Man City v Chelsea team news: Mount and Dias benched as Foden returns

Double Gameweek 22 continues this Saturday lunchtime as Manchester City play host to Chelsea.

Kick-off at the Etihad is at 12:30 GMT.

This is the first of two scheduled fixtures for Thomas Tuchel’s side in Gameweek 22, with Brighton and Hove Albion next up on Tuesday.

More Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers bought Mason Mount than any other player who has two matches in the current Gameweek but the midfielder, who had completed 90 minutes in each of Chelsea’s last eight Premier League games, is only among the substitutes today.

Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi are also pmitted as Tuchel opts for a slightly surprising front three of Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku.

Pulisic and Ziyech are among five changes from the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, with Marcos Alonso, Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante all returning to the fray.

Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner and Jorginho are benched, while Andreas Christensen has Covid-19.

Pep Guardiola delivered the ominous news that Manchester City had some fresh cases of coronavirus in his pre-match press conference but the damage appears minimal when looking at the teamsheet.

Nathan Ake and Cole Palmer are the two players to miss out (the City website repeating the line that they are “short of full fitness”), while Oleksandr Zinchenko has picked up an injury and is also unavailable.

Ederson, John Stones, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling all come into a strong-looking side after missing the FA Cup win over Swindon Town, whilst Aymeric Laporte is restored to the starting line-up having been an unused substitute against the Robins.

Ruben Dias is surprisingly benched, along with Zack Steffen, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus. The missing Palmer and Ake had also been part of that starting XI at Swindon.

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 22 LINE-UPS

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Sterling, Grealish, Foden.

Subs: Dias, Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, Steffen, Fernandinho, Mbete-Tabu, McAtee, Lavia, Wilson-Esbrand.

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, Sarr, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Kante, Kovacic, Alonso, Ziyech, Pulisic, Lukaku.

Subs: Jorginho, Werner, Loftus-Cheek, Bettinelli, Saul, Barkley, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Havertz.