Dugout Discussion

Salah misses out as Alisson and de Gea recover from injury to start

The only Premier League match to take place this Sunday is a big one, with league leaders Liverpool hoping to maintain their unbeaten start to the season against old foes Manchester United.

Kick-off at Old Trafford is at 16:30 BST.

The headline team news sees Mohamed Salah (£12.4m) miss out through injury, with Jurgen Klopp telling Sky Sports ahead of the match:

Mo was not ready, that’s how it is. He couldn’t train with the team; I don’t know where it came from that everybody said he will play. There was pretty much no chance for today, maybe for Wednesday [in the Champions League], we have to see.

With Salah missing out, Sadio Mane (£11.8m) and Roberto Firmino (£9.6m) are joined in a front three by Divock Origi (£5.3m).

Alisson (£5.8m) and Joel Matip (£5.5m) have been passed fit to play, however, and rejoin the visitors’ backline in place of Adrian (£4.6m) and Dejan Lovren (£5.3m).

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m), Andrew Robertson (£6.9m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) maintain their ever-present records in the top flight this season.

Despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer having said he was unlikely to play, David de Gea (£5.5m) has recovered from the groin injury that he sustained on international duty and takes his place between the posts for the Red Devils.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.4m) has also recovered from tonsillitis, joining what may well be a back five for the hosts given that Ashley Young (£5.4m), Marcos Rojo (£4.8m), Harry Maguire (£5.4m) and Victor Lindelof (£5.4m) all start.

Luke Shaw (£5.4m) has failed to recover, however, while Paul Pogba (£8.4m) misses out as expected.

Anthony Martial (£7.5m) is fit enough to be among the substitutes and joins Mason Greenwood (£4.4m) on the bench.

With Martial not in the starting XI, Marcus Rashford (£8.4m) looks set to lead the line again.

The corresponding fixture to this game ended 0-0 in 2018/19.

This re-match indeed sees a meeting between the two sides with the best expected goals conceded (xGC) tallies in the top flight, although that tightness in defence hasn’t translated into too many clean sheets: United and Liverpool have just two each so far this season.

At the other end of the pitch, the Red Devils have the third-worst xG from open play among Premier League clubs.

Mane was the most-bought player of Gameweek 9, with Salah the most-sold.

Wan-Bissaka and de Gea were also shipped out by almost 400,000 Fantasy managers combined.

Salah was the fifth-most-captained player of Gameweek 9, although it’s probably fair to assume that a decent chunk of the 634,160 FPL bosses who handed him the armband may have given up the ghost already.

Manchester United XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelöf, Rojo, Young, McTominay, Fred, Pereira, James, Rashford.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mané, Firmino, Origi.

1,461 Comments Post a Comment
  1. ClassiX
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Wow - 30 all out. My lowest scoring game week in 4 seasons. Only saving grace for today is that the Springboks are in the RWC semi's.

    1. ClassiX
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      ...and even the top-of-page post is dire... apologies.

    2. TheDragon
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      30 is more than many on here will get this week

      Wales to beat you in the semis 😉

      1. Debauchy
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        33 here and feel like a winner lol. And yes if the Boks dont up their game Wales will beat them

      2. ClassiX
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        TBF, I think both Wales and the Boks are happy not to be playing either England or the Kiwi's in the semi's... 🙂

        1. TheDragon
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Oh absolutely - both semi finals should be great games but clearly NZ and Eng have looked the best so far.

          I’d love a Wales vs England final

          NZ look nailed on for the title to me

  2. Do I Not Like Orange
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    My joint top scorers this GW were Sterling & Tomori with 5. Rank.

    1. potatoace
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      you have 2 players with more than 3 pts?
      blooming luxury

  3. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Is anyone else getting the error on the official FPL site?

    It’s saying Mané has 3 blanks in his last 4

    1. TheDragon
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      It says that about all of my players

    2. _Ninja_
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      I'm glad 4 of his next 6 are at home.

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

    Ota to AWB for those fixtures?

  5. Egg noodle
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Pepe hat trick tomorrow

  6. Ask Yourself
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    They can’t give firmino the assist because otherwise they’d have to admit they were giving liverpool the goal, lallana was offside after firmino’s touch

    1. Rash
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      I thought it touched firmino but never seen a clear angle to prove it..

    2. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      You're wise. It's the oat milk

  7. Am sorry to say again it�…
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    What a sh*t gameweek!

  8. how now brown cow
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Lundstram v auba tomorrow then.

    Cue guendouzi winner.

  9. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Did Firmino actually touch it? Only seen the one replay, looked close.

    Lallana close to being off it he did.

  10. Jimbo-Jones
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    With United’s great fixture run - nor, bou, BRI, shu, AVL - who if any are you considering?
    Rashford, Martial, James, defenders...?

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

      At least 3 of them!

      Lets see them next GW when the players don’t care again.

    2. Gentle_Turks
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Already have James and keeping him now. Could be good value with those fixtures.

