Dugout Discussion
21 August 2026 882 comments
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It’s finally here.

Champions Arsenal get the 2026/27 Premier League season underway against new boys Coventry City.

Kick-off is at 20:00 BST.

TEAM NEWS

William Saliba and Jurrien Timber remain out for Arsenal.

Bruno Guimaraes is also on the sidelines. He came off injured at half-time in Sunday’s Community Shield.

Declan Rice subsequently starts in central midfield, while Bukayo Saka, late back from World Cup duty, also comes into the starting XI.

They replace Guimaraes and the benched Noni Madueke, in Arsenal’s only two alterations from last weekend’s win over Manchester City.

Kai Havertz is again preferred to Viktor Gyokeres up top.

New arrival Christos Tzolis, owned by 25.0% of FPL squads, starts off the left.

As for Coventry City, they include five new players in their starting lineup: Carl Rushworth, who was on loan last season, along with Aurele Amenda, Frank Onyeka, Caleb Yirenkyi and Loum Tchaouna.

Fellow new arrivals Gustavo Hamer and Taiwo Awoniyi are both on the bench.

Ellis Simms spearheads the Coventry attack.

LINE-UPS

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Saka, Tzolis, Havertz

Subs: Kepa, Hincapie, Eze, Gyokeres, Madueke, Nwaneri, Merino, Zubimendi, Dowman

Coventry City XI: Rushworth, van Ewijk, Thomas, Amenda, Dasilva, Onyeka, Yirenkyi, Grimes, Tchaouna, Thomas-Asante, Simms

Subs: Wilson, Rudoni, Sakamoto, Awoniyi, Kitching, Latibeaudiere, Eccles, Torp, Hamer


882 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. GoonerSteve
    • 16 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Come on Arsenal!

  2. Ze_Austin
    • 7 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Will Konsa's price drop?

    That is the question

    1. Dank Squid
      • 8 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      "That is the big question. Time will tell" (was it Mange Tout Rodney? Timeless FFS)

    2. yousunkmybattleship
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 17 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Here’s hoping

    3. Drop Dead Tsimikas
      • 14 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Cheeky move would have been to drop Ajer for him, especially given I'll be forced to bench him next week anyways, and just play 14 on a BB to have four Arsenal away to Villa, but I got cocky thinking his team wouldn't be updated until after the GW kicked off. Ah well.

  3. henrysquire
    • 8 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    My Saka (C) gamble might pay off after all.

    1. GoonerSteve
      • 16 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Bold move but could well pay off!

    2. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Balls of steel. I chickened out of going for him.

      1. Brosstan
        • 12 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Captaining a player who is a confirmed starter at home to Coventry is in no way shape of form "balls of steel". Its the most safe thing you could do.

        1. Brosstan
          • 12 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          way, shape or form**

        2. FPL Blow-In
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          Yeah, confirmed 3 minutes pre deadline. That’s ok if you can keep refreshing the page waiting for leaks. Hard with two smallies

          1. Brosstan
            • 12 Years
            2 days, 22 hours ago

            Hes on here posting before the match so Im guessing he was also getting the leaks.

            1. FPL Blow-In
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 13 Years
              2 days, 22 hours ago

              Who was?

              1. Brosstan
                • 12 Years
                2 days, 22 hours ago

                The guy whose post were replying to

                1. FPL Blow-In
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 13 Years
                  2 days, 22 hours ago

                  Yeah, the pages were flying and I didn’t see reliable links. I’m not on Twitter/X social media (excluding this site I guess) so I’d have had to make my mind up without confirmation

    3. TheBiffas
      • 5 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Nice, GL

  4. Jafooli
    • 14 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    If Arsenal haul in this game the transfer market will go tonto….

    1. GoonerSteve
      • 16 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      If Saka hauls I think everyone will want him in.

      1. Utopsis
        • 6 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Not if Tzolis hauls too

  5. Caesar Salahd
    • 13 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    No Shepherd?

  6. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Top 10k effective ownership (FPL IDs so keen players like us on here:

    B.Fernandes 129.90%
    Haaland 117.33%
    João Pedro 94.16%
    Calafiori 83.21%
    Mbeumo 82.65%
    Tzolis 67.57%
    Calvert-Lewin 67.10%
    Verbruggen 59.26%
    Maguire 57.42%
    Kinsky 55.16%
    Szoboszlai 43.56%
    White 27.25%
    Shaw 26.52%
    Isak 26.48%
    Semenyo 25.24%
    Ballard 22.47%
    Ndiaye 21.93%
    Groß 20.11%
    Gabriel 19.85%
    E.Le Fée 18.85%
    Raya 18.56%
    Wirtz 18.12%
    Ajer 17.54%
    Hume 17.31%
    Muharemović 14.92%
    Gomez 14.75%
    Rodon 14.66%
    Davis 13.79%
    Diop 13.75%
    N.Williams 12.87%
    Schade 11.63%
    Lammens 11.42%
    Thiago 10.98%
    O'Shea 9.64%
    O'Reilly 9.45%
    Palmer 8.97%
    Brobbey 8.65%
    M.Sangaré 8.04%
    Rogers 7.72%
    Virgil 6.37%
    Roefs 6.13%
    Gvardiol 5.85%
    Palestra 5.59%
    Foden 5.44%

