Dugout Discussion

Mount, Pulisic and Ings benched as Boxing Day rotation strikes

There are six Premier League matches kicking off simultaneously at 15:00 GMT this afternoon.

Aston Villa v Norwich City, Bournemouth v Arsenal, Chelsea v Southampton, Crystal Palace v West Ham United, Everton v Burnley and Sheffield United v Watford are the half-dozen fixtures in question, with two more games to follow later this evening.

The headline team news perhaps comes from Stamford Bridge, where there are benchings for Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Danny Ings.

Frank Lampard has seemingly stuck with a 3-4-3 for the visit of Southampton, with Fikayo Tomori again lining up at centre-half.

Marcos Alonso, the suspended Mateo Kovacic and Mount drop out of the team that defeated Spurs, with Jorginho, Emerson and Callum Hudson-Odoi promoted to the starting XI.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s alterations both come in attack, with Ings and the injured Shane Long replaced by Che Adams and Michael Obafemi.

Bjorn Engels, Frederic Guilbert, the injured John McGinn and Conor Hourihane make way for Aston Villa, with Ahmed El Mohamady, Ezri Konsa, Marvelous Nakamba and Trezeguet recalled.

Norwich City are unchanged.

At the Vitality Stadium, Jack Simpson, Callum Wilson and the fit-again Steve Cook replace the suspended Diego Rico, the injured Simon Francis and the benched Philip Billing.

Mikel Arteta makes three changes from the side that started the goalless draw at Everton.

Sokratis returns from suspension and replaces the banned Calum Chambers, while Alexandre Lacazette and Mesut Ozil oust Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe from the starting XI.

Mamadou Sakho returns from suspension for Crystal Palace, with Cheikhou Kouyate moving back into midfield and James McCarthy dropping to the bench.

Max Meyer replaces Christian Benteke in attack.

Neither Lukasz Fabianski nor David Martin have recovered from injuries, so the much-maligned Roberto starts between the posts for West Ham.

Pablo Zabaleta replaces the suspended Ryan Fredericks at right-back in the Hammers’ only other change.

Carlo Ancelotti makes two changes for his first match in charge.

Seamus Coleman and Bernard start, with Tom Davies and the injured Alex Iwobi dropping out.

Robbie Brady replaces the suspended Jeff Hendrick for Burnley, while Jay Rodriguez is in for the benched Ashley Barnes.

There is one change apiece for Sheffield United and Watford: John Fleck is back from suspension and replaces Luke Freeman for the hosts, while Nathaniel Chalobah is in for the banned Abdoulaye Doucoure for the Hornets.


Aston Villa XI: Heaton, El Mohamady, Hause, Konsa, Targett, Nakamba, Douglas Luiz, Grealish, El Ghazi, Wesley, Trezeguet.

Norwich City XI: Krul, Aarons, Zimmermann, Hanley, Byram, Tettey, Trybull, Buendía, McLean, Cantwell, Pukki.

Bournemouth XI: Ramsdale, S. Cook, Mepham, Simpson, Stacey, L. Cook, Lerma, Gosling, Fraser, C. Wilson, King.

Arsenal XI: Leno, Maitland-Niles, David Luiz, Sokratis, Saka, Xhaka, Torreira, Nelson, Özil, Aubameyang, Lacazette

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, Rüdiger, Zouma, Tomori, Azpilicueta, Kanté, Jorginho, Emerson, Willian, Hudson-Odoi, Abraham.

Southampton XI: McCarthy, Soares, Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Højbjerg, Redmond, Adams, Obafemi.

Crystal Palace XI: Guaita, Kelly, Tomkins, Sakho, van Aanholt, Milivojevic, Kouyaté, McArthur, Meyer, Ayew, Zaha.

West Ham XI: Roberto, Zabaleta, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Snodgrass, Noble, Rice, Fornals, Antonio, Haller.

Everton XI: Pickford, Coleman, Mina, Holgate, Digne, Sidibé, Sigurdsson, Delph, Bernard, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison.

Burnley XI: Pope, Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Brady, Cork, Westwood, McNeil, Rodriguez, Wood.

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

Watford XI: Foster, Mariappa, Kabasele, Cathcart, Femenía, Capoue, Chalobah, Hughes, Sarr, Deeney, Deulofeu.

1,485 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Differential C (Mark)
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Adams can't quite connect to a deft Redmond cross.
    Come on Che!

    1. WVA
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Obafemi looking good

    2. Camino Aleatorio
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      What parent would name a kid for a communist murderer?

      Thank goodness the CIA capped him before he started slaughtering poor Bolivian indigenous people

      Bad education system

      1. Differential C (Mark)
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        https://ronaldo.com/football-news/che-adams-explains-why-he-was-named-after-che-guevara/

        Apparently his Mom just really liked the name Che! CG was in the news alot when he was born.

  2. FPL price manipulators are …
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Amazon Prime picked the right GW

  3. SB8
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Is Everton playing 4-4-2 or 3-5-2?

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

    Mount looking out of place here for Chelsea.

  5. Camino Aleatorio
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Hudson-Odoi is terrible, this kid is garbage- fraud

    Chelsea should’ve sold to Bayern when he was a peak hype

    1. Niho992
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      My opinion too. Another overrated english player.

    2. Zladan
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Managed to get himself £120k a week contract too lol

      He’s so so bad.

  6. SB007
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    No returns here. Captained Rashford.

    1. Zladan
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      You always get at least 1 return. Marcus will save your GW.

  7. Grounderz
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    What a Boxing Day. How unorthodox...

  8. CheesyZoot
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Shaping up to be an atrocious week

  9. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Villa still without shot on a goal. Vs Norwich at home..

    1. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      McGinn injury ruins them. He does so much all over the pitch

      1. Niho992
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        I know but they were awful with him on the pitch too

  10. have you seen cyan
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    well this gw is turning out to be a snooze 🙁

  11. Team Cruel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Grealish SOT

  12. Differential C (Mark)
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Lampard's sub looking off for now. Jorgi and Kante were contained well by PeH and JwP, so he added Mount to give em the numerical advantage. Hasn't worked out, we are doing just fine.

    1. WVA
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Mount has improved them TBF, going to be a long half matey

      Ings warming up, won't come on surely

      1. Differential C (Mark)
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        Is he coming on? Think we may need another goal to win this, but I'd take a draw.

  13. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Palace CS gone

  14. OPTA FPL
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Kelly cs gone

  15. _Ninja_
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Kelly cleanie gone

  16. BNMC
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Alli scoring was such a false dawn...

  17. badgerboy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Snodgrass goal

    1. badgerboy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Antonio assist.

  18. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Snoddy G

  19. jimmyabs1987
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Changes Kelly to Pereira at 11.29.58 seconds and now relieved

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

    Antonio assist

  21. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Useless Palace

  22. ZeBestee
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Antonia with a nice assist there. Could become an option.

    1. ZeBestee
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Antonio*

  23. Brosstan
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Nice one snoddy. No VAR please

  24. have you seen cyan
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Ings come on plz

  25. JustPark
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    That's it. Switching to Cara Delevingne speaking in Irish accent.

  26. Don Kloppeone
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Oh ffs. Guaita CS gone

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

    Ings warming up.

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

    Antonio A for Snodgrass G. Interesting.

  29. Burger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    What a trap Palace defence has been recently.

    1. have you seen cyan
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      I got Kelly because everyone else has him, but I never fielded him yet ;p

  30. OverTinker
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Any Chance Hendo finally get a saves point today? Haven't given me a single saves point since I bought him. Going to move him out soon