Dugout Discussion

Sterling benched as De Bruyne, Mahrez and Foden lead Man City attack

Pep Guardiola continues to ruffle the feathers of Fantasy managers as he named Raheem Sterling (£11.7m) on the bench for Manchester City’s Gameweek 34+ meeting with Newcastle.

The England international has been in decent form since the restart, returning double-figure hauls in both of his starts at the Etihad Stadium in that time.

But his 16.3% ownership will have to settle for, at most, an appearance off the bench tonight, where he has been selected alongside Kyle Walker (£5.6m).

Sterling’s place in the team has been taken by Phil Foden (£5.4m), snapped up by over 140,000 managers for Gameweek 34+ having averaged 11.3 points per game at home since the Premier League came back.

His backers will certainly be excited by the prospect of Foden playing in the front-three alongside Gabriel Jesus (£9.6m) and Riyad Mahrez (£8.6m), support in midfield by the Gameweek’s most popular captain: Kevin De Bruyne (£10.8m).

However, Newcastle will certainly do their best to put their bodies on the line as Steve Bruce has gone with a very defensive-looking 5-4-1 formation.

It features Matt Ritchie (£5.3m) and Valentino Lazaro (£5.3m) on the flanks of midfield supported by fellow defenders Danny Rose (£5.3m) and DeAndre Yedlin (£4.4m) behind them in the full-back roles.

Still, they may find it hard to ask too many questions on the counter-attack with Miguel Almirón (£ 5.8m) on the bench and Allan Saint-Maximin (£5.5m) sidelined with a knock.

Sheffield United will be in good spirits as they host Wolves, with Jack O’Connell (£4.5m) finally back in the starting line-up for the first time since Gameweek 29.

Chris Wilder also has John Lundstram (£4.6m) at his disposal, recovering from his shoulder injury ahead of schedule to sit on the Blades’ bench.

Wolves come to Bramall Lane in the familiar 3-4-3 formation, featuring Diogo Jota (£6.1m) and Adama Traoré (£5.7m) either side of Raúl Jiménez (£8.3m), Leander Dendoncker (£4.4m) dropping to the bench.

West Ham are another team with key reinforcements arriving just in time for Gameweek 34+ as Sébastien Haller (£6.8m) has been deemed fit enough for a place on the substitutes’ bench.

Michail Antonio (£6.9m) retains his starting centre-forward berth for now, but it will be interesting to see what impact Haller will have from this point onwards.

The mid-price midfielder, with three attacking returns in his last two matches, is supported by an attacking midfield of Andriy Yarmolenko (£5.2m), Pablo Fornals (£6.0m) and Jarrod Bowen (£6.4m).

Still without Ben Mee (£5.0m), Burnley hand another start to Kevin Long (£4.3m) alongside James Tarkowski (£5.2m).

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Zinchenko, Stones, Otamendi, Cancelo; Rodrigo, De Bruyne, D Silva; Foden, Jesus, Mahrez.

Newcastle United XI: Dúbravka; Rose, Fernández, Schär, Krafth, Yedlin; Ritchie, Bentaleb, Shelvey, Lazaro; Joelinton.

Sheffield United XI: D Henderson; O’Connell, Egan, Basham; Stevens, Osborn, Norwood, Berge, Baldock; McBurnie, Sharp.

Wolves XI: Patrício; Saiss, Coady, Boly; Jonny, Neves, Moutinho, Doherty; D Jota, Jiménez, Traoré.

West Ham United XI: Fabianski; Cresswell, Ogbonna, Diop, Fredericks; Rice, Soucek; Yarmolenko, Fornals, Bowen; Antonio.

Burnley XI: Pope; C Taylor, Tarkowski, K Long, Bardsley; Pieters, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil; Vydra, Rodriguez.

1,975 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Henning
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    What to do with Jimenez?

    1. drughi
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      I'm shipping for vardy, wolves are done

      1. Henning
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        Have Vardy and Greenwood. Maby Son and Jimenez to William/Pulisic and Aubameyang?

  2. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Wow, Doherty + Patricio worked out well then.

    1. Amey
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Nice

  3. Reg83
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    hopefully mane doesnt come on at all. if so, dcl my first sub

    1. Cok3y5murf
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Same here, but I don't know why you're expecting anything from DCL lol

      1. Reg83
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        i am not really. hopefully he can surprise. taylor 3rd on my bench!

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

      I'd rather have 30 minutes of Mane than 90 minutes of DCL.

  4. Babelcopter
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    I’m not having this! City 5 goals and KDB 1 assist. Fecking joke! Belgian fraud.

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Silva and Foden the frauds. Missed sitters from KDB assists.

  5. WVA
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    You cannot deny this game is 100% luck surely!?
    I have had the worst possible luck for 90% of this season, been a nightmare.

