Dugout Discussion
18 July 2026 314 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
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The third-place play-off of the World Cup may be pretty meaningless in ‘real’ football terms but for Fantasy managers, it has the potential to deliver some much-needed points.

It’s not just the fact that the ‘bronze medal match’ traditionally brings goals; it’s also the knowledge that Scouting Bonus picks suddenly abound in this fixture – something that won’t be true in the final tomorrow.

Kick-off between France and England is at 22:00 BST.

TEAM NEWS

The expected rotation has materialised as both managers make seven changes for what is a glorified friendly.

Marc Guehi ($5.1m), Djed Spence ($4.3m), Morgan Rogers ($7.2m) and Declan Rice ($7.0m) are the only four survivors for England.

That means Harry Kane ($10.5m) and Jude Bellingham ($8.3m), amongst others, are demoted to substitute duty.

The only France players keeping their places are Mike Maignan ($5.0m), Adrian Rabiot ($6.4m), Michael Olise ($9.5m) and Golden Boot-chasing Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m).

LINE-UPS

France XI: Maignan; T. Hernández, Lacroix, Konate, Gusto; Rabiot, Zaïre-Emery; Doue, Cherki, Olise, Mbappe.

Subs: Akliouche, Barcola, Dembele, Digne, L. Hernandez, Kante, Kone, Kounde, Mateta, Risser, Saliba, Samba, Tchouameni, Thuram, Upamecano.

England XI: D. Henderson; Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, Spence; Rice, Eze; Saka, Rogers, Rashford; Toney.

Subs: Pickford, O’Reilly, Stones, Anderson, Kane, Bellingham, Chalobah, J. Henderson, Burn, Gordon, Watkins, Madueke, Trafford, James.


314 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Gizzachance
    • 11 Years
    23 hours, 10 mins ago

    Who to bring in for Cherki?

    A cubarsi
    B barns

    1. Gizzachance
      • 11 Years
      23 hours, 9 mins ago

      Baena*

    2. ChelseaGuy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      23 hours, 3 mins ago

      Bro what transfer are you gonna do now

      1. ChelseaGuy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        23 hours, 2 mins ago

        Ohh realized it's for the sub, Baena then, higher ceiling

  2. ChelseaGuy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    23 hours, 8 mins ago

    Of all the hat tricks I've seen, that's gotta be one of the poorest now

    1. ChelseaGuy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      23 hours, 8 mins ago

      Not saying he played bad, it was good performance, but not hat trick worthy

      1. karam94
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        23 hours, 6 mins ago

        I mean, you're a Chelsea fan. Obviously you're going to think the Arsenal player is rubbish.

        1. ChelseaGuy
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 9 Years
          23 hours, 4 mins ago

          Nah Saka is world class, but this one ain't anywhere near his top 10 performances

          1. jacob1989
            • 4 Years
            23 hours, 2 mins ago

            He has got a world cup hattrick.. i think the 1st since g hurst in 1966?

            1. The Bandit
              • 15 Years
              23 hours ago

              Didn’t Lineker get one v Poland?

              1. x.jim.x
                • 11 Years
                22 hours, 55 mins ago

                Yes first halfer too

            2. panda07
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 13 Years
              22 hours, 48 mins ago

              Kane vs Panama 2018

              1. jacob1989
                • 4 Years
                22 hours, 37 mins ago

                Yeah correct. Forgot this

          2. GreennRed
            • 14 Years
            22 hours, 45 mins ago

            You'd put him in a world 11 or say he'd start for any club side in the world?

    2. The Bandit
      • 15 Years
      23 hours, 4 mins ago

      What a miserable and pointless comment.

    3. _Toni_
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      15 hours, 26 mins ago

      Nicolas Jackson away to nine man Spurs.

  3. BUZZBOMB ♡
    • 11 Years
    23 hours, 5 mins ago

    Enjoyed the game tonight. 2nd best programme Ive watched set there. #1 OFAH Miami Twice.

  4. Mozumbus
    • 4 Years
    22 hours, 59 mins ago

    Great match to watch
    Worth, 4 am here now

  5. x.jim.x
    • 11 Years
    22 hours, 56 mins ago

    People really earnestly said this was a serious fixture hahaha

    Very entertaining though, always a laugh when teams don’t really care and just go for it.

    Generational stinker from Konate, should be thankful Madrid already signed the contract.

    1. x.jim.x
      • 11 Years
      22 hours, 54 mins ago

      Tuchel still needs the sack btw

      1. GreennRed
        • 14 Years
        22 hours, 48 mins ago

        Who do you want to get the job? Tuchel won't be stuck for club offers and the England contract paid off will be a tidy few quid.

        1. panda07
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          22 hours, 43 mins ago

          Big Sam should get another chance, he was unfairly treated the last time.

        2. karam94
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 7 Years
          22 hours, 34 mins ago

          If Pep doesn't take it, given that Jose & Klopp are not available then it has to be Eddie Howe if English or Pochettino if foreign for me.

          Poch has clearly done a good job for the USA & he knows English football well.

          1. x.jim.x
            • 11 Years
            14 hours, 11 mins ago

            Howe is who I had in mind. Can’t have long left at Newcastle and think they’ll struggle this year.

      2. jacob1989
        • 4 Years
        22 hours, 38 mins ago

        If Southgate lasted that long, tuchel definitely deserves more time and chance. Still sf or 3rd place a quiet good achievement.

