Dugout Discussion
23 August 2026 374 comments
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Three more Premier League matches take place on Sunday, with a double-header up first at 2pm BST.

Brighton and Hove Albion host Aston Villa on the south coast, while Manchester City meet Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.



TEAM NEWS

Man City boss Enzo Maresca makes two changes from last weekend’s Community Shield defeat by Arsenal.

Rico Lewis replaces the benched Mateo Kovacic, while the injured Jeremy Doku drops out for Marc Guehi.

Nico O’Reilly subsequently looks set to play in a more advanced role.

Erling Haaland unsurprisingly leads the line.

Alex Scott was suspended for Bournemouth’s final pre-season friendly. He’s the only change from that kickabout, with Alex Toth making way.

Finally, at the Amex, Fabian Hurzeler makes just one change from his final pre-seaason line-up: Lewis Dunk is in for Ferdi Kadioglu, who has a minor injury.

Maxim De Cuyper will likely play ‘out-of-position’ as a left winger.

There’s no Emiliano Martinez or Ollie Watkins in the Aston Villa squad due to ongoing transfer uncertainty.

New recruit Joao Gomes is fit to start for the visitors, however, while £4.5m midfielder George Hemmings is preferred to Alejandro Garnacho on the left flank.

Emiliano Buendia or Ross Barkley could lead the line in Watkins’ absence.

Other transfer window captures Zion Suzuki and Matteo Ruggeri are substitutes.

LINE-UPS

Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Vuskovic, Dunk, Boscagli, Ayari, Gross, Gomez, Hinshelwood, De Cuyper, Rutter

Subs: Steele, Struijk, Promise, Osman, Kostoulas, Costinha, Svoboda, Yalcouye, Yohanna

Aston Villa XI: Bizot, Cash, Lindelof, Pau, Maatsen, Kamara, J Gomes, McGinn, Buendia, Hemmings, Barkley

Subs: Suzuki, Mings, Ruggeri, Garnacho, Bogarde, Rowe, Alysson, Burrowes, Lynch


Manchester City XI: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol, Lewis, Anderson, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Foden, Haaland

Subs: Rulli, Marmoush, Kovacic, Cherki, Nico, Grealish, Ait-Nouri, Reis, Nunes

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert, Cook, Scott, Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier, Evanilson

Subs: Dennis, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Adams, Diakite, Juanlu, Toth, Jebbison, Rodriguez


LIVE GAMEWEEK PAGE + MATCH CENTRE

You can follow all the day’s action via the Live Gameweek page, which you can find in the all-new FPL Toolkit section.

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

And there’s also the all-new Match Centre to explore.

A snapshot of this page can be seen below; it’s basically a condensed version of the one you can find in the Members Area.

debuts

FPL Stats Centre

374 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. OverTinker
    • 8 Years
    12 mins ago

    Damn it I only have Verbruggen from Brighton

    1. FPL Scoop
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      1 min ago

      Ditto! Might need to rectify that come GW3/4...

  2. AzzaroMax99
    • 9 Years
    12 mins ago

    De Kuypert, OReilly, Hume…these oop defs could be a gold mine.

    1. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      11 mins ago

      Mmhmm

    2. TheBiffas
      • 5 Years
      just now

      Well Hume did jack sht for me

  3. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    10 mins ago

    How’s Gvardiol come away from that without even a booking?

    1. Feanor
      • 17 Years
      9 mins ago

      Weird one

    2. Bada Bing
      • 9 Years
      7 mins ago

      Rules don't apply for Citeh.

  4. Feanor
    • 17 Years
    10 mins ago

    Handbags at City

    Evanilson yellow, Gvardiol got away with a high shove

  5. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    9 mins ago

    Ballard was the top scoring player of GW1 last season (17 pointer)
    Half a million transferred him in only for him to get injured in GW2 after 8 minutes, classic FPL

  6. jacob1989
    • 4 Years
    9 mins ago

    Wc now or in gw3?

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 mins ago

      Depending on your team, generally stick for more info.

