for great.

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

      Var doesn’t overturn anymore

  24. Magic Zico
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Who is taking pen?

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

      Laca I guess

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

    Never a penalty

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

    Well West Ham ain’t scoring now

  27. Bobby Digital
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Who takes this pen?

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 15 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      Laca

  28. Rainer
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Asking Peter Walton LOL

  29. Patio Kev
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Great challenge by Coufal, not a pen.

  30. Ginkapo FPL
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 4 months ago

    Peter Walton just disagreed with a ref

    1. how now brown cow
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 4 months ago

      First time ever