Dugout Discussion
24 October 2026 405 comments
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There are only two 3pm BST Premier League kick-offs on a wet and windy Saturday in England.

Reigning champions Arsenal can take advantage of Manchester City’s lunchtime defeat and draw level with the Cityzens on points with a win over Everton.

And is it too early to be talking about six-pointers in the other match? Coventry City host Fulham as 18th meets 19th.

TEAM NEWS

There are some high-profile benchings at the Emirates as Mikel Arteta makes five changes to the side that drew with Bayern Munich in midweek.

One alteration was, of course, enforced due to Bukayo Saka’s injury.

“I think it will be weeks. The extent of the injury, I think we’re going to have to repeat the scans in a week, 10 days.” – Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka, speaking ahead of kick-off

And no real shock to see Jurrien Timber and Bruno Guimaraes benched as the regular rotation continues at right-back and in central midfield.

But, for the first time in the Premier League this season, Riccardo Calafiori and Kai Havertz drop down to substitute duty.

Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres all come into the side.

David Moyes is not one for unnecessary tinkering, so no surprise that two of his three changes are enforced.

Jack Grealish is ill and Jarrad Branthwaite is observing the concussion protocol, so both miss out.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles drops to the bench after a couple of rickety displays.

In come Brennan Johnson, Tyrique George and Jake O’Brien.

At the CBS Arena, Coventry are unchanged from Monday’s defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

Fulham make only one tweak, with Hugo Larsson in for Sander Berge.

LINE-UPS

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Konsa, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Merino, Odegaard, Madueke, Eze, Gyokeres.

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Calafiori, Mosquera, Hincapie, Timber, Zubimendi, Guimaraes, Dowman, Havertz.

Everton XI: Pickford, Rohl, Tarkowski, O’Brien, Mykolenko, Armstrong, Garner, Johnson, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Barry.

Subs: Travers, King, Maitland-Niles, Keane, Norgaard, Alcaraz, Hackney, Graham, Dibling.


Coventry City XI: Rushworth, van Ewijk, Thomas, Pinnock, Dasilva, Grimes, Yirenkyi, Sakamoto, Rudoni, Thomas-Asante, Cherif.

Subs: Bentley, Mason-Clark, Mfuni, Awoniyi, Onyeka, Kelser-Hayden, Torp, Gboho, Hamer.

Fulham XI: Leno, Castagne, Affengruber, Bassey, Robinson, Larsson, Charles, Bobb, King, Iwobi, Garcia.

Subs: Lecomte, Tete, Andersen, Palacios, Muniz, Cairney, Kevin, Berge, Angel.


LIVE GAMEWEEK 8 PAGE + MATCH CENTRE

Calafiori Havertz

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

Here you can track 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. Here, you’ll find stats, heatmaps, rolling xG graphs and more on every Premier League fixture.

A lot is free for all, with Chief Scout Members getting full access.


405 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Pointless
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 53 mins ago

    Such a relief, after lots of agonising, I played Davis over Gvardiol - I doubled my points! (2 instead of 1)

    1. FOREST FOREVER 2
      3 hours, 51 mins ago

      Well played.

    2. Utopsis
      3 hours, 14 mins ago

      Pointless indeed!

  2. Jebiga
    3 hours, 52 mins ago

    Cherki injured?

    1. tuturututu
      3 hours, 42 mins ago

      I believe only tactical masterclass by Maresca

    2. Brosstan
      3 hours, 39 mins ago

      Maresca hates him. Takes every single opportunity to haul him early

    3. F4L
      3 hours, 32 mins ago

      the second cherki picked up the booking just before HT, he knew what was coming. rarely see a player look so devastated getting a standard yellow

    4. Utopsis
      3 hours, 14 mins ago

      As soon as Foden returned, Cherki is dead as a reliable pick

  3. FPL Virgin
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 52 mins ago

    "I think Calafiori probably starts, especially as Piero Hincapie isn’t 100% guaranteed to be fit ..."

    Why oh why didn't I back myself rather than Scout on Calafiori? I said he would be benched, as did the Football London guys, but I listened to the line up experts instead. FML.

    1. Bobby Digital
      3 hours, 50 mins ago

      Season over

      1. FPL Virgin
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        3 hours, 49 mins ago

        It's been over for a few gameweeks now. Earlier than usual this year.

    2. ZimZalabim
      3 hours, 49 mins ago

      I cant believe they've wronged you like this !!!

      I think you should leave the site in protest !

      1. FPL Virgin
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        3 hours, 44 mins ago

        If you look at my comments history, I predicted this straight after the Bayern game.

        1. el polako
          3 hours, 36 mins ago

          Black magic using blood of a virgin?

          1. FPL Virgin
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            3 hours ago

            😆

  4. F4L
    3 hours, 44 mins ago

    stuck with no arsenal defence now. erm, can everton create a chance or 2? 😐 and then magically barry is suddenly clinical

    1. el polako
      3 hours, 40 mins ago

      What you need is KDH take a shot from outside of the box and hit Barry so the deflection can confuse Raya.

    2. Kroenius
      3 hours, 34 mins ago

      Barry 2nd sub on my bench so he will be clinical now, I can feel it. (1st Manzambi 1 pt so unless both Palmer & Pedro get benched)

  5. Nightcrawler
    3 hours, 44 mins ago

    Unless calafiori stays on the bench his benching his irrelevant. Every serious team has him

    1. el polako
      3 hours, 41 mins ago

      This.

