Dugout Discussion
18 October 2025 808 comments
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Five more Premier League games get underway at 3pm BST, with all three newly promoted clubs in action – so many Gameweek 8 Bench Boost outcomes ride on the next few hours.


TEAM NEWS

Starting with ‘El Boostico’ (rubbish), there’s one enforced change for Leeds United as Jack Harrison replaces the injured Noah Okafor.

Daniel James and Lucas Perri have recovered from injury but are only among the substitutes.

Scott Parker, meanwhile, makes three changes to his Burnley side, one of which is injury-related as Lyle Foster is absent with a dead leg.

Zian Flemming, Lesley Ugochukwu and Jacob Bruun Larsen come in, while Loum Tchaouna and Josh Laurent drop to the bench.

Jaiden Anthony is fit to start.

In another match that features a number of budget picks being ‘boosted’, Sunderland host Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 7%-owned Omar Alderete has recovered from injury and is joined in the starting XI by Chris Rigg and Dan Ballard, with Arthur Masuaku and Simon Adingra making way.

Wolves bring in Rodrigo Gomes and the fit-again Matt Doherty for the injured Hwang Hee-chan and the benched Jackson Tchatchoua.

There’s a surprise benching for Josko Gvardiol at the Etihad, which naturally comes a day after Pep Guardiola praised the Croatian’s powers of recovery.

Oscar Bobb is also demoted to substitute duty and Rodri misses out, with Nico Gonzalez, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku handed recalls.

Omar Marmoush is on the bench after recovering from injury.

There are also three changes for Everton, who can’t call upon ineligible loanee Jack Grealish.

David Moyes brings in Carlos Alcaraz, Beto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as Tyler Dibling and Thierno Barry make way.

The absence of Evanlison, and a start for £4.5m forward Eli Kroupi, is the headline news from the Vitality. Evanilson misses out with a calf injury.

Alex Jimenez and Justin Kluivert also come in, with David Brooks injured and James Hill benched.

Crystal Palace are unchanged.

So too are Newcastle United for their trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, who bring in Georginio Rutter for the unavailable Brajan Gruda.

Kaoru Mitoma misses out again.

LINE-UPS

Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Dunk, van Hecke, Kadioglu, Ayari, Gomez, Baleba, Minteh, Welbeck, Georginio.

Subs: Steele, Tzimas, Watson, Kostoulas, Milner, Boscagli, De Cuyper, Coppola, Oriola.

Newcastle United XI: Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon

Subs: Ramsdale, Schar, Barnes, Krafth, Osula, Murphy, Willock, Ramsey, Miley.


Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Ugochukwu, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman, Bruun Larsen, Cullen, Florentino, Anthony, Flemming

Subs: Weiss, Edwards, Tchaouna, Ekdal, Pires, Broja, Mejbri, Laurent, Barnes.

Leeds United XI: Darlow, Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson, Longstaff, Ampadu, Stach, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Harrison

Subs: Perri, James, Piroe, Nmecha, Bijol, Tanaka, Bornauw, Justin, Gruev.


Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Munoz, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell, Richards, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Pino, Mateta.

Subs: Benitez, Clyne, Devenny, Canvot, Lerma, Sosa, Hughes, Esse, Nketiah,

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Jimenez, Truffert, Senesi, Diakite, Scott, Adams, Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo, Kroupi.

Subs: Dennis, Araujo, Smith, Cook, Adli, Hill, Milosavljevic, Christie, Gannon-Doak.


Manchester City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Ake, O’Reilly, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Savinho, Haaland.

Subs: Trafford, Stones, Gvardiol, Lewis, Kovačić, Cherki, Silva, Bobb, Marmoush.

Everton XI: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Garner, Gueye, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Alcaraz, Beto.

Subs: Travers, King, Coleman, Aznou, Dibling, Rohl, Iroegbunam, McNeil, Barry.


Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Ballard, Alderete, Mukiele, Xhaka, Sadiki, Traore, Rigg, Le Fee, Isidor.

Subs: Patterson, Neil, Geertruida, Talbi, Brobbey, Mayenda, O’Nien, Adingra, Masuaku.

Wolverhampton Wanderers XI: Johnstone, Doherty, S Bueno, Krejci, H Bueno, Munetsi, Trindade, J Gomes, Arias, Larsen, R Gomes.

Subs: Sa, Wolfe, Agbadou, Arokodare, Mosquera, T Gomes, Hoever, Lopez, Tchatchoua.


LIVE GAMEWEEK PAGE!

New to Fantasy Football Scout is the Live Gameweek page, which you can see on the side menu.

