Another three Premier League clubs were in Champions League action on Wednesday.
Here, we take a look at how they got on, the main talking points and what implications there may be for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers ahead of Gameweek 13.
RESULTS
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Bayern Munich (h) | 3-1 win | Timber, Madueke, Martinelli | Saka, Calafiori, Eze |
| Liverpool | PSV (h) | 4-1 loss | Szoboszlai | Gakpo |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Paris Saint-Germain (a) | 5-3 loss | Richarlison, Kolo Muani x2 | Kolo Muani, Bentancur |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | Changes from GW12’s starting XI | Players who kept their places (mins played) | Mins for other notable players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 2 | Raya (90), Timber (80), Saliba (90), Eze (80), Rice (90), Zubimendi (90), Saka (68), Merino (90), Trossard (38) | Lewis-Skelly (68), Mosquera (90), Madueke (52), Calafiori (22), Martinelli (22), Odegaard (10), White (10) |
| Liverpool | 2 | Szoboszlai (90), Konate (76), Van Dijk (90), Kerkez (90), Jones (90), Gravenberch (90), Mac Allister (90), Salah (90), Gakpo (90) | Ekitike (61), Mamardashvili (90), Chiesa (14), Isak (29) |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | Vicario (90), Spence (84), Romero (90), van de Ven (90), Bentancur (90), Richarlison (90) | Gray (76), Porro (90), Sarr (84), Bergvall (76), Kolo Muani (84), Kudus (14), Palhinha (14), Odobert (6), Simons (6), Udogie (6) |
TROSSARD INJURY UPDATE
Mikel Arteta made only two changes to the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on Sunday, with defenders Myles Lewis-Skelly (£5.1m) and Cristhian Mosquera (£5.4m) coming in for Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) and Piero Hincapie (£5.4m).
These changes weren’t entirely surprising as the north London derby was Hincapié’s first Premier League start, and Calafiori has started only once in the Champions League. It is good news for owners of either player, however, as both Hincapié and Calafiori look likely to start at Chelsea in Gameweek 13. The Italy international produced an assist for fellow substitute Noni Madueke (£6.8m) with his first involvement in the match.
Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) are both now in the running for a start at Stamford Bridge after the in-form Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) pulled up with what looked like a calf strain on 38 minutes.
“With Leo we don’t know. He said he felt something. We didn’t want to take any risks.” – Mikel Arteta on Leandro Trossard
Madueke looked bright when he came on, deserved his first goal for the club and might have had another when Declan Rice (£6.9m) put him through.
“He’s worked incredibly hard to come back. I think he was in a great moment before he got the injuries. He’s one of the players who was performing at the highest level and now we’ve got him back. He played on the left, he played on the right. He gave us something as a different edge in that front line. I’m very pleased to see him and hopefully many more to come.” – Mikel Arteta on Noni Madueke
SAKA AND TIMBER SHINE
Elsewhere, it’s hard to pick out strong individual performances as everyone was exceptional on the night.
Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) produced an assist from one of the four corners he delivered, sent over four more excellent crosses and had a shot saved by Neuer.
Jurrien Timber (£6.3m) was the star at the back, meeting Saka’s corner to break the deadlock with a fine header and remind FPL managers of his ongoing attacking threat.
ERROR-PRONE KONATE + WHY ALISSON MISSED OUT
Liverpool succumbed to their ninth defeat in 12 matches and a third consecutive loss in all competitions by a margin of three goals for the first time in 71 years in defeat to PSV Eindhoven.
The wheels are well and truly coming off for Arne Slot’s side, whose assets are becoming less and less appealing with every passing Gameweek.
A number of managers brought in Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) as their Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.4m) replacement in defence, and the Dutchman was unlucky to send a header from a corner against the bar against PSV, but his handball for the opening penalty set this defeat in motion, and the Reds looked vulnerable to every counter-attack.
Ibrahima Konaté (£5.4m) was error-prone once again, while Milos Kerkez (£5.7m) was an open invitation for the Dutch to raid Liverpool’s left flank.
It did not help that Alisson Becker (£5.4m) was a late withdrawal from the match, reportedly due to illness. The Brazilian has missed nine matches already this season, and his quality has been sorely missed.
SZOBOSZLAI ON SONG
The one bright spark was the continued good form of Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m), who equalised with his third goal of the season and provided the hosts’ greatest threat when restored to the central midfield role from where he can be more effective. The Hungarian had three shots on goal.
In fact, it should be mentioned that Liverpool outshot PSV by 27 shots to eight and won the xG battle by 2.34 to 1.88.
Van Dijk had five shots, the lively Hugo Ekitike (£8.5m) had four and Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) had three, but Gakpo’s fluffed header over the bar typified the Reds’ lack of conviction in front of goal.
EKITIKE SUFFERS BACK INJURY
To compound their woes, Ekitike started brightly but faded rapidly in the second half before going off on 61 minutes.
“Especially at the start of the second half, I constantly felt, ‘What’s wrong with Hugo?’ It felt as if he couldn’t move as he did [in] the first half. So, that’s why our press was, I think, also a little bit off. And he just told me that in the first five to 10 minutes of the first half he already felt his back too much. That’s also why he had to go out.” – Arne Slot on Hugo Ekitike
Alexander Isak (£10.4m) did not exactly impress as his replacement. He mustered two shots during his half-hour cameo, but the Swede could get a start at the weekend if Ekitike is sidelined.
Mohamed Salah (£14.2m) mustered just the one shot and continues to look a pale shadow of his former self. Liverpool have a fantastic run of league fixtures just now, but none of their attacking assets are exactly crying out for selection.
FREE-SCORING SPURS UNDONE IN PARIS
PSG away was always going to be a tall order for a Spurs side still reeling from their derby humbling by Arsenal, but Thomas Frank’s side threatened a shock by twice taking the lead.
Frank made five changes to the side that shipped four goals on Sunday and dispensed with five at the back in favour of a 4-2-2-2 formation. There were still plenty of defensive midfielders selected with Pape Matar Sarr (£4.8m) and Archie Gray (£4.8m) brought in to help protect the back four but the likes of Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m), Wilson Odobert (£5.3m) and Xavi Simmons (£6.6m) were rested, perhaps with half an eye on Fulham at the weekend.
Richarlison (£6.4m) finished off a delightful move, and Randal Kolo Muani (£6.9m) snaffled two poacher’s goals, but despite a promising start, PSG – and hat-trick hero Vitinha in particular – were too hot to handle in the second half. Spurs also didn’t help themselves with a schoolboy error from Sarr that allowed the hosts back into the match.
From an FPL perspective, though, Richarlison has rediscovered his scoring touch, with a goal in each of his last three appearances, while Kolo Muani, who has taken a while to find his match fitness this season, is one to watch in the coming Gameweeks.
Elsewhere, Pedro Porro (£5.4m) also gave a good account of himself going forward, producing a wicked corner from which Spurs scored their second and leading the way for his team for shots fired with three.
Despite being second best in this contest, Spurs had only three shots fewer (11) than the European champions (14), and so their offensive assets should not be dismissed out of hand.
