Friday team news: Martinelli starts, Greaves in but still no Welbeck

Gameweek 18 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) concludes with a couple of festive Friday clashes, so here’s the team news.

Arsenal begin the night in fourth spot and know a win over 19th-placed Ipswich Town will put them second. They field David Raya (£5.6m), Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.3m), William Saliba (£6.3m) and Jurrien Timber (£5.7m) in their quest for a fourth successive home clean sheet.

Over 2.8 million FPL managers have had to sell Bukayo Saka (£10.4m) after last weekend’s hamstring injury – the second-highest Gameweek abandonment of all time. Mikel Arteta has switched him out for Leandro Trossard (£6.8m), with Declan Rice (£6.2m) in for Thomas Partey (£5.0m).

Up front, Gabriel Jesus (£6.8m) remains in favour after five goals and an assist in his last two appearances. There’s also Kai Havertz (£7.9m), Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) and Martin Odegaard (£8.4m).

Ipswich can recall Liam Delap (£5.6m) from suspension but in exchange for Sam Morsy (£4.9m) serving his own. Their five alterations bring a start for highly-picked bench fodder Jacob Greaves (£3.9m), seemingly moving to a wing-back system.

Meanwhile, the American Express Stadium witnesses a clash between a home side that’s winless in five and an opponent with the league’s worst away record so far.

Joao Pedro (£5.8m) is goalless in these five but starts again, with Danny Welbeck (£5.6m) still injured. Attacking midfielder Julio Enciso (£5.4m) makes his first 2024/25 league lineup, replacing Georginio Rutter (£5.4m) in one of two changes. There’s even the welcome sight of Solly March (£6.5m) named on Brighton’s bench, after missing 14 months with a knee problem.

Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m), Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) and Lewis Dunk (£4.4m) start, as do Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo (£7.6m), Mark Flekken (£4.5m) and Yoane Wissa (£6.2m).

However, a batch of injuries to defenders Ethan Pinnock (£4.5m), Sepp van den Berg (£4.1m) and Kristoffer Ajer (£4.4m) sees the latter make way for Mads Roerslev (£4.3m) in the Bees’ only change.

GAMEWEEK 18 LINE-UPS

Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, O’Riley; Gruda, Enciso, Mitoma; Joao Pedro

Subs: Steele, Lamptey, Igor Julio, March, Adingra, Moder, Georginio, Ayari, Minteh

Brentford XI: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Mee, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade

Subs: Valdimarsson, Konak, Meghoma, Maghoma, Carvalho, Yarmoliuk, Ji-soo, Yogane, Arthur

Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Odegaard, Havertz; Trossard, Martinelli, Jesus

Subs: Neto, Tierney, Kiwior, Calafiori, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Partey, Merino, Nwaneri

Ipswich Town XI: Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Cajuste, Phillips; Hutchinson, Szmodics; Delap

Subs: Walton, H Clarke, J Clarke, Townsend, Taylor, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Al-Hamadi

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