Dugout Discussion

Tomori and Targett absent as Pulisic returns for Chelsea

Christian Pulisic (£7.0m) returns to the Chelsea team to face Brighton on the first matchday of 2020.

Joining him in the starting line-up is right-back Reece James (£5.0m), who was recently ruled out by Frank Lampard for at least a week.

He plays on the right of defence which means another appearance at left-back for Cesar Azpilicueta (£5.8m).

Tammy Abraham (£7.8m) and Mason Mount (£6.3m) also keep their places in the 4-3-3 system.

However, Fikayo Tomori (£4.8m) misses out on the match altogether which means a place on the bench for Tariq Lamptey (£4.0m) once again.

Brighton manager Graham Potter has selected Pascal Groß (£6.4m) and Aaron Connolly (£4.5m) on the bench with Steven Alzate (£4.5m) and Leandro Trossard (£5.8m) starting either side of Neal Maupay (£5.8m).

Burnley host Aston Villa in the other lunch-time match where Matt Targett (£4.4m) misses out through injury.

Dean Smith has gone for a slightly altered shape to usual, lining up in a 3-4-3 system featuring Neil Taylor (£4.3m) and Frédéric Guilbert (£4.4m) as the wing-backs and Tyrone Mings (£4.5m) in the back-three.

Brighton XI: Ryan; Burn, Webster, Dunk, Montoya; Pröpper, Mooy, Bissouma; Trossard, Maupay, Alzate.

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Rüdiger, R James; Kanté, Jorginho, Mount; Pulisic, Abraham, Willian.

Burnley XI: Pope; Mee, Tarkowski, Bardsley; McNeil, Westwood, Cork, Brady; A Barnes, Wood.

Aston Villa XI: Heaton; Hause, Mings, Konsa; N Taylor, D Luiz, Nakamba, Guilbert; Grealish, Wesley, Trézéguet.

1,828 Comments Post a Comment
  1. King Carlos
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Edson Arantes do Grealishmento

  2. Salah’s Sonnet
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Hate Grealish, and his hair

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

      Should be on 19 points by the end of the game had it not been on sh*tty VAR decisions.

      1. Salah’s Sonnet
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        Glad he isn’t

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

          Hopefully he smashes the 20 pointer today. Still happy with what he already has.

    2. The Sociologist
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      He’s a Peaky Blinder at heart.

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

    Cant wait for a break. horror christmas period. loosing ground week by week. no fun

  4. Hart-ake
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Taking out Grealish this week, proper over management. Ugh.

  5. jia you
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Def watching the wrong game, both Brighton and Chelsea playing awful rubbish!

  6. Differentiator
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Growlithe goal and assist not shabby

    1. FDMS All Starz
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      What

    2. FDMS All Starz
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Just saw he got the assist too

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

      Isn't that a pokemon?

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

    Moura had better do something

    1. Hart-ake
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Agreed.

  8. Mweene
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Sold Grealish for Martial ...

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

    Sold Grealish...damn

  10. Public user
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    For the past 5mins , my mind was all about the assist lol

  11. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Fully expect Traore,KDB or Vardy to all start, we’re looking lively in training yesterday....

  12. manu4life99
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Grealish 1st sub! Any chance any of these miss out?

    Salah KDB Martial Traore Vardy Kane

    1. Dreaming of glory
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      All start

    2. Klein
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Kdb maybe but dont think any others will.

    3. Tasty Jerk
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Nope, all will start and blank 😉

  13. Dreaming of glory
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Was planning
    Grealish > fleck

    To fund
    Target > taa

    Nice headache now despite villas difficult enough run coming up

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

    Of course I did Grealish > Martial this week. Too bl*ody carried away 🙁

    Fml

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Martial could score better

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

        It’s possible of course but Grealish is just a great player to own. I was tempted away from logic!

  15. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    If you can get Wesley an assist he cant miss you must be talented

  16. Railwayman
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    The FFScout turned people against Grealish with all that talk to switch him for Traore. Joe and Andy will have some explaining to do 😀

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

      Is that were it all stemmed from? LOL!

