Dugout Discussion
24 October 2026 340 comments
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There are only four Premier League matches on Saturday, but there are some tasty-looking fixtures among them.

We start with an intriguing game at Villa Park, as the resurgent hosts – unbeaten in six competitive matches, scoring 18 goals along the way – entertain the Premier League leaders.

Aston Villa v Manchester City kicks off at 12.30pm BST.

TEAM NEWS

Both sides make four changes from their UEFA Champions League wins in midweek.

Johan Manzambi is fit to start for the hosts after missing out against Viking, while Ian Maatsen makes his first post-injury appearance.

Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara also come back in after midweek breathers.

Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley and Ibrahim Mbaye make way. Buendia loses his ever-present starter status in the Premier League as a result.

It was pretty much signposted by Enzo Maresca anyway but the big City news is that Erling Haaland starts. The Norwegian limped off the field at the end of the Gameweek 7 victory over Ipswich Town and was then an unused substitute against AEK Athens.

Iliman Ndiaye, Jeremy Doku and Marc Guehi all return to the side after rests on Tuesday night.

Midweek hat-trick hero Phil Foden is the big-name casualty, dropping to the bench. Floyd Samba, Allan and Rico Lewis are less surprising omissions after rare starts in the Champions League.

Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic shake off injuries to make the bench but Matheus Nunes misses out.

LINE-UPS

Aston Villa XI: Suzuki, Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen, Kamara, Gomes, Alysson, Manzambi, McGinn, Jackson.

Subs: Bizot, Mings, Barkley, Buendia, Mbaye, Bogarde, Goretzka, Madjo, Hemmings.

Manchester City XI: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Guéhi, Gvardiol, Anderson, Fernández, Ndiaye, Cherki, Doku, Haaland.

Subs: Rulli, Kovačić, Aït-Nouri, Reis, Bouaddi, O’Reilly, Foden, McAidoo, Lewis.

LIVE GAMEWEEK 8 PAGE + MATCH CENTRE

Villa v City

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.


340 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. MIGHTY JOE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    5 hours, 2 mins ago

    Calafiori heartbreak. Owners with only 2x Arsenal defence in tears.

    1. FourLokoLeipzig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      4 hours, 56 mins ago

      Even more annoying for those of us who captained him!

      1. Utopsis
        4 hours, 28 mins ago

        Really?

        1. FourLokoLeipzig
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          3 hours, 31 mins ago

          Aye, hopefully he stays benched, Palmer (VC) does the business, and Gross (first sub) grabs a consolation goal

          1. Utopsis
            3 hours, 29 mins ago

            Fair dos! Could've been inspired I suppose - good luck!

  2. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    5 hours, 2 mins ago

    Jackson brace

  3. Djerbil
    5 hours, 2 mins ago

    Calafiori bench

  4. Three Pints of Schlager
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    5 hours, 2 mins ago

    Is Mazambi still holding his pussay?

  5. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    5 hours, 2 mins ago

    Calafiori bench

    1. Supersonic_
      5 hours, 1 min ago

      Ouch

  6. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    5 hours, 1 min ago

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

    Coventry:
    Rushworth, Van Ewijk, Thomas, Pinnock, Dasilva, Grimes, Rudoni, Yirnenkyi, Sakamoto, Cherif, Thomas-Asante.

    1. Utopsis
      4 hours, 27 mins ago

      This is Gonzalos last chance

  7. g40steve
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    Jackson 2

    1. Supersonic_
      5 hours, 1 min ago

      Jeepers

  8. SM001
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    He's only done it again!

  9. The Philosopher
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    Jackson on WC10?

  10. lilmessipran
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    Who is this clinical striker? Chelsea need to sign him

  11. Fifa las vegas
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    Wish I got Jackson as third striker now rather than Palmer 🙁

    1. Fifa las vegas
      4 hours, 58 mins ago

      Might just bite the bullet tonight and not miss the price rises

  12. PartyTime
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    3bapson

  13. Supersonic_
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    Jackson or Isak

    1. RICICLE
      5 hours ago

      Why on earth would you go Isak is the question

  14. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    5 hours, 1 min ago

    I brought Jackson in last night a week too late!

  15. g40steve
    5 hours ago

    Donna terrible

    1. g40steve
      4 hours, 59 mins ago

      Selling Trafford huge mistake

    2. PartyTime
      4 hours, 59 mins ago

      Aged like Camel piss

    3. SM001
      4 hours, 56 mins ago

      Donna boo boo

  16. BeaversWithAttitude
    5 hours ago

    Woo wee, baby! Game on!

  17. PartyTime
    5 hours ago

    Emery is Pro

  18. Gudjohnsen
    5 hours ago

    So Calafiori 1 pointer or will be rested?

