Dugout Discussion
7 July 2026 95 comments
FPL Marc FPL Marc
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The winners of Groups B and K, Switzerland and Colombia, are about to meet in Vancouver for the right to face Argentina in Sunday morning’s World Cup quarter-final.

Kick-off is at 21:00 BST.

TEAM NEWS

For the Swiss, breakout star Johan Manzambi ($5.6m) suffered a knee injury in training, joining Michel Aebischer ($5.9m) and Luca Jaquez ($3.5m) on the sidelines.

Manzambi and Ruben Vargas ($6.8m) make way for Ardon Jashari ($5.2m) and Fabian Rieder ($6.2m).

Their South American opponents alter even less from the Round of 32, replacing Jhon Cordoba ($6.1m) with Luis Suarez ($5.7m). That was the early enforced substitution versus Ghana.

Popular picks Daniel Munoz ($4.6m) and Luis Diaz ($8.1m) start, as does James Rodriguez ($6.5m), despite the latter being a half-time departure last Saturday.


LINE-UPS

Switzerland XI: Kobel; Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, R Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Rieder, Jashari, Ndoye; Embolo

Subs: Keller, Mvogo, Muheim, Widmer, Sow, Fassnacht, Vargas, Comert, Okafor, Amdouni, Amenda, Itten

Colombia XI: Vargas; Muñoz, Sánchez, Lucumí, Mojica; Puerta, Lerma, J Arias, J Rodríguez, Luis Suárez, Luis Díaz

Subs: Montero, Ospina, S Arias, Ditta, Machado, Mina, Rios, Campaz, Carrascal, Quintero, Portilla, Castano, Gomez, Hernandez, Cordoba


FPL Marc Broadcaster, writer and overthinker. Hoping that ‘differential potential’ will catch on.

95 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Revival
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    No Shaqiri, no party!

    1. PartyTime
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Xherdan!!!

  2. Bobby Digital
    • 9 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Do something Lucho!

  3. Freshy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 16 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    The UK is catching up on their sleep

  4. karam94
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Baffled why I convinced myself Diaz in midfield was a good idea on a wildcard.

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 9 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Ditto

  5. Haa-lala-land
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Thoughts on the game
    Arias is not a good player at all, and Diaz and Munoz are light years ahead skillwise of all the other Colombians including James
    The FIFA logo keeps flashing up at the beginning and end of every slow mo replay - Im sure this is new to this WC?
    And Infantino keeps flashing up every 10 minutes on my telly its getting daft, Fifa is now a brand

    1. bso
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Hate seeing his ugly, corrupt mug

  6. STHH
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Really glad I avoided Manzambi! Seems to be in everyone’s team. Having a very poor round though. My defensive shield has been useless. In fact, it is only useful if your player concedes exactly 1 goal. So only helped this round if you had a defender from Paraguay, Belgium, Norway or Portugal.

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 9 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Avoided him too, but Saibari was not much better

    2. Revival
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Defensive shield seems like a pretty ineffective chip, I'm gone from the highs of getting 22 points extra with the qualification booster last round to the low of getting absolute zilch with the defensive shield this round.

    3. karam94
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Agree on the chip. It might still come in use for Munoz if the Swiss score, but other than Argentina who it didn't work out for, the chip basically rewards having a bad team. It wouldve been more suited to group stages imo

  7. Bobby Digital
    • 9 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Buy Baena, De Paul or De Ketelaere? Need a cheap midfield enabler.

    1. Mozumbus
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      I'm thinking Baena

  8. Bobby Digital
    • 9 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Really need a Diaz winner here

  9. Revival
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    As there aren’t any matches tomorrow, FIFA decided they needed this match to go as long as possible

    1. karam94
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      I heard the reason there are no matches tomorrow is because Trump has declared it a day of mourning lol

  10. Tripswich
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Are clean sheet points locked after 90?

    1. Haa-lala-land
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      No

    2. Bobby Digital
      • 9 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Sadly no

  11. Mozumbus
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Clean sheet locked in after 120?

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Yip.

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Relief

    2. THE Wild Rover
      • 16 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      No, you lose CS if anyone scores a penalty in the shootout 😆

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Lol, that's an incentive to stay awake for the shootout at 3:39 am

  12. Mozumbus
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    82
    472 total
    99k rank

    1. Mozumbus
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      CS shield next
      WC in SF

    2. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Good stuff. Why you waiting for semis for Wildcard?

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Thanks
        It was a blunder not using it in MD3 which cost my rank badly, recovering now

        1. GreennRed
          • 14 Years
          1 month, 24 days ago

          Yeah but why you wildcarding for semis and not quarters? 5 FT each for. MD7 and MD8 with same 4 teams in each MD.