    1. Jafooli
      • 14 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Mosquera dropped right off…

      1. Jafooli
        • 14 Years
        2 days, 23 hours ago

        Should’ve swapped to White…yikes

      2. Ze_Austin
        • 7 Years
        2 days, 23 hours ago

        Facing the Konsaquences

        1. Jafooli
          • 14 Years
          2 days, 23 hours ago

          Ha, very good…

    2. Dank Squid
      • 8 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Appreciated

    3. The Philosopher
      • 6 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      I'm 90k ID. Am I the unkeen one?

    4. PartyTime
      • 5 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      O'Reilly is very interesting here

      1. Albrightondknight
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        10% too high for me I want him even more diff

    5. Brosstan
      • 12 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Gibbs-White a giga differential.

    6. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      If you own both maybe the way to go was someone else and hope for the best

    7. TheBiffas
      • 5 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      How's Bruno above Haaland?

      1. Ze_Austin
        • 7 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        (C) @ Hull

      2. 17th Time Lucky
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Playing Hull, many with both will be captaining Bruno

        1. TheBiffas
          • 5 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          Fairs, thought the consensus was Haaland cap

  7. Babit1967
    • 10 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Cmon Odegaard repay the faith my man!

  8. Hosea Matthews
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Good luck for the season everyone and enjoy the footy!

  9. Scissors09
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Maguire or Lacroix? help

    1. Drop Dead Tsimikas
      • 14 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      Maguire

  10. Dank Squid
    • 8 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    FPL site struggling as the deadline approaches, again (FFS same but different - less visitors ofc). Hire a performance tester/engineer. I'll help, free/no salary demands, I just want us to be able to enjoy the game/sites without frustration (there's already enough of that built into the game itself)

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 16 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      it's one of the worst sites performance wise, this has been an issue for years but never corrected.

  11. Angus Macdonald
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Locked in on

    Raya/Leno
    Gabriel/VVD/Tarkowski/Dalot/Konsa
    B.Fernandes/Wirtz/Szobozlai/Odegaard/Bruno G
    Thiago/DCL/McBurnie

    The 5 Arsenal worth the gamble or have ruined my season already?

  12. ClassiX
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Hello again, all. Let the annual self-flagellation fest commence!

    1. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      I am going to hit hard.

      1. ClassiX
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        2 days, 23 hours ago

        Absolutely; no half measures, no prisoners - it's the only proper thing to do.

  13. Albrightondknight
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    So are the transfers those that do t know the deadline is gone or people actually going in this early?

    1. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Would it pick up new accounts as transfers in?

      1. Albrightondknight
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Nah if you start GW2 you still get unlimited for that week.
        Oh I see - no I dont think it would show all those transfers but who knows.

    2. jungle
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Probably a few rage transferring Gyokeres out....

  14. Jafooli
    • 14 Years
    2 days, 23 hours ago

    Price Change page - https://fantasy.premierleague.com/en/price-changes - is like a ticking time bomb lol…

    1. Jafooli
      • 14 Years
      2 days, 23 hours ago

      14 pages of Ownership Trend on the up…

      1. Jafooli
        • 14 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Konsa with 657 transfers in…

        1. Jafooli
          • 14 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          But 1,108 transfers out…place gone mad already…

          1. Twisted Saltergater
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 17 Years
            2 days, 22 hours ago

            Yeah, he's trending downwards. If he doesn't start vs Villa and then Chelsea, it will be carnage. Arsenal defender for 4.3m :wow:

            1. Jafooli
              • 14 Years
              2 days, 22 hours ago

              That would be delightful…

            2. Pompel
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 12 Years
              2 days, 22 hours ago

              My thinking was he should rise ahead of next GW. Well , let' see

          2. Rio Angora Mohair
            • 7 Years
            2 days, 22 hours ago

            The 322 people who bought Konsa and have already transfered him out are characters from season 4, episode 5 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

            1. Twisted Saltergater
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 17 Years
              2 days, 22 hours ago

              tinkering on a free hit or wildcard GW2 maybe, or even new players.