Here you can follow the scores, watch the defensive contribution (DC) points roll in, see who the leading players are for xG and more as the games play out, as seen below:

808 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. have you seen cyan
    • 6 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Leeds are useless not wiping that cleanie. DCL owners are to blame.

  2. Make United Great Again
    • 13 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Gyokeres need something from you big time.

  3. Scapegoat Salah
    • 9 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Still time for Mateta

    1. g40steve
      • 8 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Streams a bit slow 😉

  4. Els365
    • 4 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Stach and Reinders have been horrible recommendations by FPL content creators

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

    Bench Boost with Dubravka 9 pointer is sweet! 4 for Ndiaye not bad either. Gudmundsson 1 point and VDV tomorrow

  6. RamaJama
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    So the boring Mateta pick was the sexy thing

    1. g40steve
      • 8 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Wolte & Dubs 😉

  7. chocolove
    • 15 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    The real JP scored today
    Jean Philippe Matetaaaaaaa

  8. jacob1989
    • 4 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Someone must be having Haaland mateta welbeck front line

    1. Scapegoat Salah
      • 9 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Haaland, Mateta and El Kroupi!

      But benched the latter!

    2. Hughes Your Daddy
      • 13 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Only Haaland mateta here

  9. NotsoSpursy
    • 9 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Dubravka 9 points - very nice

    1. Scapegoat Salah
      • 9 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Delicious!

      1. have you seen cyan
        • 6 Years
        5 months, 4 days ago

        So you expect us to believe you have one team and all these players?
        Dub, Esteve, Mukiele, James, Haaland, Mateta, and then you have Kroupi on the bench too?

        Good one.

        1. Scapegoat Salah
          • 9 Years
          5 months, 4 days ago

          I don’t have Mukiele

        2. Scapegoat Salah
          • 9 Years
          5 months, 4 days ago

          El Kroupi is just default 4.5 forward fodder

    2. jacob1989
      • 4 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Glad i played him over vicario

    3. Halftime
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      I have Estave too

  10. dansmusen
    • 8 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Damn Mateta WC

  11. The Bandit
    • 15 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Lovely 10pts from Ballard. Took a punt on him starting 😎

    1. iFash@FPL
      • 2 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Sunderland are not playing this season. Getting all the points they can before they tire out, if they tire out…

  12. TheBiffas
    • 5 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Minteh avoids defcons yet again

  13. Jasoooooooo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Been incredibly kissed with my bench boost - Dubravka, Senesi, Xhaka and Mukiele have combined for 33

    1. iFash@FPL
      • 2 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Awesome!

    2. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Big boost!

      If Carslberg did fantasy football days ...

      This would probably be it.

  14. agueroo
    • 2 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Thank you for those who told me to bench boost double Burnley defence!!!

  15. Von Lipwig
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Time to gte behind the sofa. Everyone in my ML has Saka except me

  16. fedolefan
    • 11 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    * Eagerly awaiting PUNDIT OF PUNTS score check post *

  17. Pep Roulette
    • 8 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    77 with Salah, VDV & Kudus to go! Happy Diwali indeed!

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Stadium of Light helped

  18. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
    • 9 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    The gameweek when you have activated your wildcard is the most disappointing

  19. iFash@FPL
    • 2 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Where in heaven are my Guehi’s DefCon points??

  20. FPL Sanky
    • 2 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Alderete finishing with 9 defcons

    1. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Come on Towers, do your thing.

  21. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Have to judge the Bench Boost as a relative success:

    Dubravka (9)
    Alderete (6)
    Minteh (2)
    Diouf (TBC)

    Alderete (6) vs Mukiele (17) is cruel variance but happy for the clean. Also cruel Minteh missing out of DefCon by one!

  22. Halftime
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    On 71 (-4) already

  23. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Two defenders on 9 DefCon!! Very annoying!!

  24. Strike me a Gakpose
    • 12 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    69 with triple Arsenal defence and Isak to play

  25. Jasoooooooo
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    77 with Gabriel, Romero, Kudus, Saka and Gyo left

  26. Snoop Udogie Dogg
    • 5 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    must. not. kneejerk...

  27. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
    • 9 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Muñoz and Dubravka saving my GW so far

  28. Brosstan
    • 11 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Pedro to Mateta done. No point waiting

    1. Make United Great Again
      • 13 Years
      5 months, 4 days ago

      Arsenal away?

  29. PartyTime
    • 4 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    Come on Fulham! Destroy Arsenal’s clean sheet while I watch Der Klassiker

  30. Make United Great Again
    • 13 Years
    5 months, 4 days ago

    36 points total.

    6 left