Dugout Discussion

Three £4.0m defenders start in Saturday’s 3pm matches

Three £4.0m defenders have earned Gameweek 1 starts, two of them coming in the same match.

As predicted from our research of pre-season, John Lundstram (£4.0m) is deployed in the central midfield trio of Sheffield United, while Diego Rico (£4.0m) starts at left wing-back for Bournemouth.

The match at the Vitality Stadium also includes a Premier League debut for Cherries goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (£4.5m) who appears to have won the hotly contested race to start between the sticks.

Fantasy managers backing Ryan Fraser (£7.5m), Callum Wilson (£8.0m) and Josh King (£6.5m) will be happy to see them on the team sheet.

Callum Robinson (£5.5m) starts up front for Sheffield United alongside David McGoldrick (£5.5m).

Meanwhile, Martin Kelly (£4.0m) features at centre-back alongside Scott Dann (£4.5m) for Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are still without Wilfried Zaha (£7.0m), who sitds on the bench. Christian Benteke (£6.0m) and Jordan Ayew (£5.0m) lead the attack.

There are few surprises for visitors Everton as Seamus Coleman (£5.5m) holds onto his right-back berth for now and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) starts up front with Moise Kean (£7.0m) on the bench,.

Those unfamiliar with Graham Potter’s version of Pep Roulette were given a harsh introduction to it on Saturday afternoon.

After naming an unchanged 3-4-3 line-up for the last two pre-season friendlies, which included starts for Leandro Trossard (£6.0m) in the front trio, he has gone with 3-5-2 for the trip to Watford and benched the new Belgian signing.

Glenn Murray (£6.0m) and Jurgen Locadia (£5.5m) start in the front two while Pascal Groß (£6.5m) comes into central midfield alongside Davy Pröpper (£5.0m) and Dale Stephens (£4.5m).

Dan Burn (£4.5m) joins Lewis Dunk (£4.5m) and Shane Duffy (£5.0m) in the three-man defence while Solly March (£5.0m) and Martin Montoya (£4.5m) are the wing-backs.

Hosts Watford have gone with a 4-4-2 formation but Gerard Deulofeu (£6.5m), reclassified as a forward for 2019/20, has been named on the left wing of midfield.

Troy Deeney (£6.5m) and Andre Gray (£6.0m) lead the Hornets’ line.

TEAMS IN FULL

Bournemouth XI: Ramsdale; Aké, S Cook, Mepham; Rico, Billing, Lerman, Smith; Fraser, Wilson, King.

Sheffield United XI: Henderson; O’Connell, Egan, Basham; Stevens, Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram, Baldock; Robinson, McGoldrick.

Burnley XI: Pope; Pieters, Mee, Tarkowski, Lowton; McNeil, Westwood, Cork, Gudmundsson; Wood, Barnes.

Southampton XI: Gunn; Bednarek, Stephens, Vestergaard; Valery, Ward-Prowse(C), Oriol Romeu, Bertrand; Adams, Redmond; Ings.

Crystal Palace XI: Guaita; van Aanholt, Dann, Kelly, Ward; Meyer, McArthur, Milivojevic, Townsend; Ayew, Benteke.

Everton XI: Pickford; Digne, Keane, Mina, Coleman; Schneiderlin, A Gomes; Bernard, Sigurdsson, Richarlison; Calvert-Lewin.

Watford XI: Foster; Kiko Femenía, Dawson, Cathcart, Holebas; Capoue, Doucouré; Hughes, Deulofeu; Deeney(C), Gray.

Brighton XI: Ryan; Duffy, Dunk(C), Burn; Montoya, Pröpper, Stephens, Groß, March; Locadia, Murray.

1,670 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Do I Not Like Orange
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Who to get rid of first out of Wood, Taylor & Guilbert?

    1. datamunkey
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      ...relax man

    2. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      None

    3. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Wood has an goal disallowed due to offside.

  2. moment
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    any more VAR catastrophes in these 3pm kickoffs?

    1. Xabi
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      any more? there havent been any at all

      1. moment
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Sorry, I meant any more after the many in the early game...

        1. wildebeest123
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          There were none in the City game either... Worked flawlessly, love it or hate it!