    2. FPL Emu
      3 hours, 40 mins ago

      Some have probably benched him. I was very close to, but decided against it in the end. Probably a fair choice, though could have been a chance to gain some rank too

  6. Brosstan
    3 hours, 40 mins ago

    Califiori gtfo of my team

    1. el polako
      3 hours, 40 mins ago

      Think you have other priorities to transfer out.
      Start with MGW.

      1. Bobby Digital
        3 hours, 38 mins ago

        No, he will captain MGW next GW

    2. x.jim.x
      3 hours, 27 mins ago

      Can’t wait for the sobbing about luck after an 18-pointer

      1. Brosstan
        3 hours, 14 mins ago

        18 pointer from who?

  7. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 37 mins ago

    Have Pedro (C). I know it's gonna be Pedro bench, then 1 point cameo. This season is a shambles for me.

  8. GENERATION X
    3 hours, 36 mins ago

    Starting to regret Wally Egg on my bench. If Liverpool game gets called off I might only have 7 contributing

    1. TheTinman
      3 hours, 33 mins ago

      Won't be called off

  9. TheTinman
    3 hours, 33 mins ago

    Erm I captained Calafiori

    Send help

    1. el polako
      3 hours, 32 mins ago

      I started Timber.
      Brought him in 2 weeks ago on WC to be ahead of the curve…

      1. TheTinman
        3 hours, 25 mins ago

        Going to rethink on the wildcard.

        This team selection from Arteta is really strange to me

  10. SpaceCadet
    3 hours, 30 mins ago

    Will take it as as a Haaland non capper. Could have been worse.

    1. el polako
      3 hours, 29 mins ago

      I can say the same as Haaland capper.

      1. SpaceCadet
        3 hours, 24 mins ago

        True

  11. Thanos
    3 hours, 30 mins ago

    Really need a goal or two for Everton

  12. Jordan.
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 29 mins ago

    gvardiol
    manzambi
    cherki

    2 points,between them,just awful selecting

  13. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 26 mins ago

    Leno, Gabriel, and King in these games. My Forest picks flopped. I really need something

  14. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 25 mins ago

    Konsa goal

    1. GENERATION X
      3 hours, 24 mins ago

      Thats like a punch in the stomach

      1. tiger
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        3 hours, 24 mins ago

        It was like a nice tummy tickle for me

    2. Josh.E
      3 hours, 24 mins ago

      Am sick, season over! COYG though

  15. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 24 mins ago

    Points for everyone

  16. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 24 mins ago

    Oh ffs!!! I had Calafior, Gabriel and Konsa since gw1 and the one defender I dropped on WC was Konsa of course.

  17. Bobby Digital
    3 hours, 24 mins ago

    Konsa you beauty!

  18. BobbyDoesNotLook
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 24 mins ago

    Lord Konsa

  19. Jafooli
    3 hours, 24 mins ago

    Konsa owners unite…

  20. SpaceCadet
    3 hours, 23 mins ago

    Do something King ffs!

    1. Jafooli
      3 hours, 22 mins ago

      Abdication would be welcome…

  21. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 23 mins ago

    Will Gabriel get that assist or too many touches?

  22. The Philosopher
    3 hours, 22 mins ago

    Gross coming on for Cherki. Not bad.

    1. Dunster
      3 hours, 19 mins ago

      ??

      1. The Philosopher
        3 hours, 18 mins ago

        Cherki showing 0 points due to a no-show, so Gross coming on.

        1. Captain Robert Hatch
          3 hours, 17 mins ago

          Sorry

        2. Dunster
          3 hours, 17 mins ago

          He started got booked got took off early

    2. Captain Robert Hatch
      3 hours, 19 mins ago

      ?

  23. Gandalf
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 21 mins ago

    Feel bad for the Gabriel owners seeing that Konsa goal go in.

    1. Warby84
      3 hours, 21 mins ago

      Really?? Umm

    2. The Philosopher
      3 hours, 19 mins ago

      I might have to let go off Gabriel in WC10. It's getting painful.

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        3 hours, 17 mins ago

        Might he get the assist? His header was on target, Pickford clawed it out, but I couldn’t see what touches happened after that.

  24. Supersonic_
    3 hours, 21 mins ago

    Konsa lovely. Hope arsenal concde now

  25. JBG
    3 hours, 20 mins ago

    Genuinely fck off Konsa

  26. PogChamp
    3 hours, 19 mins ago

    Brutal GW for those of us that went Saka as our third Arsenal instead of Konsa 🙁

    1. Fifa las vegas
      3 hours, 16 mins ago

      Stinker. Palmer better have a mental one

  27. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 18 mins ago

    Konsa getting away with a yc because advantage went on and the ball stayed in play for ages

  28. Jafooli
    3 hours, 17 mins ago

    FPL, please add Konsa 3 x baps so can see full haul, thanks…

  29. Milk, 1 Šuker
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    3 hours, 17 mins ago

    How mad is it that the only Arsenal def I have is Konsa and he goes and does that! Brilliant

    1. Kroenius
      3 hours, 16 mins ago

      Same here

  30. Not again Shirley
    3 hours, 16 mins ago

    Anyone for some watermelon pouches.