Dugout Discussion

Aguero, De Bruyne and Sterling start as Mendy and Cancelo are benched

Six Premier League matches get underway at 15:00 GMT today, with Liverpool and Manchester City among the dozen teams in action.

Sergio Aguero (£12.1m) has been named in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI for the first time in the league since Gameweek 8.

Just shy of 300,000 Fantasy managers sold the Argentina international in the lead-up to Gameweek 11.

Raheem Sterling (£12.1m), Kevin De Bruyne (£10.2m) and David Silva (£7.7m) also start.

Nicolas Otamendi (£5.4m), Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m), Benjamin Mendy (£6.0m) and Joao Cancelo (£5.3m) are the victims of Guardiola’s rotation roulette, however, with all four benched.

The Saints have made three changes from last Friday’s hammering by Leicester, with a switch of goalkeepers among the alterations.

Mohamed Salah (£12.4m) is fit to start and joins Roberto Firmino (£9.5m) and Sadio Mane (£11.9m) in a familiar-looking front three.

The Reds’ back four is unchanged, too.

Fabinho (£5.5m), who is on four yellow cards, is benched, with perhaps one eye on next weekend’s clash with Manchester City.

Jack Grealish (£5.9m) has not recovered a calf injury and misses out, with Anwar El Ghazi (£5.5m) replacing him.

Unai Emery has recalled Mesut Ozil (£7.2m) to his starting XI for the first time in the Premier League since Gameweek 5.

Nicolas Pepe (£9.3m) makes way for the German, while Granit Xhaka (£5.3m) is excluded from the matchday squad as expected.

Nuno Espirito Santo sticks with the side that started Wolves’ 1-1 draw at Newcastle last Sunday.

Todd Cantwell (£4.8m) has been benched for the first time this season, with Onel Hernandez (£5.3m) taking his place.

Graham Potter has named the same 11 players who started against Everton last Saturday, meanwhile.

West Ham are also unchanged from last weekend, while Steve Bruce recalls Isaac Hayden (£4.4m) and Jonjo Shelvey (£5.0m) for the Longstaff brothers.

There is only one change to the starting XIs at Bramall Lane, with Lys Mousset (£4.9m) replacing Callum Robinson (£5.3m) for the hosts.

Chris Wood (£6.2m) misses out again for Burnley.

Arsenal XI: Leno, Chambers, Papastathopoulos, Luiz, Tierney, Guendouzi, Torreira, Ozil, Ceballos, Lacazette, Aubameyang.

Wolves XI: Patricio, Dendoncker, Coady, Saiss, Doherty, Moutinho, Neves, Jonny, Traore, Jimenez, Jota.

Aston Villa XI: Heaton, Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Nakamba, Douglas Luiz, El Ghazi, Trezeguet, Wesley.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Salah, Firmino, Mané.

Brighton XI: Ryan, Montoya, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Gross, Pröpper, Stephens, Alzate, Maupay, Connolly.

Norwich XI: Krul, Lewis, Godfrey, Tettey, Aarons, Trybull, Buendia, McLean, Stiepermann, Hernández, Pukki.

Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Angelino, Gundogan, Silva, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling, Aguero.

Southampton XI: McCarthy, Valery, Bednarek, Stephens, Vestergaard, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Armstrong, Ings, Redmond.

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

Burnley XI: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters, Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil, Rodriguez, Barnes.

West Ham XI: Roberto, Zabaleta, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell, Rice, Yarmolenko, Noble, Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Haller.

Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Yedlin, Fernandez, Lascelles, Clark, Willems, Almiron, Hayden, Shelvey, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.

2,302 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Arsenal can’t keep a cleanie

    1. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Neither can City, United & Pool

  2. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Pease Pep, keep Mendy away. Please.

  3. FOO FIGHTER
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Jimene!!! On my fecking bench!

    1. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Why tf

    2. KGFC
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      You benched Jimmy 😯

  4. Differentiator
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    JIMmYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

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

    Oh ffs not Jimenez...

  6. Dr Van Nostrand
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Lollana misses an absolute sitter

  7. Differential C (Mark)
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Captain Jimmyyyyyyy

    1. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      GG!

  8. Thiga
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Get in Jimenez!!!

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

    Liverpool denied another pen.

  10. Ha.
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    All these players I don’t own

  11. Sailboats
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    OMG RAUL!!!!!!!!!! YESS

    1. Sailboats
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      BEAUTIFUL!!!

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

    Jimmy 🙂

  13. Woy_is_back
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Jimenez yeees

  14. Over Midwicket
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Jiminez train leaving the station before AVL next week

  15. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Shoulda done Wilson to Jimenez not Connolly (had the view of getting Martial)...

    Can rectify it this week

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

    Willems first on my bench

    1. Ady87
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      3rd for me ha

  17. seewhyaxe
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Benched Jimenez for Connolly 🙁

    1. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Daft. I brought the wrong one in for wilson

    2. SEXY SOLO SAUCE
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Connolly will score anyway 🙂

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

    Stay on the bench goddamn Pepeeee

  19. Bobby Digital
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Virgil c'moon!

  20. DandyDon
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Jimi! First thing positive all day! Get in gear Mane, Sterling and Haller

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

    anyone watching the sea gulls? Trossard looking good?

  22. SkeletONv01
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Gods, like why am i cursed, every player i bring in blanks :/ And here there are dead teams with Kun and Jimenez getting points.

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

    Aww jeez Montoya is on for 11, first sub! Stay away Mendy!!!

  24. Differential C (Mark)
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Saints playing well
    My team doing great

    A fine weekend so far. Cmon!

    1. Patio Kev
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 5 months ago

      Would be hard to be worse than last weekends NINE NIL to be fair.

  25. Team Cruel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Villa miss sitter

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

    Virgil denies Villa 2nd

  27. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Grab a goal each, Trent Connolly and Kun

  28. MarkoSD
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Pope - set and forget points

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

      Set and forget about getting points

  29. SEXY SOLO SAUCE
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    COME ON CONNOLLY 🙂

  30. My heart goes Salalalalah
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 5 months ago

    Was between Jimenez in for Greenwood, or Mendy in for Ota and delay Jimenez. Brought Mendy in 🙁