  6. The Polymath
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    22 hours, 46 mins ago

    How does the Qualification Booster work in the final, all the players of the winning team get 2 points? What are they qualifying for? Ridiculous booster

    1. GreennRed
      • 14 Years
      22 hours, 44 mins ago

      You answered your own question.

      1. The Polymath
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        22 hours, 39 mins ago

        Didn't like the answer. 🙂 Should only make sense up to the semi-final stage and not after

        1. GreennRed
          • 14 Years
          22 hours, 29 mins ago

          I know. It's a trap. The cleansheet bonus was a bit bogey too.

    2. jacob1989
      • 4 Years
      22 hours, 40 mins ago

      Well should have already played it. In round of 32 preferably. Where 16 teams were qualifying for next round

      1. The Polymath
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        22 hours, 38 mins ago

        I did, my rival has played it in the final round and I have max captain

        1. jacob1989
          • 4 Years
          22 hours, 36 mins ago

          He probably didn't know whar it means

    3. Lucky Z
      • 8 Years
      22 hours, 40 mins ago

      It is written in the rules.

  7. Bobbyg1
    • 14 Years
    21 hours, 27 mins ago

    Who to bring in for Lacroix?
    MaAllister
    Olmo
    Martinez

    1. SpaceCadet
      • 12 Years
      16 hours, 49 mins ago

      Olmo

    2. Mozumbus
      • 4 Years
      16 hours, 23 mins ago

      Olmo

      1. Bobbyg1
        • 14 Years
        13 hours, 2 mins ago

        Thanks guys

  8. SpaceCadet
    • 12 Years
    16 hours, 50 mins ago

    Macallister on the bench. Worth getting in place of Bellingham or dembele? Both on 7 points.

    1. Mozumbus
      • 4 Years
      16 hours, 24 mins ago

      Not really

  9. AAAFootball
    • 1 Year
    16 hours, 18 mins ago

    Well I somehow seem to have profited from forgetting to make transfers this week, 59 points from captain Mbappe, olise, Dembele, Bellingham, doue blankand dnp pickford (only had one keeper lol)

    After subs I have 59, with still Mac allister, Messi, medina, Martinez, and Marc cucurella to play.

    1. AAAFootball
      • 1 Year
      16 hours, 18 mins ago

      And c's booster active although not much use with France conceding 6 lol

    2. Haa-lala-land
      • 5 Years
      14 hours, 5 mins ago

      This backs up the FPL mythical theory, that picking your team at the start of the season, and doing zero transfers and not changing your captain, may/will get you more points over the season. Ghost team ftw.

  10. Mozumbus
    • 4 Years
    16 hours, 5 mins ago

    What a flop WC
    Chose differentials like Cherki and Duoue over non starters and highly owned Dembelle and Bellingham, cannot go more horribly wrong lol
    Got Lacroix Hernandez and Maignan as well, thankfully bench can afford them
    OR sank further, 179k!
    Loved the match though

    1. Justthis
      • 7 Years
      15 hours, 20 mins ago

      I feel you. I was at 2k and now sitting just outside 10k. Horrific stuff.

      1. Mozumbus
        • 4 Years
        14 hours, 47 mins ago

        Oops
        You could have been in the top 100
        What went wrong with you

  11. Justthis
    • 7 Years
    15 hours, 22 mins ago

    If only England rested players in against Argentina they'd be playing Spain tonight. 🙁

    1. Mozumbus
      • 4 Years
      14 hours, 48 mins ago

      England showed great intent yesterday, and a positive result, I liked the match, but frankly England were lucky yesterday not conceding 6+ goals
      Imagine, England would have lost after 4-0, it'll be an interesting conversation

      1. jacob1989
        • 4 Years
        14 hours, 14 mins ago

        They could have beat argentina 6-4 too.. this is how football should be played.. why worry about conceding if u can keep scoring?

        1. x.jim.x
          • 11 Years
          14 hours, 6 mins ago

          “Why didn’t the losing team just get their players to score more goals, are they stupid?”

          1. Mozumbus
            • 4 Years
            13 hours, 43 mins ago

            Exactly

            1. x.jim.x
              • 11 Years
              13 hours, 29 mins ago

              Jacob would have Burnley winning the league

        2. Mozumbus
          • 4 Years
          13 hours, 42 mins ago

          I watched that game too
          England was lucky not conceding 6 goals then as well
          Anyways, I loved the way England came back, it was great intent and skill

  12. Mom, Butters just gave me a…
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    14 hours, 44 mins ago

    I stopped playing that Fantasy WC game after the first matchday. Went against Messi and Mbappe and got punished.

    And I think at least 500k of all players had Mbappe, Messi, Kane, Bellingham, Olise, Dembele, Haaland and some Spanish defenders throughout the tournament.

    Therefore, no chance for catchjng-up and a quite boring game overall. It all depended on a few differentials like Saka yesterday.

    1. jacob1989
      • 4 Years
      14 hours, 12 mins ago

      Not a good idea to go against best 2 players of the world who have the most world cups in history and keep scoring wherever tyey play

  13. Babit1967
    • 10 Years
    14 hours, 5 mins ago

    Who to bench from

    Baena, MacAllister & Olmo - didn’t plan things very well on the final gameweek

    1. nonaynever
      • 10 Years
      13 hours, 26 mins ago

      wait for team news...

  14. nonaynever
    • 10 Years
    13 hours, 30 mins ago

    Brings new meaning to the question, "add another French defender for -3?"

  15. _Toni_
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    13 hours, 4 mins ago

    That nutmeg by Rashford cheered me up.