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

    ASM brace later would be lovely

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

      Oh yes.

    2. Chucky
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      this

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

      Yeah why not.

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

    Mane misfiring

  3. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    As a taa only owner this rancid

    But spare a thought for those who invested 12m in Mané intense of salah

    1. BenDavies
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      How did you go without a Liverpool attacker!?

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

        Can only speak for myself but... I doubled up on Liv defence expecting some cover. And only had money for one premium mid so chose Aubemayang as the make weight for De Bruyne gw3 as I thought their first 2 fixtures were better.

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

        I almost did. Had TAA, Robbo and VVD this morning. Ended up taking the latter two out to bring in Salah.

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

    Great game.

  5. Meinhoff
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Thank you Mr Bielsa, I love real football.

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

      Fantastic, isn't it 🙂

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

    Another season another bad start with auba captain over salah

  7. No Totti No Party
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Sad Mane pick...

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

      The way this game is going...

  8. Powers106
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    TAA —-> LaPorte? With Robbo on set pieces?

    1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Both TAA and Robbo on set pieces

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

    Mane desperate for a goal. But misfiring at the moment.

  10. Zimo
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Robertsons literally taking all the set pieces

    1. how now brown cow
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Most of liverpool's play has been down the left.

      Assuming TAA will take them on t'other side.

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

      Left side of the pitch

    3. Hybrid.power
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Yeah it's frustrating

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

      *on left side of pitch

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

    Non-Salah owners, do not worry, this is what we wanted. Now everyone will get him in and he'll blank for 3 weeks in a row.

    Long term goals, remember? 😀

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

      Plenty are selling this GW.

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

        😆

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

        Many will likely not be brave enough now.

      3. Bilbao Baggins
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Definitely far less though. It's tough to sell a player who at least scored a brace. If he scores 3 or 4 few will sell surely.

  12. PascalCygan
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Salah captaincy soothing my Mitrovic-one-pointer-denying-Mitchell-clean-sheet-points pain... and the supplementary sting of watching Adams get denied, and McCarthy doing nothing... Thanks Mo, all's not lost.

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

    Imagine having Mané over Salah 🙁

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

      He'll get one bro 🙂

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

        Sure will, in the Liverpool end 😀

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

        hope not, Salah owner 🙂

  14. Kip
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Ah well
    At least i ve got Willian

  15. el polako
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    I'll judge my decision to go without Mo after Chelsea game on Monday mo point getting all upset now.

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

      mo point 😆

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

      was that a typo? hilarious either way

      1. el polako
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Aye typo, I'm not that clever.

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

      Fruedient slip

  16. Woy_is_back
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Captaining Auba over No. Big fail

    1. Woy_is_back
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      *Mo

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

    Plenty of time for more Pool points Leeds cant play any other way

  18. Pies Have Come
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Interested to see who owns up to pickling Mane over Salah? Got to admit, I was tempted pre-season due to form but suck to my guns.

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

      Eww why would anyone pickle them

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

      And don't suck your guns. That's gross

      1. Pies Have Come
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        OK, busted for typos. Just say NO, Zimo. It's not worth it... then lick my guns 🙂

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

          😆

  19. Neves say Neves
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Ayling looks far better than dallas, just a thought for anyone thinking of bringing one of them in on a wc in the near future

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

      Yeah, BigManBakar convinced me of that. Got Ayling for FUL now thanks to him.

    2. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      But the hair.

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

        Good player.
        Better hair.

  20. Hect.OR 98th
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    So much like my GW1 last year. Captained the wrong player but still looks like a decent start.

  21. BobbyDoesNotLook
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    How is LiveFPL showing Salah ownership as 70 when it is 30 in FPL. Is the 70 based on last year's top 10k in some way?

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

      1st 10K entered.

    2. Ragabolly
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Top10k, which is the managers with ids 1-10000 (most of which are here or on twitter). So consider it the ownership on FFS/twitter

  22. TheDragon
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    What’s Salahs ownership?

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

      32.6%

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

    Robbo 0.5 cheaper and on many set peices

    Makes you think why he wasn’t more considered over Trent

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

      Group think

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

      Eh long term, TAA will be better based on stats.

    3. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Get both

    4. JamTart
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Nothing to do with group think or anything like that. Just that the stats show he's worth it. Both will get returns and people will always bemoan not having the one that does on weeks only one does.

      I'm considering the double up later in the season though

  24. Weeb Kakashi
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Laterisers team id?

  25. FPL Blow-In
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    People risking going without Salah. Madness... 😳 I knew the risks!

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      I had 2 teams. One had Salah, the other one Havertz and Son. Went with the second one. I knew this game was a risk... They won't captain him for a while so we will see. Time will tell

  26. Shark Team
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Bielsa may have the strongest legs of all

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

    Does anyone else think that Biesla looks like Grandpa on meth 😆

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

    2 managers who love football, go about their work in the right way, and build squads of players who love coming in to work everyday.

    Mourinho, take note.

    Football should be enjoyed!

  29. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Naby Keita is such a fraud.

  30. THFC4LIFE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Trent has been poor so far