Dugout Discussion

Zaha and Guaita return for Palace as injury-hit Burnley field Vydra as lone striker

Gameweek 32+ continues this evening with just the one match taking place.

Burnley head south to face Crystal Palace, with kick-off at Selhurst Park at 20:00 BST.

Already without the injured Chris Wood (£6.1m) and Ashley Barnes (£6.1m), Sean Dyche has lost Jay Rodriguez (£5.7m) to the hamstring issue that forced him off against Watford last Thursday.

That means that Matej Vydra (£5.3m) is set to plough a lone furrow up front, with the teamsheet suggesting that Dwight McNeil (£6.1m) will support him from the number ten role.

Erik Pieters (£4.2m) has been brought into the side for Rodriguez, with the Dutch defender set to play ‘out of position’ on the left of midfield.

There is also a straight swap at right-back with Phil Bardsley (£4.3m) in for Matthew Lowton (£4.2m), who fails to make the matchday squad.

Much like at the Etihad in Gameweek 30+, Dyche has only been able to name seven substitutes on the bench, with two of them being goalkeepers.

Roy Hodgson has had better news on the injury front, with Wilfried Zaha (£6.7m) and Vicente Guaita (£5.0m) fit to feature in the hosts’ starting XI.

Zaha had limped off in the defeat at Liverpool last Wednesday, a game that Guaita wasn’t risked for.

Luka Milivojevic (£6.7m) and Scott Dann (£4.3m) also start after their benchings at Anfield, with Wayne Hennessey (£4.2m), Mamadou Sakho (£5.0m) and James McCarthy (£4.3m) making way.

Christian Benteke (£5.7m) has failed to recover from a muscle problem, however.

Nick Pope (£5.0m) is the only player on show this evening with an ownership of greater than 10%, although Jordan Ayew (£5.2m) isn’t far off that mark.

Over 45% of the top 10,000 Fantasy Premier League managers own the Burnley shot-stopper, making him the most popular goalkeeper within this elite group.

Both the Clarets and Palace have already hit double figures for clean sheets this season, with Hodgson’s troops having racked up four straight shut-outs before last week’s defeat at Liverpool.


Crystal Palace XI: Guaita, van Aanholt, Dann, Cahill, Ward, McArthur, Milivojevic, Kouyate, Townsend, Ayew, Zaha.

Burnley XI: Pope, Taylor, Tarkowski, Mee, Bardsley, Pieters, Cork, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil, Vydra.

FPL Lessons Learned from Gameweek 32+

754 Comments Post a Comment
  1. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Still only 2 saves?!?

    1. Tempestic
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      4 now

    2. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Added 🙂

  2. Camzy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    That Pope + Taylor defense is golden 😀 😀 😀

    1. Ambrosiana Inter
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      I have pope and benched Taylor ..:(

      1. The Ejiptian King
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Same but played BB this week!

        1. g40steve
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 9 months ago

          Group hugs 0/

    2. Rotation's Alter Ego
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Lovely double. Benched Taylor in favour of Lascelles, thought Palace would offer a bit more...

    3. _Ninja_
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Yup 😀

    4. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Especially when using BB

  3. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    As if, time to jinx Burnley clean sheets and get Pope in

  4. Lukakuna
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope you saint

    1. Bruce Lee
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      He plays for Burnley mate

  5. MiLK2018
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope 9 pointer, beautiful.

    1. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Could be another 10!

      1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Dont push it

  6. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Could moan about have Burnley are so awful to watch, yet Palace are far worse for not being able to beat them.

  7. HollywoodXI
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Question - with Leicester back in lockdown what does that mean to the football team? Presumably no home games for them over the next few weeks?

    1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Big blue WKD order from the Vardy household

  8. denial
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Benched Taylor two weeks in a row. Not cool.

    1. SHOOTER MCGINN
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Benched him last week in favour of Newcastle. Didn't make that mistake again.

  9. Fred54
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pooooooooooooopeeeeeeeeee!!!

    1. Long ago I drew a walrus
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Poopee?

  10. Bruce Lee
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Nick Pope has now kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the league this season

    1. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      I thought it was joint with Liverpool. Surely Adrian didn't get one.

  11. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope single handedly pushing me up into the top 10 K. God bless you.

  12. Only a Hazard of time
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Never turn your back on Pope's love.

  13. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Any pope disposessions?

    1. Don Kloppeone
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Blasphemy!

  14. TomSaints
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Sickening, that’s a rank killer =[

  15. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope you absolute Leg-End

    Taylor firstbsub - need a no show now from someone

    1. Bruce Lee
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Very likley with rotation coming

  16. SADIO SANÉ
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    another Dyche masterclass, up to 8th

    1. Rotation's Alter Ego
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Burnley would be mad if they let him get away

  17. Releasebreaks
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Thanks Pope

  18. drughi
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    I love you pope

  19. Botman and Robben
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope and Charlie Taylor, cheers for the points.

    1. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Correct big rank jump coming

  20. Pedersen
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Now if I just hadn't benched ings in favour of Jimenez...

  21. Naby K8a
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    1 nil Burnley. Pope CS. Lovely jubbly. Dyche ball undefeated

  22. FPL Blow-In
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Captained Jiminez. Sold Ings. Benched Taylor.

    1. Lukakuna
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Tough one Ole

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Yeah it’s a bit disappointing. Seems to be the story of my season. Keep getting my transfers wrong and bench wrong. Chips wrong too.

    2. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Captained Salah. Kept Ings. Played Taylor.

      (benched Dendoncker)

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Well played

  23. EWH2020
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Sell Pope they said. Burnley have contract issues they said

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

      they re on the beach

  24. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope now just 29 pts away from all time keeper fpl record

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

      28*

  25. OverTinker
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope keeps on giving points 😀

  26. Magic Zico
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Pope set and forget ... any questions?

    1. Botman and Robben
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      None.

    2. FPL Pillars
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      5.5 next season

  27. Bruno Bruno!!
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Any suggestion for my FH 33+ Team:

    Pope
    Lascelles Maguire Justin Taylor
    KDB Mane Mahrez Salah Fernandes
    Rashford

  28. Don Kloppeone
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    * the sound of FTs being burnt on people bringing Pope back in *

    All is forgiven for those who return 😉

  29. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    No surprise Burnley won with a CS.

    Crystal Palace have two glaring problems in their first XI:

    1) Joel Ward - not good enough at RB, especially in an attacking sense
    2) Jordan Ayew - not a proper forward. Should be back up to Zaha or Townsend on the wing.

    1. Hitmonlee
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Really glad I had Ayew and Ward on bench boost.. oh well 🙂
      Ayew lucky to avoid a red.. the measly 4 points has at least broken me into the top 100k.. 95k OR now
      That’s the positive I’m taking! Ha

    2. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 9 months ago

      Maybe but Burnley have no fit strikers who are significantly better than Ayew and their right back just turned 36.

      And the difference on the night was a goalkeeping error.

      1. diesel001
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 9 months ago

        Burnley are a better defensive unit than Palace though. So in that matchup, if you want to beat Burnley, you need a good forward to put the chances away. Especially if you are playing at home, because Burnley will go even more defensive when they are away.

        Batshuayi should be their number one target, IMO.

  30. FPL Pillars
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 months ago

    Dirty dirty dirty