    3. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      I’m always partial to a bit of martial (I talk in rhyme all the time)

      He looked good before the injury, OOP and a few mil underpriced

      Very high maintenance though & almost necessitates a FT on standby

      1. Gentle_Turks
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        You're a poet, and you don't know it.

        1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Although the syllables must be the same

          So the rhyming isn’t lame 🙂

          1. Gentle_Turks
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 5 months ago

            Sorry, this is a bit pedantic but I have to do it:

            Poet = 2 syllables,
            Know = 1 syllable, it = 1 syllable = 2 syllables.

            1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
              • 14 Years
              4 years, 5 months ago

              Maybe just the words must sound the same so the rhyming isn’t lame? 😉

    4. George Sillett
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Any defender playing against them.

  11. Eat my goal!
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Mane owners denied!

  12. Adriano
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Saka to save my gameweek. Just as I planned

  13. Gentle_Turks
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Ole should have kept Rashford on. Taking him off handed a little bit of initiative to Liverpool.

    1. F4L
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      exactly, Martial didn't bother pressing the CBs when he came on, just stood there watching

      1. Gentle_Turks
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Yep. The 3 points were there for UTD.

  14. LIARS POKER
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    34 with Lundstram left to play, got to take that. Rico saved me

  15. jtreble
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Origi injured?

  16. teneighty
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    21 pts all out. FML.

    1. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Rough that.

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

      Uggh I thought nobody worst than me 26 all out

  17. LIARS POKER
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Son + Mount to KDB + CHO for free? Need the cash to upgrade Son.

    Annoyingly could have done it last night and saved 0.2

  18. Smurf
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Loving the Mane blank. One of the best things this gameweek as a non Liverpool attack owner.

    1. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      As bad as the Mane blank was, Rashford scoring was great. Robbo assist was a little annoying.

      1. Gentle_Turks
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        +1

    2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Thats 3 blanks in 4 somehow now for Sadio - those blanks have gone quite under the radar given the frenzied transfer activity

      He’ll just keep getting supplied with chances though, but definitely looks to be in what could almost be termed a “lean spell” if it continues

  19. Cookie Kid
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    I don’t mean to brag but 30 from 10 for my wildcard bubble

    Lundstram to take it to sub-30 tomorrow

  20. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Quiz for all you considering United attackers: when did United last score more than one in a PL game

    1. Rash
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Chelsea?

      1. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Indeed 🙂 that's too long for me

    2. TheDragon
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Not this season

    3. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      2008 I think.

      1. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Certainly feels like it

    4. Debauchy
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Ummm ..

    5. Regin
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Opening game against Chelsea?

      1. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Winner winner. Not promising

    6. Eleven Hag
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      20 times ago eh

  21. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Any Surgeons about.

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

      James after faking another head injury?

  22. RealVirg
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    BAP scorage?

  23. Smurf
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    So TAA only 1 or 2 points above Robertson. Just shows being patient is the way. Both will score well this season.

    1. Ask Yourself
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Yep look forward to owning both. Might make it happen sooner rather than later

      1. Smurf
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        I’ll be doing the same in GW11.

        1. Ask Yourself
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 5 months ago

          Yeah I can manage that too decent plan. Sadly means keeping pukki for a bit longer but ah well

    2. Cruz88
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Bought in Robertson alongside atrent a few weeks back in anticipation of this upcoming run (otherwise would have spent the funds elsewhere!). Got away with benching Robbo this week though, played Ota instead

      1. Cruz88
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        Trent*

  24. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    So that result confirms this is the lowest points scoring full week in fpl history?
    Which presumably only a Lundstram and/or Auba haul tomorrow could change?

    1. Regin
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      I thought last gw was horrible and the lowest scoring.

    2. OverTinker
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Yes and hopefully Lundstram will keep the clean sheet

  25. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    31 + Lundstram to come, happy with that I think!

    1. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      I would take that.

    2. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      32 with Lunds, should finish on 45

  26. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Anyone else think you should get less points when a defender comes in for a midfielder? Im getting Rico on for Otamendi, feels unfair that others are getting him in for Salah who isnt a defender.

    1. TheDragon
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      You must get through a lot of bait each day

      1. Brosstan
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        A large tackle box helps

    2. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Half points all rounded down is the way to go.

    3. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      LOL

    4. Ask Yourself
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Yes if this is the way you boast about it

  27. Jimbo-Jones
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Do we think Martial is now back?
    Great fixtures and 7.5 - could be a good Pukki replacement (Pukki, Cantwell to Martial Connolly)

  28. have you seen cyan
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    I have 22 points 🙁

  29. Ógie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    I went back and had a look at the Lallana goal and i could not see Firminho getting a touch on Robbo's cross but i got no clear look at it tbf.

    My instinct says it is a Robbo assist fwiw.

    1. Ask Yourself
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Yeah I’m guessing the VAR people got an angle but for some reason they’re not showing us. Perhaps they’re cheating liverpool fans but that’s none of my business

      1. Ógie
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 5 months ago

        It depends who the VAR guys have got in their fpl teams i guess. 😛

  30. Ask Yourself
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Cantwell’s 3 points from the bench for salah feels like a haul this weekend. 1 attacking return from 9 so far

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

      3 is indeed a haul nowadays.