    2. Haalander
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Where do actually see the price changes on the fpl site? Been looking but not jumping out at me

  15. GENERATION X
    • 12 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Hoping for big things from the Saka/Ode/White triangle tonight

  16. Totalfootball
    • 9 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Does anyone know the mail to contact FPL ?
    Thanks

    1. Rio Angora Mohair
      • 7 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      What's the issue?
      I'll dig the email out as contacted them last year...

      1. Totalfootball
        • 9 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Thought the deadline was 1 hour before rather than 1.5 hours
        And my transfers of
        Thiago shaw white to
        Isak Maguire Davis didn't go through
        Was planning on playing bench boost with Haaland captain .

        1. NoOneCares
          • 1 Year
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          That is a you problem. FPL will do absolutely nothing.

        2. Rio Angora Mohair
          • 7 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          That's a bugger...18:30 was the deadline...shame man! hopefully the ones you have will have crackers. Good luck

          1. Totalfootball
            • 9 Years
            2 days, 22 hours ago

            Thank brother !
            Have a great season

        3. Twisted Saltergater
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 17 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          It's unfortunate but it is what it is. They're really not going to do anything.

        4. FPL Blow-In
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          It’s been an 1.5 hours for awhile now. Pretty sure they won’t do a thing

          1. AC/DC AFC
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 11 Years
            2 days, 22 hours ago

            Of course they won't

            Can you imagine otherwise?

            The transfers can't have confirmed

            Also, the game must have been updating at that point

        5. AC/DC AFC
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 11 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          It's been 90 mins before for two-three seasons now...

          Just roll with it

      1. Totalfootball
        • 9 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Have written to them but no response

        1. Rio Angora Mohair
          • 7 Years
          2 days, 22 hours ago

          I normally get a reply within 24/48 hours in my experience...

  17. Evasivo
    • 16 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Could someone link me the YouTube creator guy’s leagues

    1. Freshy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      There are more than 20

      1. Evasivo
        • 16 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Cheers mate, looking the their FPL leagues not thei YouTube channel, sorry should’ve said

  18. Scissors09
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    ampadu or aaronson

    1. TheBiffas
      • 5 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Definitely not aaronson

  19. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Overall Rank 1.

    Best to retire at the top.

    1. Evasivo
      • 16 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      “Joint 1” with me :p

      1. tiger
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        I'll take it!

    2. Moon Dog
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 1 Year
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      I'm going to put "Former #1" in my bio now.

      1. tiger
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        And on work CV's!

  20. terranullius
    • 2 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Lammens
    Calafiori White Hume Rodon
    Odegaard Wirtz BrunoF Mbeumo
    Brobbey Isak

    Bb active. I'm scared... Thoughts please?

    1. Twisted Saltergater
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 17 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      I'd be scared also; you don't have a bench!

    2. Zoostation
      • 12 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Relax and watch the games

    3. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Tasty 11 with a few diffs. If you are scared of BB at least tell us who they are.

  21. Brosstan
    • 12 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Reminder that if you benched players like Pedro, Mbeumo and Semenyo, your Bench Boost scores higher than if you benched your cheaper players.

    1. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Fantasy / reality

  22. Moon Dog
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 1 Year
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    It's weird seeing Arsenal champions. I don't think my brain has accepted it yet.

    1. tiger
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      I thought it was just a bad dream

  23. Albrightondknight
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    The silly way I normally play how did I end up with no BB and no planned transfers for weeks. Not like me - maybe I do well this year.
    Give a week or 2 and I will be back taking hits for fun.

  24. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Here we go!!!

    1. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Gabriel defcon after 20secs 😎

  25. didas
    • 4 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Is it impossible to log in to the FPL website with your new ID without paying now?

    1. didas
      • 4 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Sorry LiveFPL website.

  26. Jafooli
    • 14 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Currently on 3pts…anyone better?

  27. Amartey Partey
    • 7 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Gabriel and Califori already with Defcons

    1. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      Strangely Gabriel’s was first, the block for the corner and only Cala and Odegaards are showing

      1. Amartey Partey
        • 7 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Whoever is doing defcons clearly doesn't own Gabriel.

  28. The Hunt
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 17 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Just short of 9 million managers at kick off time. Unfortunately, around 150,000 of them signed up after the deadline 😀

  29. Twisted Saltergater
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 17 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Calfiori with 3 def cons already 😆

  30. Vazza
    • 6 Years
    2 days, 22 hours ago

    Andy LTFPL has literally copied Pras’ team. HAHA!!

    1. Brosstan
      • 12 Years
      2 days, 22 hours ago

      No he hasn't. They are both 100% following an AI algorithm .. pathetic "managers"

      1. Vazza
        • 6 Years
        2 days, 22 hours ago

        Yes pathetic as these guys made some content in the lead up only to mislead the followers.