    1. JONALDINHO
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      I’d hate to break it to you

    2. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      It is not 100% luck. But I reckon 30% luck. And actually that is quite a lot of luck.

      1. Brosstan
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        way more than that lol. Probably 90% luck between managers that actually put in effort. Of course compared to absolute droolers its mostly skill

    3. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Luckfantasyfootballhorseshoe.com

    4. Manani
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      not sure what rank you are, but luck for top 50k maybe.

  6. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Early transfer thoughts.

    Salah to Sterling
    Salah to Mahrez
    Save???

    1. JONALDINHO
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Sterling

  7. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Did Lund to Taylor this week

    Finally a bit of luck!

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Bravo

  8. drughi
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Had egan for the dgw, 3 points then now he is wiping out my CS. NR 1 on my current hate list

  9. JONALDINHO
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Does everyone’s mini league rival have Egan and no wolves defenders?

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

      Apparently.

    2. SuperMane Returns
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Mine has double Wolves defence.

    3. HTL
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Yes, I'm 2nd, but third and fourth both played him. Makes a mockery of my double Wolves defence too.

      First played his free hit and obviously got rid of Mane, brought in Pulisic etc

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

    I need Salah and TAA to go huge tonight and mane something off the bench or my season is over.

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Salah will explode. TAA is kind of irrelevant unless if he is your captain...

  11. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Should be NO BAPs for Pope.

    1. drughi
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      7 points is enough

    2. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      What? What? What a shame

    3. Champions League Varane
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Get in

    4. Amey
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

    5. the snazzy viking
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      feels like one of my players has got an assist

      get in

    6. Forza
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      :mrgreen:

    7. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      1 Shirley?

  12. Kodap
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    I own Jimmy & Doherty,

    Got 2FT... what do i do?

  13. Pino
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Damn double Wolves defence. Fell from 18k overall to 28k because of single goal.

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      That's why I said if you have only 1 Wolves defender it doesnt matter unless you get attacking return

  14. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    A sea of disappointment and the only player I expected nothing from gets a 12 pointer. Thanks Charlie

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

      FPL in a nutshell.

  15. FPL Blow-In
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Feel like packing it in after that. Such a sickening punch into the stomach.

    1. TheDragon
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Ye me too - that’s the final straw this season

  16. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    1bp for KDB hopefully 🙂

    1. SuperMane Returns
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Deserves 2 baps for 5 wasted 'assists'

  17. The Ejiptian King
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Foden(C), Mahrez and Jesus, another captain fail to add to the pile, great.

    1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Another day Foden gets a brace there its just unlucky

      1. The Ejiptian King
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        Yeah I know but it's been happening to me all season, oh well.

  18. Ted Bovis
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Just noticed all Sky pundits wear matching shoes apart from Ashley Cole.

  19. Reg83
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    taylor sitting nicely 3rd on my bench.

    atleast wolves conceded last minute- saiss was 2nd on my bench

  20. Pep Roulette
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Why do I always play Stevens and bench Egan? 🙂

    1. The Train Driver
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Before last week Egan hadn't scored a goal for 72 games...

      1. Pep Roulette
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        That's what makes me keep him on the bench! But hasn't worked out well for me! Anyway I'll still play Stevens over him!

      2. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        Its like waiting for a train then you and your mate both show up

      3. GreennRed
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        His Dad was well able to find the net 🙂

        https://youtu.be/SNEF0Qq1Vo8

  21. TheDragon
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    That city game 5-0 with no Foden and KDB involvement and wolves double clean sheet gone last minute

    That’s sums up my season.

    Absolutely raging.

    Think I’m done for this year

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      You were done months ago. Got to hope your luck changes in the new season. Do some voodoo or something. Might help

    2. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Think KdB got an assist

    3. The Ejiptian King
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Join the club mate.

      1. TheDragon
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 8 months ago

        Another day Foden gets 20 points that game

  22. Somar
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT EAGEN JUST GOT ME A GOAL AND IS ON 15 POINTS. MY GOD!

  23. JJeyy
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Egan into never bench never sell territory

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      The last two weeks yeah, he's got his moments

  24. Tinkermania
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Does anyone think that DASILVA has played his way into the first 11 in games that matter?

    1. The Suspended One
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      I think he may need to be sent out on loan

  25. KGFC
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Double Wolves defence hurt but atleast I got Egan coming on for Alonso...

  26. shaunyjames
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Egan 1st on bench for 2nd week in a row 🙁

  27. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Well, quite happy with that as a non KdB captainer!

  28. michaelington
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Salah benched next week then?

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 8 months ago

      Maybe unless he insists on golden booth 3 times in a row

  29. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    Jimenez and Doherty last chance this week and only that I already made transfers they would be gone!

  30. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 8 months ago

    This EO% concept kind of ruins the fun