Dugout Discussion
16 August 2025 656 comments
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Three more Premier League matches follow on from the goalless draw at Villa Park.

Sunderland and Burnley contest their first top-flight games since promotion from the Championship, while two of the sides who just missed out on Europe last season meet at the Amex.

Guiu Dubravka

Budget Fantasy picks take centre stage today.

Burnley have four £4.0m defenders – Kyle Walker being the odd one out – and a £4.0m goalkeeper in their starting XI this afternoon, with Martin Dubravka getting the nod between the posts.

Lyle Foster, a £5.0m forward, leads the line.

The Clarets make their Premier League return against Tottenham Hotspur, who make three changes from the Super Cup clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Lucas Bergvall, Brennan Johnson and Archie Gray come in for Joao Palhinha, Kevin Danso and Rodrigo Bentancur.

In the north-east, the big hope from the £4.5m forward pool, Marc Guiu, is on the bench.

The Black Cats have two £4.0m defenders in their team, Jensen Seelt and Reinaldo Mandava.

Mandava is one of seven new signings in their starting XI, alongside Granit Xhaka, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra and Robin Roefs.

Mads Hermansen is straight into the West Ham United team, with Alphonse Areola having to settle for a place on the bench.

El Hadji Malick Diouf gets his Premier League debut but £4.5m midfielder Freddie Potts drops to the bench, despite having started West Ham’s final three friendlies.

Finally, at the Amex, Fabian Hurzeler makes just one change from his final pre-season line-up: Carlos Baleba is in for Diego Gomez.

Danny Welbeck is only among the substitutes.

Fulham boss Marco Silva matches Hurzeler in making one change from last weekend.

It’s an enforced alteration, too, with Ryan Sessegnon missing out. Jorge Cuenca comes in.

LINE-UPS

Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Verbuggen, Dunk, van Hecke, Wieffer, De Cuyper, O’Riley, Ayari, Baleba, Minteh, Mitoma, Rutter.

Subs: Steele, Gruda, Welbeck, Milner, Boscagli, Kadioglu, Gomez, Veltman, Coppola.

Fulham XI: Leno, Tete, Bassey, Anderson, Cuenca, Lukic, Berge, Wilson, Iwobi, Jimenez, King.

Subs: Lecomte, Reed, Muniz, Cairney, Adama, Pereira, Castagne, Diop, Emile Smith Rowe.


Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Seelt, Ballard, Reinaldo, Sadiki, Xhaka, Diarra, Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra

Subs: Patterson, Neil, Guiu, Roberts, Rigg, Alderete, Isidor, Le Fee, Jones

West Ham United XI: Hermansen, Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd, Wan-Bissaka, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Diouf, Bowen, Paqueta, Fullkrug

Subs: Areola, Walker-Peters, Alvarez, Wilson, Mavropanos, Soucek, Scarles, Potts, Irving


Tottenham Hotspur XI: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Gray, Bergvall, Kudus, Sarr, Johnson, Richarlison 

Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Joao Palhinha, Tel, Vuskovic, Solanke, Odobert, Bentancur, Davies.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Sonne, Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman, Mejbri, Cullen, Laurent, Anthony, Foster. 

Subs: Weiss, Worrall, Bruun Larsen, Ugochukwu, Edwards, Tchaouna, Flemming, Ramsey, Lucas Pires.

656 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Count of Monte Hristo
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Sunderland goal, get in!

  2. HuttonDressedasLahm
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Richarlison punt justified

  3. Moon Dog
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    1 year, 2 months ago

    WOW. Incredible goal from Richarlison!

  4. Dont give a fuchs
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Just realised Kudus got banned last year for grabbing Richarlison by the throat

    1. Ze_Austin
      1 year, 2 months ago

      All is forgiven now 🙂

  5. The Philosopher
    1 year, 2 months ago

    AWB CS mudded

  6. Towsor44
    1 year, 2 months ago

    City starting 11

    Trafford, Lewis, Stones, Dias, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Silva, Reijnders, Bobb, Doku, Haaland

    1. Count of Monte Hristo
      1 year, 2 months ago

      City will concede a barrel load this season.

    2. Fifa las vegas
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Marmoush already got with the Pep roulette

  7. WVA
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Told everyone on here to go O’Reily, hope you all listened, I bottled it and went Reijnders

    1. The Philosopher
      1 year, 2 months ago

      I told everyone to go Rutters and didn't go myself.

  8. Tonyawesome69
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Oft Richy scissor kick goal

  9. jacob1989
    1 year, 2 months ago

    West ham cleanie wiped. Areola benching hurting less now

  10. fantasist
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Bowen flop
    CS flop
    West Ham flop

  11. Zilla
    1 year, 2 months ago

    A bowen goal would be massive now

  12. Bobby Digital
    1 year, 2 months ago

    What a volley by Richarlison!