      1. Railwayman
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        Well, they mentioned it more than once in the last couple days. Joe himself almost did it this week, but opted to hold for this week and sell before the City game.

    2. The Sociologist
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Joe advised keeping Grealish this week because of the Burnley fixture didn’t he?

  17. Woy_is_back
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Grealish, season keeper

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Ooo i dunno about that mate haha

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

        If Villa score he´s involved, sound good to me for a fourth mid bought for 6.1

  18. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Any chance of Mane/Salah no show? Pool face Everton on Sunday in FA cup. Surely...

    1. boc610
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      mane due a rest.

    2. El-Kloppico
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Cameo. Mané to replace Salah on the 65th min.

  19. El-Kloppico
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Grealish has been the best young player so far even if team is not at level. Cant see why people sold him. Adama we all know is a trap.

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      True that

    2. Do I Not Like Orange
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      It was his team, not him. Villa couldn't score and conceded 2 additional goals after Watford went down to 10 men, immediately after a real struggle breaking down Norwich at home. I just didn't think he could do it alone with that team around him, admittedly it's looking a mistake now.

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

      +1

  20. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Grealishdona

  21. boc610
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    lots of jammy grealish points incoming when mane rested

    1. Alonso The Great Midfielder
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      please.no. my captain

      1. boc610
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        yikes , who is your VC ? pool have everton in fa cup on sunday

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

      idk, most people surely sold him.

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

    Even though I did it myself (as part of 2 transfers, to remove Pulisic), selling Grealish for Traore was never a clever move.

    Last run of uninterrupted games he scored:

    6, 9, 2, 6, 0, 8, 6, 1, 9+

    That 0 was a penalty miss, too. Could have gone the other way.

    Grealish was on the Goals Imminent table, against a poor Burnley.

    Again, I did it myself so can't talk too much - but I'm genuinely so surprised this whole site went crazy recommending the move.

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

      Also a nailed talisman, I was planning to get rid of him this week!

    2. El-Kloppico
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Ppl here are never satisfied. One blank and they all go crazy and start encouraging others also to sell.. so they dont moan alone when they got it wrong

    3. teddypicker
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Did it looking forward to gwk24 and couldn't miss out on Traore rises.

      Also 1pt against 10 man Watford triggered me...

  23. Freaki
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Pope to Fab?

    1. beric
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Thats what im thinking

  24. I SPEAK ENGELS AND DRINK GI…
    • 4 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Did Tammy to Jimenez. Now regretting it, not just for the assist but the fact Chelsea play next GW Burnley home and they look so bad vs AV

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

      same

  25. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    Need peno save from Jack Ryan asap...

    1. El-Kloppico
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Ok. During the break then. On PES or FIFA. We'll simulate it

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

      Jack?

      If Mat, I'm afraid Jorginho doesn't miss penalties!

  26. Digital-Real
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    hands up if you sold Grealish this GW?

    \o/

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Yep on WC, the correct move

    2. Moose™
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 3 months ago

      Almost. But, I put him on my bench for Cantwell. Gg

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

      o/
      For Martial for a hit...

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

      0/ Traore

  27. BrutalLogiC
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    43% of top10k with Grealish, brutal:(

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

      LiveFPL says 24.6%

      1. BrutalLogiC
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 3 months ago

        I hope that's right, I got it from fpl analytics

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

      its ok, the consolation is they own Grealish

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

    We were lucky to catch Burnley on one of their off days. Usually they're harder to break down at home.

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

      They have lost 5 of their last 7 matches. If today continues, it'll be 6 losses in 8.

  29. Sasquatch Slayer
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    To follow up on my selling of Grealish I will sell Ings this week. Enjoy the points fest next week owners .

    Reverse Midas touch

  30. It’s gonna Ben Mee
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 3 months ago

    The positive thing as a Grealish-bencher is that this will stop the sell off and prevent a price drop. Silver lining...