Dugout Discussion

Sterling and Laporte benched as Guardiola rings changes

Raheem Sterling (£11.5m) has been benched for the third time this season as Pep Guardiola rang the changes for Manchester City’s trip to Watford.

That will be of huge frustration to those who have signed him off the back of his recent incredible form.

However, the England international was not the only important player left on the bench by Guardiola with ever-present Aymeric Laporte (£6.1m) named there for the first time this season.

Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m) and Vincent Kompany (£5.2m) were the two that came in for them.

Elsewhere in the side there was a return for Kyle Walker (£6.5m) and Fabian Delph (£5.3m) at full-back and David Silva (£8.7m) in midfield.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus (£10.1m) and Leroy Sané (£9.4m) kept their places in the attacking line.

Opponents Watford made just one change to the side that lost to Leicester with the suspended Etienne Capoue (£5.1m) replaced by Nathaniel Chalobah (£4.5m).

In the earlier kick-offs David Brooks (£5.1m) returned to the Bournemouth side while Laurent Depoitre (£5.2m) replaced the suspended Steve Mounié (£5.8m) for Huddersfield.

Crystal Palace named an unchanged side from the one which beat Burnley while Glenn Murray (£6.7m) came back in for Brighton.

Finally, Fabian Balbuena (£4.4m) was named on the bench for West Ham while Felipe Anderson (£7.1m) and Marko Arnautovic (£7.2m) both start.

The Line-Ups

Bournemouth XI: Begovic; Daniels, Aké, S Cook, Francis; Fraser, Lerma, L Cook, Brooks; King, Wilson

Huddersfield XI: Lossl, Kongolo, Billing, Zanka, Schindler, Hogg, Hadergjonaj, Durm, Mooy, Pritchard, Depoitre.

Brighton XI: Ryan; Montoya, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo; March, Pröpper, Bissouma, Izquierdo; Groß; Murray.

Crystal Palace XI: Hennessey; Wan-Bissaka, Tomkins, Sakho, van Aanholt; McArthur, Kouyaté, Milivojevic, Meyer; Townsend, Zaha.

West Ham XI: Fabianski; Antonio, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Snodgrass, Rice, Noble, Felipe Anderson; Chicharito, Arnautovic.

Cardiff City XI: Etheridge; Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett; Gunnarsson; Camarasa, Ralls, Arter, Hoilett; Paterson.

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Stones, Delph, Fernandinho, D. Silva, B. Silva, Sane, Mahrez, Jesus.

Watford XI: Foster; Kiko Femenía, Cathcart, Kabasele, Holebas; Doucouré, Chalobah; Hughes, Pereyra; Deeney, Success.

Become a Member and access our data

Memberships for the 2018/19 campaign are now available for the price of just £15.

Join now to get the following:

  • Plot your transfer strategies using the fully interactive Season Ticker.
  • Get projections for every Premier League player provided by the Rate My Team statistical model.
  • Use Rate My Team throughout the season to guide your selections and transfers.
  • Get access to over 130+ exclusive members articles over the season.
  • Analyse our OPTA-powered statistic tables specifically tailored for Fantasy Football Managers.
  • Use our exclusive tool to build custom stats tables from over 100 OPTA player and team stats.
  • View heatmaps and expected goals data for every player.
  • Use our powerful comparison tool to analyse players head-to-head.

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A FANTASY FOOTBALL SCOUT MEMBER

2,957 Comments Post a Comment
  1. HonestBlatter
    • 13 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    City cleanie GONE....

  2. Chucky
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Justice for Laporte and Balbu... thankgod

  3. Richd
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    No clean sheets tonight.

  4. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Fabianski still hurts!!

    1. Not again Shirley
      • 7 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      He still got decent score though and on for Bonus point.

  5. Zilla
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    otamendi you idiot

  6. bialk
    • 14 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    No CSs tonight.

  7. Totally !rre!evant
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Unbelievable. Such a sloppy goal

  8. IRBOX ⚽
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Watford goal. Brilliant

  9. Captain Haddock
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Yes City cleanie gone

  10. SPorting
    • 12 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Scenes!!!!!

  11. TRIPOS TOPPER
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    aargh Eddy cleanie gone

  12. TwiggsJameson
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    City clean sheet GONE Hoorahhhhhhhhhhh

  13. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Doucoure strikes again

  14. BenDavies
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    City cleanie gone too? OUCH. WHAT A TERRIBLE START TO A GAMEWEEEEK

  15. TAT
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Gameweek fail already. Damn.

  16. FPL price manipulators are …
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Time to wave goodbye to heavy defence me thinks

  17. Mini Mahouse
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    has Sterling warmed up? Have him captained with Wilson as vice

  18. Richd
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Ederson just ticks along. Tick. Tick. Tick

    Oh no it’s a bomb

    BOOOOOM

    🙁

    1. TAT
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      Considering selling. Waste of money.

      1. The Overthinker
        • 7 Years
        5 years, 3 months ago

        Not really

        1. TAT
          • 6 Years
          5 years, 3 months ago

          Fabianski looks to be the better value pr. million GK now.

  19. Valar(Keith)
    • 14 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    That was a gut wrenching.minute as a Ederson and Diop ownee

    1. SPorting
      • 12 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      But you chose Fab, right?

  20. Ha.
    • 8 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    ER MER GURD

  21. Numb
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Who have Sterling captainers got coming in as vice?

    1. HonestBlatter
      • 13 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      Arnie

      1. Numb
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 3 months ago

        Noice

    2. Carlton_Goal
      • 8 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      Sane

  22. Lokako
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Haha people on here actually thought fabianski would keep a clean in this game??

    1. Hits from the Bong
      • 5 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      Who cares. I’ll take the 9 points thank you very much

      1. soup natsi
        • 9 Years
        5 years, 3 months ago

        "who cares"

        1. Hits from the Bong
          • 5 Years
          5 years, 3 months ago

          “9 points”

    2. Don Kloppeone
      • 6 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      Mate it was the 95th minute!!

  23. SPorting
    • 12 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    And that, Peppy, is why you don’t rest Laporte

  24. TomSaints
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    I got my pain earlier so loving the late carnage

  25. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Yes watford yes!!!!!!

  26. Ady87
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Ederson
    Balbuena
    AWB
    Sterling
    Arnie

    Good week

    Luckily Sane(c) and Wilson helps!

  27. Gimli son of Gloin
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Doucoure... what a finish.

  28. FPL Blow-In
    • 11 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Selling Arnie to Aubameyang. Need to sell one of Hazard or Salah to fund it. Salah has better form but Hazard has fixtures on his side. If I sell Hazard I have 6.9 for a mid whereas Salah leaves me with 8.9.

  29. Cabellafan
    • 9 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    So tempted by this -8:
    Arnie,Hazard,Robbo - - > Auba, Sane, Diop

    Yes or No?

  30. PukkiBlinder
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    5 years, 3 months ago

    Salah/Hazard/Arnie to Kane/Anderson/Sterling for -8??

    1. ViperStripes
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      5 years, 3 months ago

      Considering similar:
      Murray, Arnie, Hazard > Kane, Wilson, Anderson/Fraser -8