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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
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Sunderland 3-0
    Isidor G

    1. Sgt. Schultz
      • 9 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Talbi A

  2. AC/DC AFC
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    3 nil Sunderland Boyz

  3. Tomerick
    • 12 Years
    11 months, 5 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
      11 months, 5 days ago

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

      1. Eightball
        • 5 Years
        11 months, 5 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
      • 12 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Why do I play this game?

  4. Count of Monte Hristo
    • 13 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    West Ham get in the bin 😆

    Hammered

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

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

  6. The Philosopher
    • 5 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    A name like Isidor deserves to score a goal.

    1. Moon Dog
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 1 Year
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Cast it into the net. Destroy it. ISIDOR!

  7. jacob1989
    • 4 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

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

    1. Mr. O'Connell
      • 14 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      The whole point was to make irrelevant players relevant

  8. Bored Ape Jota Club
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    11 months, 5 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
      11 months, 5 days ago

      That's 4 bad choices

      Knee-jerk FC time?

      1. Bored Ape Jota Club
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        11 months, 5 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
      • 16 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Same here

  9. JBG
    • 8 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

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

  10. Pariße
    • 11 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    How will Potter expecto patronum out of that one?

  11. Ze_Austin
    • 7 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Guiu might be third choice

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Looks that way

    2. OverTinker
      • 8 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      He is only important games

  12. chocolove
    • 15 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Lol Hermansen.

  13. Gizzachance
    • 11 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

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

  14. OverTinker
    • 8 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Cursing the one who convinced me to go for Diouf

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      He's had a good game tbf

      1. OverTinker
        • 8 Years
        11 months, 5 days ago

        Didn't watch but 3 goals conceded

    2. KAPTAIN KANE SERVES THE PAI…
      • 9 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

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

    3. Pariße
      • 11 Years
      11 months, 5 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.

  15. Tonyawesome69
    • 7 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Guiu has locked me out of Sunderland triple up!

    1. Mighty Duck
      • 1 Year
      11 months, 5 days ago

      WC it rn

  16. Brosstan
    • 11 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Bowen and Mitoma gtfo of my team immediately.

  17. henrysquire
    • 7 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    AWB and Diouf fail.

  18. pundit of punts
    • 13 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Triple Spurs defense on BB

    I’m over the moon

    What a start to the season! 🙂

    1. Ze_Austin
      • 7 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Congrats!

    2. KAPTAIN KANE SERVES THE PAI…
      • 9 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

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

    3. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Keep it modest

      Were they your bench players?

    4. _Freddo
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 17 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Fist bump (did the same)

  19. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Spurs CS is in

    1. PartyTime
      • 5 Years
      11 months, 5 days ago

      Porro + VdV on BB!

  20. KAPTAIN KANE SERVES THE PAI…
    • 9 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

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

  21. Mighty Duck
    • 1 Year
    11 months, 5 days ago

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

    1. el polako
      • 9 Years
      11 months, 5 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.

  22. lilmessipran
    • 13 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Isildur from Lord of the Rings also scoring now

  23. F4L
    • 11 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    well held Spurs

  24. Mr. O'Connell
    • 14 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Hawayyy the Ladsssss

  25. The Philosopher
    • 5 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

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

  26. FPL Brains
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    11 months, 5 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.

  27. _Freddo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 17 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

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

  28. bso
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Yeah….Reindeer starts!

  29. Wirtzle Gummidge
    • 13 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Biggest club in Newcastle

  30. OverTinker
    • 8 Years
    11 months, 5 days ago

    Keep solanke or move him out