Dugout Discussion

Alexander-Arnold starts for Liverpool as £4.0m Leeds defender features

Liverpool come into the first Premier League match of 2020/21 with their strongest key players all involved from the off.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) has not turned out for the Reds since the end of last season, missing out on pre-season friendlies through injury, but he starts against Leeds United.

While he was not fit enough to go on a summer tour with his club, the right-back did get some game-time in while away on international duty with England.

Naturally, he is joined in the back-four by the usual suspects of Andrew Robertson (£7.0m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) and Joe Gomez (£5.5m) while Neco Williams (£4.0m) misses out on a place in the match-day squad entirely.

Mohamed Salah (£12.0m), the second-most-captained player of Gameweek 1, starts on the right-hand side of Liverpool’s front-three, as do Sadio Mané (£12.0m) and Roberto Firmino (£9.5m).

In their first Premier League game for 16 years, Leeds line-up in Marcelo Biela’s favoured 4-1-4-1 formation.

The key Fantasy talking point is a start at centre-back for Pascal Struijk (£4.0m), although it remains unclear how long he will last in the team. The budget defender takes the place of club captain Liam Cooper (£4.5m) who is unexpectedly absent from the squad today.

The Scottish international’s late injury means a centre-back pairing of Struijk and new signing Robin Koch (£4.5m) for Leeds, while Stuart Dallas (£4.5m) and Luke Ayling (£4.5m) are set to staff the full-back positions.

Patrick Bamford (£5.5m) has been trusted with a start at Anfield, keeping new signing Rodrigo Moreno (£6.0m) on the bench while key man Pablo Hernández (£6.0m) is also in from the beginning, joined in midfield by Mateusz Klich (£5.5m), Jack Harrison (£5.5m) and Helder Costa (£5.5m).

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Robertson, van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold; Keïta, J Henderson, Wijnaldum; Mané, Firmino, Salah.

Leeds United XI: Meslier; Dallas, Struijk, Koch, Ayling; Phillips; Costa, Hernández, Klich, Harrison; Bamford.

Best players by position:

2,446 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Eleven Hag
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    This is going to be painful 80 mins as a non salah owner

  2. Babelcopter
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Salah essential now.

  3. Stay Back
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Warning sign

  4. Pedram
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    People were selling Salah before this match even started lmao

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

    I have really missed those special occasions when my VC outscores C.

    1. ilikewud
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Should have played Auba as the main striker.

  6. Vitalius
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Come on Salah!!!

  7. Bubz
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Liverpool are a different beast when they can be bothered

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

      Yep. As are Man City. Chelsea could be like them this season.

    2. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Exactly. People put too much weight on pre-season friendlies.

      Saints won 7-1 in their friendly!

      1. Camzy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Well the pre season friendlies would have got you Zaha so it's not all useless!

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

    Wanted to remove Salah. But missed the deadline 🙂

    1. ilikewud
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      k, whats your point?

      1. KINGS
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Being lucky

  9. SADIO SANÉ
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    had no idea Leeds signed Lucy Bronze

    1. Ginkapo FPL
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Quality player, what price is she?

    2. Worsle90
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Hahaha

  10. Peter Ouch
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Mane is having fun.

    1. Muchentuchel
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      what happened?

  11. King Drogba11
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    I’m scared to do Salah to Bruno now....

    1. ilikewud
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      It's been the best player over the last 3 years, it's obviously a risk.

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

    TM what you on about most of my competition captained Salah? Auba was clear top of EO and captaincy wasn’t he

    1. riot
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Historically better players generally captained Salah from looking at teams

    2. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      You'll beat most of the Auba captainers this season.

  13. Egg noodle
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Mane Salah double uppers are you readyyy

  14. Hotdogs for Tea
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Leeds are being schooled 🙂

    1. Bubz
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Timing

    2. Hotdogs for Tea
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      oops

  15. Stay Back
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Harrison G

  16. Hairy Potter
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Ha!

  17. ⭐ ABHISHEK - THE CURIOUS …
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Cleanie GONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

  18. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    OMG harrison

  19. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Leeds G

  20. TorresMagic™
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    1-1 game on.

  21. Egg noodle
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Oh my lord!

  22. Boss Hogg
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    I have to say, the standard of banter on here is somewhat subprime.
    #talkingcrap

    1. Cilly Bonnolly
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Just said the same to someone calling people a “wet fish ass”. That is just objectively shite patter.

      1. Boss Hogg
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Too long without proper football, pubs, etc?

  23. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Perfect.

  24. Herman Toothrot
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Not sure how to feel. If I owned Salah I would have had tonhabe a 6m striker. Mitrovic... Adams... Nketiah... Ayew

  25. sirmorbach
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    MY BOY HARRISON, TOLD YA!!!1

    1. KGFC
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Nice...
      Any info on him?

      1. sirmorbach
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Great value imo. Sure starter, promising team, only getting better at a young age. Stats are not *that* good, but are definitely not bad either. Good bet at his price range. Hope it does pay off

  26. Red Devil Swede
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Bielsaball

  27. Ógie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    How is the double Pool defense going?

    1. Mighty Banana
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Not well...

    2. HashAttack
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Better than treble defense

    3. mixology
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Same as the start of last season . I haven’t learned

  28. KGFC
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Hmmmmmmmmm

  29. Piggs Boson
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Could be some value in that Leeds attack this year...

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

    TAA cleanie gone, need an assist from him now.

    1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Hardly worth worrying about with his ownership