Dugout Discussion

Jota and Firmino both start as Jesus returns for Man City’s clash with Liverpool

The Premier League winners and runners-up in each of the last two seasons clash at the Etihad this afternoon.

Manchester City v Liverpool gets underway at 16:30 GMT.

Debate has raged this week over whether Diogo Jota (£6.4m) or Roberto Firmino (£9.2m) would get the nod to join Mohamed Salah (£12.4m) and Sadio Mane (£12.0m) in the Liverpool attack but, in the end, both players start for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Barring any curveball formation choices, the Reds’ boss seems to have opted for a similar 4-2-3-1 set-up that he trialled in the Gameweek 6 win over Sheffield United.

Klopp has made two changes from last Saturday’s win over West Ham, with Jota replacing Curtis Jones (£4.4m) in one of those alterations.

Joel Matip (£5.4m) is in for Nat Phillips (£4.0m) at centre-half in the other.

Pep Guardiola has also made a brace of changes from Gameweek 7.

Gabriel Jesus (£9.3m) is back to lead the line, with the Brazilian making his first Premier League appearance since the opening weekend of the season.

Ilkay Gundogan (£5.4m) also returns to the heart of the City midfield, with Riyad Mahrez (£8.3m) and Bernardo Silva (£7.4m) making way.

There is again no place in the hosts’ starting XI for Phil Foden (£6.6m), who hasn’t started a league match since Gameweek 5.

It’s not often that we can say that the majority of City assets are differentials in FPL but that is the case at present, with Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m) the only member of Guardiola’s squad who boasts a double-digit ownership.

They are even less popular within the top 10k, with Kyle Walker (£6.1m) – who sits in 8.15% of these squads – the most-selected option.

Salah is by some distance the most-owned player in this fixture, both within the top 10k (65.34%) and overall (46.9%).


Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Torres, Sterling, Jesus.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Jota, Firmino, Mané, Salah.

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1,570 Comments Post a Comment
  1. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Let's go Diogo!

  2. BenDavies
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    I will take Foden staying on the bench as an early Christmas present please Pep

    1. thegaffer82
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Cos he’s more solid and a better tackler than Foden I would guess

      1. thegaffer82
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Reply fail... was meant as an answer to why Gundy is starting

  3. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Come ooooon Robbo

  4. Ze_Austin
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Gundogan starts again

    Why, Pep?

    1. BenDavies
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Very strange

    2. Flair
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      4-2-3-1 double pivot, worked brilliantly against Liverpool last time

    3. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      He always plays 2 'holding' midfielders in tougher games.

      Ederson
      Walker Dias LaPorte Mendy
      Rodri KDB Gundogan
      Mahrez Aguero Sterling

      Against weaker teams, Gundogan will drop out and Bernardo will come in.

      Steffen
      Cancelo Stones Ake Zinchenko
      Fernandinho Bernardo ?????
      Torres Jesus Foden

      Pep is short a holding midfielder in his squad, particularly with Fernandinho now past his best.

      1. Ze_Austin
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Thanks

  5. Kodap
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Are KDB/Sterling the only viable options from City? Moving to Jesus would be a lot easier?

    1. Ze_Austin
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Takes sone faith, especially with Kun returning soon, still early along the nice fixture run of 13 GWs

  6. ivantys
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Must win game for city

  7. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Zaha to Torres? After the Spurs game

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

    Score predictions?
    I reckon it'll be 3-1 City.

    1. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      2:2 or 2:1 for either team. Robbo will deliver against Walker imo

  9. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Salah upfront Bobby CAM

    1. thegaffer82
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      I reckon that’s how they’ll line up yeah

  10. Ógie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    KDB still a minor differential sitting on only 15.9% ownership which is low for a marquee fpl asset such Kevin is.

    1. thegaffer82
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Can see him getting points today

    2. Ógie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Mane even more so btw.

    3. Ze_Austin
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      BGW1 really skewed ownerships

      Then Kane + Son happened

      Then he had blanks, and got injured

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

    Have 2ft and 1.2 itb. How do i fit KDB, bruno, jesus/kun/vardy? Thinking of switching to 352

    McCarthy Ryan
    Robbo PVA Coufal Lamptey Dunne Son Salah Rashford Grealish Anguissa
    DCL Maupay Jim

  12. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Anyone else on a Liverpool defensive double up still?

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

    Mahrez dropped after falling out with KDB?

  14. AzzaroMax99
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    The best CWilson replacement up to 6.0 mil.
    Watkins, Bamford or someone else? Thx.

    1. Davros
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Why get rid Wilson- fixtures look tasty. And don’t like the look of bamford’s next 3

      1. AzzaroMax99
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Injured.

    2. Whiskerz
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Bamford if you have grealish already

      1. AzzaroMax99
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        No, I don’t. So Watkins?

  15. Hattrick Harry
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    KDB hatrick in cards

  16. The Wanton Trader
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Any other Salah cappers knocking about?

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

      My rival missed the deadline so still has Salah captain, expect a big score!

      1. The Wanton Trader
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Normally the way things like that go...

  17. FredrikH
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Bit premature but Son Brewster -> Jota Cavani tempting transfers if feeling punty for after the IB.

    1. Flair
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Mate

  18. thegaffer82
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Mistake from Klopp playing only 2 recognised MFers...

    They gunna get over run in CM today I reckon

  19. waltzingmatildas
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Only Mané left. Hope he does me proud!

  20. Flair
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    This is going to be amazing

    1. Eddie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Logged on to say just this. Extremely open in first couple minutes.

  21. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Trent looks up for this

    2 great passes already

  22. Flair
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Firmino bottling it already

  23. sminkypinky
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Hope this is a good game. Fpl aside for once. Going to try and just enjoy the game.
    Promising start.

    1. Eddie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Here here

  24. Bubz
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    This game looks like it could be bonkers

    1. Ógie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      More like a basketball match than a football game.

  25. George Agdgdgwngo
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    I think ziyech isn’t going to make my team. I have chilwell for coverage.

    What do u think?

    Martinez
    Chilwell, Lamptey, Taylor
    Kdb, salah, Bruno, grealish,
    DCL, bamford, Kane

    Forster, Mitchell, Lewis, Bissouma

    1. Ode
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Excellent team

  26. Pep Roulette
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    KDB CAM? 4-2-3-1?

  27. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    This looks a potential goalfest. One to enjoy!

  28. WVA
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Robbo looking good but will end up with 1 point as I started him over Justin

    1. Egg noodle
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Don't worry mate. I benched him so he will score

  29. Forgetmeknot
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Looking an incredibly open game already

  30. F_Ivanovic
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    First 5 mins have been better than the entire 180 minutes of the previous 2 games