      Many cheap-ish midfields to think about, so far: Slater Gomez Sangare Hinshelwood Stach Ndiaye KDH Tzolis Tavernier

  7. Might be City pen

    1. Mother Farke
      • 2 Years
      4 mins ago

      It's HT mate lol

      1. Stream 2 mins behind

        1. x.jim.x
          • 11 Years
          2 mins ago

          Take him away, boys

          1. Watching it through someone’s window who happens to be streaming 😉

    2. Not given nor VAR, bizarre

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 mins ago

        No need for VAR it was never a penalty

        1. Seen worse given…

  8. Pompel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    9 mins ago

    Fielding Gross and Kadioglu as Brighton coverage kind of stings now

  9. Ignasi M
    • 9 Years
    9 mins ago

    Could be 3-3 in the city game

    1. Nightcrawler
      • 7 Years
      1 min ago

      Not really. City have had only 1 big chance, same for Bournemouth

      1. el polako
        • 9 Years
        just now

        2 for Bournemouth

  10. Pep Roulette
    • 8 Years
    7 mins ago

    Hume & De Cuyper not going anywhere from my team for now

  11. Nightcrawler
    • 7 Years
    7 mins ago

    Brighton could go for some early subs with 2nd leg coming up. Gross owners in danger of a 0 pointer

  12. krzys
    • 13 Years
    7 mins ago

    Hinshelwood might be my best punt ever. Only 0.4% ownership.

    1. jacob1989
      • 4 Years
      4 mins ago

      Well played. Had him end of last season

    2. Ignasi M
      • 9 Years
      2 mins ago

      Yeah very happy - this is why it's wise to look at formation in pre season. I'm annoyed at not picking O'Reilly seeing as he's going to be a number 10/LB hybrid .

  13. Whoever deleted my comment deffo captained Haaland

    1. 0.18 xG for £15.5m btw

      1. TheTinman
        • 11 Years
        just now

        45mins of football lad

        112 goals in 132 premier league games

  14. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    6 mins ago

    Hmmm I didn’t pick Kluivert for his defcons. On 8 already, hoping he hails on my BB2 vs Everton

    1. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 mins ago

      *hauls

    2. All hail Kluivert!

  15. Nightcrawler
    • 7 Years
    6 mins ago

    Been the weekend for attacking full backs. Turns out it wasnt the defcons turning them crap last season just them being crap

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      2 mins ago

      Too early to call, got Ajer and got defcon but De Cuyper is slaughtering AVL, yeah

  16. Arsenal vs Villa next… ouch

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      2 mins ago

      Bruno > Saka?

    2. Ignasi M
      • 9 Years
      1 min ago

      It's a Monday night at Villa Park and Emery will say "the season starts now with a statement win", so it will be tough for Arsenal. I would fancy an away win though. Villa 1 - 2 Arsenal

  17. TheTinman
    • 11 Years
    3 mins ago

    What is Maresca actually thinking benching Cherki though? He nearly won them the title last year. Got to get him on at HT.

    Nico Gonzalez, get your self up the road lad. City don't appreciate you

    1. So many square pegs in round holes

      1. TheTinman
        • 11 Years
        just now

        That's what Howe started doing with us. You can't get away with it

    2. Ignasi M
      • 9 Years
      1 min ago

      I expect he'll come on for O'Reilly around 70mins

    3. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      just now

      Overthinking? Hopefully not trying to be too sophisticated mimicking Pep. Would love to see it's simplified - picking the best player on their best position

  18. Nomar
    • 16 Years
    2 mins ago

    Every season, I manage to pick a GW1 Team that truly sucks.

    It’s a gift.

    1. el polako
      • 9 Years
      1 min ago

      At least you’re consistent.

      1. Nomar
        • 16 Years
        just now

        Yes. I can take great consolation from that fact.

    2. Don’t sweat it, so much randomness in first few weeks.

      Think of Reijnders last season for example…

  19. High line from Bournemouth is ridiculous, do they want to concede 5+ second half