Aguero and De Bruyne start but Mahrez benched for final Gameweek 26 fixture

The final match of Gameweek 26 is one that should have been contested ten days ago.

Manchester City v West Ham United was the only Premier League fixture to fall victim to Storm Ciara, with the postponed clash at the Etihad swiftly being rearranged for tonight.

This evening’s game brings to an end the longest Gameweek of the season (possibly ever?) and it could be one that has a significant bearing on many Fantasy managers’ overall rank.

Sergio Aguero (£12.1m) is owned by just 30.11% of the top 10,000, with over half of those having handed the armband to the Argentinean striker.

Whatever Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m) does tonight will be less significant for his owners, with the Belgian’s effective ownership at 98.91%.

Both of those players start this evening.

Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m), the only other player from Pep Guardiola’s side who can boast an ownership of higher than 1% in the top 10k, is only among the substitutes.

Guardiola has made five changes in total from the side that lost 2-0 at Spurs earlier this month, with Aymeric Laporte (£6.3m), Benjamin Mendy (£5.5m), Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m), Bernardo Silva (£7.8m) and David Silva (£7.4m) all returning.

Fernandinho (£5.2m), Ilkay Gundogan (£5.2m) and Mahrez drop to the bench, while Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.2m) is suspended and Raheem Sterling (£11.7m) injured.

Leroy Sane (£9.3m) is not involved in City’s matchday squad despite a return to training.

Interest in West Ham’s FPL assets is more muted, with Robert Snodgrass (£5.2m) the only one of the Hammers’ squad who has an effective ownership of more than 1% among managers in the top 10,000.

Snodgrass keeps his place, with David Moyes making only one change to the West Ham starting XI that drew 3-3 with Brighton and Hove Albion over a fortnight ago: Arthur Masuaku (£4.2m) ousting Sebastien Haller (£6.9m) in what is clearly a signal of Moyes’ intentions this evening.

Felipe Anderson (£6.6m) returns from injury and is among the substitutes, along with new signing Jarrod Bowen (£6.5m).

The reverse fixture of this evening’s game ended 5-0 to City in Gameweek 1, with Sterling bagging a 20-point haul and Mahrez registering a hat-trick of assists.

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Silva, Bernardo, Jesus, Aguero.

West Ham United XI: Fabianski, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Rice, Noble, Soucek, Snodgrass, Antonio.