We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points of the day in FPL Daily.
LIVERPOOL WIN CARABAO CUP FINAL
In an entertaining clash at Wembley, Liverpool won a dramatic penalty shoot-out 11-10 after a goalless draw with Chelsea.
The headline news from an FPL perspective was the returns of Diogo Jota (£8.3m) and Reece James (£6.2m) from injury, who both appeared as second-half substitutes.
The latter is of particular interest in light of Chelsea’s potential double-header in Gameweek 28, which you can read more on here.
James is averaging 5.7 points per match this season, and a defensive double-up alongside Antonio Rudiger (£6.1m) is certainly appealing, given the lack of options further forward.
On the injury front, Hakim Ziyech (£7.3m) failed to make the squad for today’s match, along with Andreas Christensen (£4.6m) who has an issue with his achilles. Elsewhere, Cesar Azpilicueta (£5.6m) was forced off shortly before the hour mark with an injury, while Thiago (£5.3m) missed out for Liverpool after picking up a knock during the warm-up.
Chelsea XI: Mendy (Kepa 120), Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Azpilicueta (James 57), Kante, Kovacic (Jorginho 105), Alonso, Mount (Lukaku 74), Pulisic (Werner 74), Havertz
Liverpool XI: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Matip (Konate 90), van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson (Elliot 79), Keita (Milner 80), Salah, Diaz (Origi 97), Mane (Jota 80)
BIELSA SACKED
Marcelo Bielsa has been sacked by Leeds United after a poor run of form that saw his side suffer several heavy defeats.
The Whites have taken just one point from their last six matches (see below) to leave them outside the relegation zone by only two points. During that time, they have conceded a whopping 21 goals and slumped to a 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 27.
LEEDS UNITED’S LAST SIX MATCHES:
- Leeds United 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
- Liverpool 6-0 Leeds United
- Leeds United 2-4 Manchester United
- Everton 3-0 Leeds United
- Aston Villa 3-3 Leeds United
- Leeds United 0-1 Newcastle United
At the time of writing, American coach Jesse Marsch is the bookies favourite to take over, with the club expected to announce their replacement as soon as Monday.
Notably, there is potential for their new manager to hit the ground running, given that they have an appealing run of forthcoming fixtures coming up, which includes a double-header against Leicester City and Aston Villa in Gameweek 28.
READ UP ON ALL OF THE WEEKEND’S FPL ACTION
There is still one match to go in Gameweek 27, with Burnley taking on Leicester City on Tuesday, but you can read up on all of the FPL action so far via the links below.
Aston Villa, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Southampton, Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers all feature and double in Gameweek 28, with several differential options emerging over the weekend.
I like some of these changes like the double chips, but some like the AFCON transfers and defensive added stats seem so un-necessary. Having played the game for over 22 years since the start, it just seems a lot more of a chore to play the game then fun. Up until a few years ago, I would listen to a couple of weekly podcasts and plan a few weeks in advance, but now there is far too much content, conflicting advice and AI getting involved. I will play as usual but it feels more of a courtesy than a pleasure.
»I'm a Liverpool fan but I'll be sticking with Salah and probably Kerkez to start with. Ekitike may be eased in, and Wirtz isn't affordable if you want Palmer. I'd say Wirtz is a better FPL option though. Truth be told I'm not too excited about Ekitike, he has a low shot conversion rate and seemingly misses a lot of chances, much like Darwin. I'd love for him to prove me wrong though
»Yeah, i dont think the community could handle anymore. Just wait for any changes to formation or defined positions, once the game goes live. There would/will be meltdown by some!
»Personally i like all the changes except for 1! The assist rule not counting of the pass was deflected outside the box, instead of inside the box, makes no sense to me!
»So that should signal the end of the rule changes. Pity, I'd hoped they'd make all penalties goals worth the same points regardless of the position of the taker.
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