Dugout Discussion

Man United and Villa audition for Blanks and Doubles at Old Trafford

Fantasy Premier League managers will have eagle eyes on Old Trafford in Gameweek 17 as Manchester United and Aston Villa go under the microscope.

The two teams were recently confirmed as having three matches across Blank Gameweek 18 and Double Gameweek 19 – increasing interest in their key assets.

A large majority of the community are currently in possession of talismanic figures Bruno Fernandes (£11.2m) and Jack Grealish (£7.7m) but this is an opportunity to look beyond the obvious.

Marcus Rashford (£9.5m) features in what looks like a two-man strike-force in front of a midfield diamond, having scored more goals in the last four matches than Fernandes (four to three).

Anthony Martial (£8.7m) holds onto his centre-forward berth as Edinson Cavani (£7.8m) embarks on his three-game ban, although the Uruguayan will only miss one Premier League outing.

Eric Bailly (£4.9m) sits next to Harry Maguire (£5.4m) in defence once again, in light of Victor Lindelöf‘s (£4.8m) most recent injury while Luke Shaw (£4.8m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.3m) are on the left and right of the back-four.

Fantasy managers are not short on alternative options at Villa either, not least because Anwar El Ghazi (£5.8m) has outscored Grealish by 42 points to 19 over the last four matches.

He features on the left-hand side of Dean Smith’s attacking midfield trio at Old Trafford, joined there by Grealish and Bertrand Traoré (£5.9m), who has three attacking returns since Gameweek 14.

There is still no Ross Barkley (£5.9m) in the matchday squad but the defence has reset to normal, with Tyrone Mings (£5.4m) coming straight back into the team following his Gameweek 16 suspension.

Manchester United XI: De Gea; Shaw, Maguire, Bailly, Wan-Bissaka; McTominay; Pogba, Fred; B Fernandes; Rashford, Martial.

Aston Villa XI: Martínez; Targett, Mings, Konsa, Cash; McGinn, D Luiz; El Ghazi, Grealish, B Traoré; Watkins.

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1,932 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Front 7 of

    Soucek KDB Son Salah bruno

    Kane Bamford

    Love it

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Nice

  2. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Can anyone beat a bench of Coufal, Dallas and Adams... could see hauls all round but hope not

    1. moment
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Chilwell, Adams, Dallas, but I'm expecting Chilly to come on for Taylor

    2. Il Capitano
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      I have that exact bench, played Lowton over Dallas/Coufal after bringing him in last minute. Points on the bench was always going to be an issue in the weeks leading to BB19 I guess.

    3. Saka_me_sideways
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Adams, soucek, cresswell... in that order fml!

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

      Soucek, Zouma, Dallas

    5. HaveYassineChikhaoui
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Soucek, Coufal, KWP

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

    Soucek is a beast. Was going to get rid of him in BW18 but really re-thinking that now. The Cresswell -> Dier transfer 2 weeks ago has been trash.

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

    LMS safety score currently 1

    https://www.livefpl.net/LMS

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

    Probably late to the party but what’s up with Fabianski?

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

      what happened?

    2. Kno
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      injured during warmup

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

      Injured kicking ball.

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

      Oh well, there goes that idea for the double. Might just go Johnstone and hope for save poiunts.

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

        *points

        I’m half a bottle of JD in here.

  6. Roy Hudd
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    When will the assist for Ogbonna be added? He made a pass... then 5 minutes later after several touches from either side, Soucek scored. Surely as applicable an assist as Creswell's?...

  7. Make United Great Again
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Come on United!!

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

    On FH, should I get risers in my team so that I gain value for this GW?

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

      Unless youre .1 or .2 short of ur ideal team for FH it will make no difference

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

      Only relevant if the player rises by 0.2 which is unlikely

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

      Cheers both

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

    Time for Grealish's three-weekly double-digit haul

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

    I thought I was being sensible canning my DCL to Wood transfer because of the doubts over the Burnley Fulham game...

    Now hoping for a rest for someone to get Soucek points first off my bench.

    New year, new me. No - just checked - still disproportionately annoyed about this game !

  11. Bobby Digital
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    C'mon Rashford, Grealish and Watkins!!

    1. Chucky
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      no to last 2... sold them for vardy and rafi...

  12. Chucky
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Any chance Taylor recovers like Chilly and James and start against FUL?