  3. Dušan Citizen
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Picked Duffy over Dunk...

  4. How Mina You
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Schneiderlin is absolutely terrible haha.

  5. camarozz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Trossard on the bench, Montaya 1st sub.

    Same old story, welcome back fpl

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Following scout picks?

  6. Vinyl78LP
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Dunk 1st sub, little chance though of any no-shows.

    1. Hairy Potter
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Same here

  7. bryant
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    southampton and watford both unlucky

    1. Team Cruel
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Yup same with West Ham and Norwich

    2. Camino Aleatorio
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Difference between sucking and unlucky is point of view

      When you are unlucky, you suck

      When you suck, you are unlucky

  8. Ask Yourself
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Knew the Brighton defender playing effectively on the wing was a better pick than Dunk. Oh.

    1. WVA
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Typical but should pay off over time

  9. ENZO SZN™
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Wtf schneiderlein. Digne HOLD!

  10. LSP
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Schneiderlin went full stupid

  11. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Crystal Palace defender on CS + 2 bonus, 3rd on bench.

    Last season has taught me not to start them in GW2 😛

  12. Ask Yourself
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Hahahahaha Barnes could have set up wood for an open goal lovely

    1. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Probably learnt from the last time he did it 🙁

    1. Bruce Lee
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      montoya or dunk?

    2. GinjaWhinja
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      You were wrong, you said he'd score

  13. Paul Psychic Octopus
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Hate knee-jerking and early hits, but Bilva+Kane > Sterling+Pukki might be necessary.

    Too often, early season price changes mean you are always 0.1m short of doing a transfer as mot are still priced in 0.5m chunks.

    1. Differentiator
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Kane hasn't even played. Jesus christ

    2. George Sillett
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Psychic powers deserted you GW1 ?

    3. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Too early to say. Especially as Kane hasn't played yet. I would focus on getting the one who is most captained next GW tbh. It is captaincy wins that make or break your season usually.

      1. Paul Psychic Octopus
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        The captaincy is a good point. The thing is, Liverpool and Man City rotate, whereas Spurs and Liverpool play home games the same weekends.

        Hence why I think you need a Man C and Liverpool captaincy option.

        Could just do Kane > Kun I suppose.

  14. bitm2007
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    No Trossard please, have Kelly on bench.

    1. michudagawd
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Rico for me.

  15. Canary_Kid
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Norwich aren't in the relegation zone 🙂

  16. Adam West - Team Serbia for…
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    I said something at some point during preseason and it actually happened LOOK AT ME !!!!!!

  17. Guy Demel
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    ffs Barnes not squaring for a Wood tap in is just rubbing in the salt

  18. Stimps
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Went Dunk over Montoya last minute for safety 🙂

  19. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Anyone else doing Wood to Barnes and Robbo to VVD ?

    1. Podge
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Kneejerkers yeh

    2. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Nope, next game will be their turn

  20. CRO KLOPP
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Why did I play Robbo over Rico

    1. bryant
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      should not be too hard to get over that you had no reason to play rico over robbo

    2. jia you
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Haha, we made a rookie error 😉

    3. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Yeah bench Robbo next time man

  21. Zilla
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    soton what u doing

  22. Paul Psychic Octopus
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Ugh. Guilbert not starting and not even on the Villa bench, despite seemingly making the full back/wing back place his own in pre-season.

    Cheap enabler for Sky game has vanished without trace.

  23. bryant
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    at least siggy keeps his cs

  24. Sandy Ravage
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Dunk (WHU) or Lundstram (CRY) in GW2

    1. soup natsi
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Lund

  25. BlzE_94
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Thinking of doing king to pukki

    1. Podge
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Might be a shout

    2. Third Eye Vision
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Yeah. It’s a shout.

    3. Third Eye Vision
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Sorry about all the shouting.

  26. jia you
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    If you were asked to pick the two teams who would score 3 or more goals in the 3pm games, BHA & BUR wouldn't be the ones...typical FPL 🙂

    1. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Right

  27. La Roja
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Pope third save

  28. The Chosen One...
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Been seduced by the attacking fullbacks instead of the centre backs for villa and brighton

  29. How Mina You
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Surprised at how easily Burnley and Brighton have destroyed their opponents today. Genuinely expect better from Southampton.

    1. Dr Van Nostrand
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Early days and more volatility at the start