    1. Bobby Digital
      4 hours, 59 mins ago

      Probably comes on for 20-30 mins

      1. Gudjohnsen
        4 hours, 55 mins ago

        Rival captained him

    2. Weasel Boy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      4 hours, 50 mins ago

      He'll deffo come off bench

  19. JBG
    5 hours ago

    Arteta does love to talk alot of shite doesn't he?

    "He's a different player now, can play more bla bla"

  20. Djerbil
    5 hours ago

    Donarumma horror

  21. Riverside Red
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    5 hours ago

    Donnarumma will cost City dearly if he remains first choice

    1. g40steve
      4 hours, 59 mins ago

      Exchange for Trafford

    2. Josh.E
      4 hours, 57 mins ago

      You can't win every game

    3. x.jim.x
      4 hours, 55 mins ago

      You want them to play Rulli instead? Please be serious

      1. Riverside Red
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        4 hours, 42 mins ago

        He must be bad if you'd rather play Donnarumma.

  22. fusen
    5 hours ago

    Jackson in his purple patch

    Surprised he has been slept on so much, people too focused on him costing ever so slightly more than the template picks like crappy DCL

    1. Feanor
      4 hours, 58 mins ago

      I got Isak instead (:|)

      1. fusen
        4 hours, 53 mins ago

        Isak is decent tbh, he'll score similar to Jackson. He's just quite a lot more money

    2. el polako
      4 hours, 58 mins ago

      Maybe people just remember what a absolutely donkey he has been up until recently.

    3. x.jim.x
      4 hours, 58 mins ago

      “Slept on” - scored in 2 / 7 league games before this

      1. fusen
        4 hours, 55 mins ago

        I like how you've ignored his most recent CL goals that sit in between the league goals

        7 goals in 11 games this season

        1. x.jim.x
          4 hours, 54 mins ago

          Games against Championship level teams are not relevant

          1. fusen
            4 hours, 53 mins ago

            A purple patch for a striker is normally about confidence breeding form

            Every single goal he scores is relevant against any opposition

    4. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      4 hours, 53 mins ago

      I've got him

  23. keefy59
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    4 hours, 59 mins ago

    Jackson !
    The training programme with the cows backside & the banjo
    Strikes again

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      4 hours, 52 mins ago

      Wallop

      Wallop

      Was the second any good?

      I was driving

      1. keefy59
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        4 hours, 43 mins ago

        A good clean central shot from a cross
        The cow is now in intensive care
        Refusing to take part in any more training sessions

  24. PartyTime
    4 hours, 58 mins ago

    Lol @ Cty

  25. #1 Arne Engels Fan
    4 hours, 58 mins ago

    Bring in Jackson tonight or wait until he's 7.5m on Friday?

    1. Fifa las vegas
      4 hours, 57 mins ago

      Yeah I think I’ll just get on with it tonight!

  26. Supersonic_
    4 hours, 58 mins ago

    Hope no cameo for Cal

  27. Domo
    4 hours, 58 mins ago

    Jackson first on the bench, Cherki stinking the place out. I hate this game.

    1. JBG
      4 hours, 55 mins ago

      Wtf?? Why? City are horrendous at the back

    2. x.jim.x
      4 hours, 55 mins ago

      Benching a striker at home against this defence, come on

      1. Haa-lala-land
        2 hours, 55 mins ago

        Where my Manzambi points

        1. x.jim.x
          2 hours, 53 mins ago

          “Striker”

          1. Haa-lala-land
            2 hours, 48 mins ago

            Hindsight

            1. x.jim.x
              2 hours, 45 mins ago

              No I said it 2 hours ago

        2. GENERATION X
          2 hours, 52 mins ago

          Youve added an ‘s’ unnessessarily

    3. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      4 hours, 53 mins ago

      You are going to be lucky - the weather will give you an autsub.

    4. Domo
      4 hours, 46 mins ago

      Yes, I am an idiot. Thanks for confirming.

  28. Zalk
    4 hours, 57 mins ago

    Everyone has Cala anyway, doesn't matter

    1. Fifa las vegas
      4 hours, 56 mins ago

      Can be luck either way with subs though

      1. x.jim.x
        4 hours, 55 mins ago

        He will come on

        1. Zalk
          4 hours, 54 mins ago

          yep

    2. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      4 hours, 53 mins ago

      It does if you potentially don't have 11 players

    3. Kroenius
      4 hours, 52 mins ago

      Not me (I have Guéhi dud instead)

  29. Feanor
    4 hours, 53 mins ago

    Gvardiol another shot in the box. LB/AM

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      4 hours, 51 mins ago

      Decent save