    1. Gizzachance
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Sane combo as per first goal?

  13. Pedersen
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Spurs lacking creativity. They should definitely look into buying Son Heung-min

  14. AC/DC AFC
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    1 year, 2 months ago

    GOAL

    Sunderland

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Mayenda

    2. Gizzachance
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Good

  15. _Freddo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    1 year, 2 months ago

    I bet I’m the only one on this site to go…..

    Mayennnnnnnnnnnndaaaaaaaaaaa!

  16. F4L
    1 year, 2 months ago

    is porro doing anything down the right side? kudus huge haul

    1. DeSelby
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Porro is doing some things. Kudus took a ball off him when he had about a 90% of scoring.

      Kudus is on 10 points. That's not a huge haul. It's just a haul.

      1. F4L
        1 year, 2 months ago

        cheers

        meh 10 for 6.5 is great. could still get more

  17. DeSelby
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Richarlison is a horrible, dirty, cheat of a player who I will never put on my team. Nice goal though.

    1. Freshy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      1 year, 2 months ago

      the angry Brazilian

  18. Bobby Digital
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Kudus the vanilla pick on two assists

  19. denial
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Went Fulkrug over kudus. Brilliant.

    1. Bobby Digital
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Went Bruno over Kudus. Brilliant.

      1. The Philosopher
        1 year, 2 months ago

        Went Wirtz over Kudus ffs

      2. Gizzachance
        1 year, 2 months ago

        Rogers over kudus!

    2. Pedersen
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Went Salah over Kudus

  20. Tonyawesome69
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Wolves XI: Sá, Doherty, Agbadou, Gomes, Hoever, Gomes, André, Wolfe, Bellegarde, Munetsi, Larsen

    Subs: Johnstone, Bueno, Bueno, Mosquera, Gomes, Arias, Hee-chan, Kalajdžić, Lopez Gonzalez

    Manchester City XI: Trafford, Lewis, Stones, Dias, Aït-Nouri, González, Silva, Bobb, Reijnders, Doku, Haaland

    Subs: Ortega, Aké, Akanji, Khusanov, Cherki, Gündoğan, Nunes, O'Reilly, Marmoush

    1. F4L
      1 year, 2 months ago

      cheers

      reijnders looks good as an 8 tbf if he stays there

      1. Tonyawesome69
        1 year, 2 months ago

        Is he playing as the 8 or 10?

        Reijnders and Silva switch roles

        Haaland
        Doku Reijnders Bobb
        Gonzalez Silva

        1. F4L
          1 year, 2 months ago

          yeah could be. only caught highlights of the last preseason match highlights for city but reijnders runs into the box were crazy good . either way hes not sitting today as a 6

    2. dunts1
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Starting the season with some good old Pep for Marmoush owners

      Arias starting on bench too.

  21. The Night Trunker.
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Same old Spam.
    Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam.

  22. The Tinkerman
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Trafford very tempting if Donnarumma doesn’t come in

    1. Towsor44
      1 year, 2 months ago

      They'll definitely get Donnarumma

    2. Tonyawesome69
      1 year, 2 months ago

      If they sell Ederson, they will buy another GK

  23. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Kudus looks like the bargain of the 2025/26 season

  24. Pedersen
    1 year, 2 months ago

    God damn. Was on Kudus until last minute

    1. DeSelby
      1 year, 2 months ago

      I had Kudus in about 137 of my 178 drafts.

  25. Ajax Hamsterdam
    1 year, 2 months ago

    So pleased for mayenda great player just bottled putting him in my team

  26. CoracAld2831
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Oh well... Mayenda would have stayed on my bench anyway.

    (Had him for a long time then changed to Guiu)

  27. Count of Monte Hristo
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Feel bad for the teams that stuck with Watkins + Bowen as their front 2.

    1. Ajax Hamsterdam
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Bowen still has 30 mins. Watkins will come good.

    2. iFash@FPL
      1 year, 2 months ago

      I’m one of them. 🙂

    3. Studs Up
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      1 year, 2 months ago

      season not 38 gwks?

  28. TheBiffas
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Hooooold VdV and De Cuyper

  29. g40steve
    1 year, 2 months ago

    Vorderman bikini shots wtf is this on the site

    1. THE Wild Rover
      1 year, 2 months ago

      I’m getting Rachel Riley 😆

    2. Planet Head
      1 year, 2 months ago

      Remember the days when there were no cheap clickbait ads and membership was a tenner?

  30. Ze_Austin
    1 year, 2 months ago

    BJ G