          1. Mozumbus
            • 5 Years
            1 month, 23 days ago

            For QF I plan to use CS Shield
            Yet to make final decision
            For QF, i have 6 active players plus Saibari other than 2 active GK, so 4 FTs give me a decent team while WC in SF will give me the flexibility to deal with another upset (after England defeated Brazil) which i see coming
            Also contemplating if I use WC now and CS Shield in the SM or Final
            If i use it now i have 6 issues in the team in total including Saibari which can be mitigated with 4 FTs easily so don't see WC that effective now
            I think Saibari starting or not will be a major decision factor which I'll be able to see before the deadline

  13. GreennRed
    • 14 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Glad Colombia go through but a fit Manzambi may have hindered them.

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Penalties first though !

      1. GreennRed
        • 14 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Ooops. Maybe Manzambi for QF.

        1. Travel Notes
          • 4 Years
          1 month, 24 days ago

          How serious is the knee injury?

  14. JBG
    • 8 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Why are CBs taking pens!?! I don't understand that.

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Other players not volunteering to take them.

    2. THE Wild Rover
      • 16 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Why does it matter what position they play? How well they take a penalty is all that matters.

      1. GreennRed
        • 14 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Fair point. John Eales used to take penalties for Australia and definitely looked out of place.

      2. x.jim.x
        • 11 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Because generally attackers strike the ball better than defenders, that’s why they play up front

        1. THE Wild Rover
          • 16 Years
          1 month, 24 days ago

          What a dumb comment. There’s far more to being a forward than the ability to hit a dead ball 12 yards.

          1. x.jim.x
            • 11 Years
            1 month, 24 days ago

            What a dumb comment, I never claimed otherwise?

            Having your best player take your 5th pen when you might be out by then is just complete stupidity.

            1. GreennRed
              • 14 Years
              1 month, 24 days ago

              Don't understand that logic either. Unless your 5th players ego determines the lineout because he thinks he'll take the winning penalty.

              1. x.jim.x
                • 11 Years
                1 month, 24 days ago

                Like Ronaldo against Spain in 2012

                1. GreennRed
                  • 14 Years
                  1 month, 24 days ago

                  That's exactly the ego I had in mind!

                2. THE CON MAN
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 1 Year
                  1 month, 23 days ago

                  Ronaldo is second only to Messi for the world record off missed pens

                  1. x.jim.x
                    • 11 Years
                    1 month, 23 days ago

                    Bound to happen when you take so many - he's still got a much better conversion rate:

                    Messi - scored 116 out of 150 (77% conversion)
                    Ronaldo - scored 183 out of 219 (84% conversion)

                    Caveat being that numbers taken from Transfermarkt don't include shootouts I don't believe

        2. Haa-lala-land
          • 5 Years
          1 month, 24 days ago

          You say that but Im surprised to not see Munoz take a penalty. Hes got a pretty sweet strike.

    3. x.jim.x
      • 11 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Akanji missing his third major shootout pen in a row is very funny, someone needs to tell him no

      1. PartyTime
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 23 days ago

        Someone needs to tell Tah the same before it gets dirty

    4. SM001
      • 10 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      Why is Messi taking pens?

      1. THE CON MAN
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 1 Year
        1 month, 23 days ago

        To extend his world record

  15. CoracAld2831
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Relatively even match right until the end where Swiss was just a teeny bit better.

    Have to say rhough Swiss very lucky as Colombia a lot of dangerous chances throughout the match.

  16. CoracAld2831
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Quarterfinals have now been set:

    France vs Morocco
    Spain vs Belgium

    Norway vs England
    Argentina v Switzerland

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      France and Morocco will be tasty. France will be tested to the pin of their collar.

      1. Travel Notes
        • 4 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Will Saibari be fit, or is the injury tournament ending?

        1. GreennRed
          • 14 Years
          1 month, 24 days ago

          Wait and see but there's alternatives like Trossard.

        2. CoracAld2831
          • 5 Years
          1 month, 23 days ago

          Probably out the World Cup. Very likely out of the France match at least.

    2. x.jim.x
      • 11 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      England v France final, book it

    3. cravencottage
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      All look like entertaining games. Argentina vs France again ?

    4. CoracAld2831
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      France vs Argentina 2: Mbappe's revenge.

      1. Nomar
        • 16 Years
        1 month, 23 days ago

        Can’t see Argentina getting past either England or Norway. Whoever wins that QF is in the WC final IMO.

        The one caveat to that is that Arg has Messi and he can still change a game in a heartbeat.

        1. CoracAld2831
          • 5 Years
          1 month, 23 days ago

          England has not been that impressive. Neither has Argentina apart from Messi, of course.

