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. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    8 months, 3 days ago

    Sunderland 3-0
    Isidor G

    1. Sgt. Schultz
      • 9 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Talbi A

  2. AC/DC AFC
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    8 months, 3 days ago

    3 nil Sunderland Boyz

  3. Tomerick
    • 11 Years
    8 months, 3 days ago

    Please De Cuyper, keep this clean sheet and avert a complete failure so far!

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Got him 1st on the bench played Diouf instead ... mistake #1 and counting 😛

      1. Eightball
        • 5 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        I had De Cuyper for ages in pre season then switched to Diouf as he rotated better with other defenders. Why did I trust a West Ham defender. They are awful.

    2. Tomerick
      • 11 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Why do I play this game?

  4. Count of Monte Hristo
    • 12 Years
    8 months, 3 days ago

    West Ham get in the bin 😆

    Hammered

  5. have you seen cyan
    • 6 Years
    8 months, 3 days ago

    Just relegate West Ham now, no point in the remaining 37 games.

  6. The Philosopher
    • 5 Years
    8 months, 3 days ago

    A name like Isidor deserves to score a goal.

    1. Moon Dog
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Cast it into the net. Destroy it. ISIDOR!

    2. jacob1989
      • 4 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      These dc points are overrated..really hard to get for relevant players..

      1. Mr. O'Connell
        • 13 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        The whole point was to make irrelevant players relevant

    3. Bored Ape Jota Club
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Wirtz. Watkins. Bowen. In my starting 11. My no Salah squad looking worse every minute.

      1. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        That's 4 bad choices

        Knee-jerk FC time?

        1. Bored Ape Jota Club
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 10 Years
          8 months, 3 days ago

          Had faith in Ollie. Carried away by the hype of Wirtz. But Bowen... That is one bad pick. West Ham looked awful

      2. Nomar
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 16 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Same here

    4. JBG
      • 7 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      West Ham are genuine, genuine trash. Never going near them ever again, even hope they go down.

    5. Pariße
      • 11 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      How will Potter expecto patronum out of that one?

    6. Ze_Austin
      • 7 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Guiu might be third choice

      1. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Looks that way

      2. OverTinker
        • 7 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        He is only important games

    7. chocolove
      • 15 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Lol Hermansen.

    8. Gizzachance
      • 11 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      At least w ham have the good fixture out of the way now !

    9. OverTinker
      • 7 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Cursing the one who convinced me to go for Diouf

      1. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        He's had a good game tbf

        1. OverTinker
          • 7 Years
          8 months, 3 days ago

          Didn't watch but 3 goals conceded

      2. Scapegoat Salah
        • 9 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Looks fantastic for attacking returns, DC and Bonus. Absolute monsta pick

      3. Pariße
        • 11 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Two assists in pre-season. I made a background check to realise he’s just a kid in a new league playing alongside some of the most shambolic defenders from last season.

    10. Tonyawesome69
      • 7 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Guiu has locked me out of Sunderland triple up!

      1. Mighty Duck
        • 1 Year
        8 months, 3 days ago

        WC it rn

    11. Brosstan
      • 11 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Bowen and Mitoma gtfo of my team immediately.

    12. henrysquire
      • 7 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      AWB and Diouf fail.

    13. pundit of punts
      • 13 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Triple Spurs defense on BB

      I’m over the moon

      What a start to the season! 🙂

      1. Ze_Austin
        • 7 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Congrats!

      2. Scapegoat Salah
        • 9 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Same!! Porro, VDV and Danso, benched Isidor though 🙁

      3. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Keep it modest

        Were they your bench players?

      4. _Freddo
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 16 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Fist bump (did the same)

    14. tiger
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Spurs CS is in

      1. PartyTime
        • 4 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        Porro + VdV on BB!

    15. Scapegoat Salah
      • 9 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Darn it! Isidor on bench and chickened out of boost!

    16. Mighty Duck
      • 1 Year
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Looks like Potter isn't a magician in the end.

      1. el polako
        • 8 Years
        8 months, 3 days ago

        You sell one of the best ball carriers in the league.
        You buy injury prone pensioner who in the past talked shite about your club.

        It’s on the owners not Potter.

    17. lilmessipran
      • 13 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Isildur from Lord of the Rings also scoring now

    18. F4L
      • 11 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      well held Spurs

    19. Mr. O'Connell
      • 13 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Hawayyy the Ladsssss

    20. The Philosopher
      • 5 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Went for AWB over de Cuyper. It's tricky out there, mates...

    21. FPL Brains
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Three clean sheets through a Benchboost.

      Damn that was a nervous last 5mins! 21 points with one player to go. I'll take it.

    22. _Freddo
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Triple Spurs CS locked in, Mayenda goal, decent day for the BB, need something for Reijnders now please then Saka & Gyokeres tomorrow.

    23. bso
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Yeah….Reindeer starts!

    24. Wirtzle Gummidge
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Biggest club in Newcastle

    25. OverTinker
      • 7 Years
      8 months, 3 days ago

      Keep solanke or move him out