    1. acidicleo
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Is the match on?

    2. Balls of Steel
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Nah very doubtful

  13. Totti
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    first blow of the week

    player taylor over coufal who sitting first in the bench 🙁

    much frustration

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

      played*

    2. Alisson WondHaaland
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Same. I honestly doubt he'll play though

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

        who knows
        might play like chilwell and james and son against man u

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

      Nearly everyone did this

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

        every week bench frustration

    4. kennethrhcp
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      same. not expecting him to play tho

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

        why?
        no confirmed news yet

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

          hamstring. why risk

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

    I absolutely hate bench points therefore I've decided to play BB and have my ultimate fodders again and relax. This is so painful. 2 benched goals in a row for Soucek. Should have benched DCL instead

    1. Do I Not Like Orange
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Same, wish I'd benched Adams.

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

    Come on United!

  16. Alisson WondHaaland
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    My cup opponent has Havertz. Therefore Havertz will get a hat trick. End of argument

    1. Arctic monkeys
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Can't get a hattrick to save his life

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

        Tbf he does already have a hat trick for Chelsea

  17. Abra Dubravka
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Am I better to ply Free Hit now or wait until deadline for price changes?
    E.g. my current team has DCL

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

      You'll get DCL back.

      1. Abra Dubravka
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        At his price now or at whatever price he is in gw19?
        So better to do free hit now and sell him to get £0.1m more to spend on my FH team?

  18. WVA
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    If anyone wants to know the score without watching it will be 2-2. Fernandes and Rashford goals for United and Ghazi and Watkins goals for Villa. Oh Martinez will get booked too

  19. Kodap
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Gone for a little bet on this match, Grealish, Bruno & Rashford 1 shot on target each!

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

    Berbinho's Forehead was a big proponent of Soucek as a 4th midfielder on here in the pre-season chat. That was a good call.

    1. antis0cial
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      He was in a lot of teams before fixtures, but West Ham had an awful start fixtures wise, then he had COVID. It was about getting him in at the right time, I failed and when I did get him I benched!

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

      So was I and I started the season with him as my fourth mid. Of course I sold him on my WC and missed all his goals.

  21. fedolefan
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Come on United, run at them. Let's get yellow cards for Grealish and Targett.

    1. Alisson WondHaaland
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Lol if Grealish gets a YC now, he just misses the cup tie (unless thats what you want?)

      1. fedolefan
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        Oh rip. Is that so? So he plays GW18 either way.

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

        after first of jan if you don't reached 5 yc then it will be extended to 10 yellow cards

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

          i am not sure but i think this is the rules

        2. Iwantmorepointsthanks
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 3 months ago

          think it is 19 matches?

      3. 2OLEgend
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 3 months ago

        Wrong. He misses the next PL game

  22. Dele
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    UP THE VILLA

  23. antis0cial
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Can I get away with not using fh? Could do Salah to KDB then get Salah back for -4 over son for dgw.

    Martinez
    Dias Mitchell*
    Bruno Son Grealish KDB?
    Kane DCL

  24. wulfrunian
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Soucek is one of the luckiest managers of all time.Managers with bad teams and awful bench.

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

      Picks*

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

      He's not *that* lucky though. His xG is 4.83 and he has scored 5 goals.

      The guy who has been 'lucky' IMO is Son. Yes, he is a better than average finisher, but his xG is 5.00 and he has 11 goals. He is good, but not *that* good.

  25. pakornk
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Bailly or Shaw?

  26. Iwantmorepointsthanks
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Come on Grealish.
    It's the third match since the last haul.

  27. LewanGOALski
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    F.ck again Soucek points left on the bench...

    I wish Che Adams doesn’t play on Monday somehow...

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

      Only covid can rescue the soucek benchers now

  28. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    Pogba starting is bad news for bruno capper

    Limited ceiling

    1. Lukakwho
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      it is bad news but i don’t think it limits the ceiling.

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

    I had another Watkins joke, but I missed my chance to say it

  30. The Red Devil
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 3 months ago

    It's my first time benching soucek (& starting DCL)
    There's been few of you who've experienced this before, any suggestions on how to cope?

    1. KEN YA DIG IT
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 3 months ago

      Whiskey