  17. Mozumbus
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    A. Bellingham + Oyarzabal
    B. Baena + Haaland

    Current team
    Bounou Simon
    Cucurella Lisandro Vasquez* Munoz* Mojica*
    Lamine Vini* Dembelle Olise Saibari?
    Messi Mbappe Quinones*

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      A

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 24 days ago

        Thanks

    2. SpaceCadet
      • 12 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      A

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 23 days ago

        Thanks

  18. fenixri
    • 10 Years
    1 month, 24 days ago

    Will Manzambi be fit for qf?

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      1 month, 24 days ago

      "The midfielder suffered a knee injury in the final training session, according to information from Blick – apparently without any foul play during a drill"

      Wait and see but maybe no certainty of in or out before tomorrow's deadline.

      https://nufcblog.co.uk/johan-manzambi-suffers-injury-ahead-of-switzerlands-world-cup-last-16-clash-35546

    2. Mozumbus
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      No

    3. CoracAld2831
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      Very likely not.

  19. Mozumbus
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 23 days ago

    Is Haaland essential for QF
    WC in hand

    1. SpaceCadet
      • 12 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      Pick one of kane/ haaland to go with messi and mbappe.

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 23 days ago

        Thanks
        What I'm getting either of Kane/Haaland essential, right?

        1. SpaceCadet
          • 12 Years
          1 month, 23 days ago

          Oyarzabal in the mix as well. Personally prefer haaland of the 3.

          1. Mozumbus
            • 5 Years
            1 month, 23 days ago

            Yes, thanks
            I'm also leaning Haaland among the 3
            He's a beast

  20. Mozumbus
    • 5 Years
    1 month, 23 days ago

    Would you use CS Shield with the following defense/mf, or wait for SF/F
    Bounou Simon
    Cucurella Lisandro Medina Mazrouei (Mojica)
    Lamine Dembelle Olisse Baena Saibari
    Haaland Messi Mbappe

    1. The Mentaculus
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      Haven't seen the odds for next round yet but my feeling is that France, Spain & Argentina have a decent enough shot at an actual CS. In the SF I think everyone will concede (with Norway/England & Argentina to score 2+) but the France Spain game should be fairly tight, like 2-1 / maybe 1-1, so that's where I'm hoping the chip will give most edge. Also looks like you could use the extra round of FTs so you don't have to play it with Mazraoui v France and a dead spot (unless this is your team before transfers?)

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 23 days ago

        Thanks
        This after 4 FTs used
        Quinones + Vini + Vasquez + Mojica > Haaland + Baena + Medina + Mazrouei
        Exact funds
        Mazrouei could be Ryerson?
        WC in hand

        1. The Mentaculus
          • 5 Years
          1 month, 23 days ago

          Would rather have Tagliafico v Switzerland than Mazraoui v France (assuming you can't afford any French/Spanish defenders)

          1. PartyTime
            • 5 Years
            1 month, 23 days ago

            Tagliafico is a rotation risk

          2. Mozumbus
            • 5 Years
            1 month, 23 days ago

            What i think Tagliafico only started to give Medin rest
            So most probably, Medina to start again
            How about Mazrouei to Ryerson

            1. The Mentaculus
              • 5 Years
              1 month, 23 days ago

              Thought Medina was injured but I'll check. Don't mind Ryerson in that price range; could nick an assist and unlikely to play 90mins so probably has a better CS % than most of Norway defence

    2. GCHILD2K16
      • 9 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      Saibari is injured. Have you got confirmation he will be fit for france?

      1. Mozumbus
        • 5 Years
        1 month, 23 days ago

        He'll not play but I have him already and need to use FTs elsewhere
        Please see above response

  21. Dynamic Duos
    • 13 Years
    1 month, 23 days ago

    Enzo or Gordon?

    1. SpaceCadet
      • 12 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      Think Gordon starts?

  22. Roshen
    • 4 Years
    1 month, 23 days ago

    Dest, Munoz, Bruno G, Vini -> Kounde, Saliba, Lamine, Berge (fodder)

    gtg?

    1. Roshen
      • 4 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      using cs shield this gw

  23. TafOnTour1
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 2 Years
    1 month, 23 days ago

    Kane or Haaland, what we thinking here?!

    1. Mozumbus
      • 5 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      Haaland

    2. x.jim.x
      • 11 Years
      1 month, 23 days ago

      Can see both scoring 2

      1. Nomar
        • 16 Years
        1 month, 23 days ago

        This

  24. FPL02
    1 month, 23 days ago

    Freese/Dest/Vini/Nathan Saliba out for me.

    Any recs on who to bring in?

    Manzambi also looks to be out now, so that's a player gone for me