Dugout Discussion

Grealish absent through injury as Castagne returns for Leicester’s trip to Villa

Jack Grealish (£7.7m) is absent from the Aston Villa squad for the visit of Leicester City this afternoon.

Rumours had swirled about the midfielder’s potential absence over the last 48 hours and grew louder closer to kick-off, with the Athletic’s Gregg Evans reporting that Grealish will also miss the first part of Villa’s Gameweek 26 double-header against Leeds United, too.

The England international is owned by 37.0% of Fantasy Premier League managers overall and just over 35.0% in the top 10,000, so his absence will be keenly felt and cause a headache or two ahead of next Saturday’s deadline.

Anwar El Ghazi (£5.3m) is the man who benefits from Grealish’s absence and will line up on the left flank of Villa’s attack.

Dean Smith’s other alteration from Gameweek 23 is also enforced, with Matty Cash (£5.0m) ruled out for several weeks due to injury.

Ahmed El Mohamady (£4.3m) makes just his second league start of the campaign in Cash’s place at right-back.

Brendan Rodgers has also made two changes from the side that beat Liverpool last weekend.

The fit-again Timothy Castagne (£5.7m) and Luke Thomas (£4.2m) are recalled, with Daniel Amartey (£3.9m) and Marc Albrighton (£5.2m) dropping to the bench.

LINE-UPS

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Elmohamady, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Luiz, McGinn, Traore, Barkley, El Ghazi, Watkins.

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel, Pereira, Evans, Soyuncu, Thomas, Ndidi, Tielemans, Castagne, Maddison, Barnes, Vardy.

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 25 SO FAR…

Grealish absent through injury as Castagne returns for Leicester's trip to Villa 2

West Ham United defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the first Premier League game of the day, with Jesse Lingard (£5.9m) continuing his purple patch of form in east London.

Lingard’s goal was his fourth attacking return in as many appearances for the Hammers and turned out to be the match-winner, which looks set to secure him maximum bonus points and a double-digit haul.

Michail Antonio (£6.6m) was passed fit to play and marked his return with an early goal, although his comeback was ever-so-slightly tainted with a second-half booking.

Grealish absent through injury as Castagne returns for Leicester's trip to Villa 3

Tomas Soucek (£5.3m) also picked up a yellow card en route to a one-pointer, with FPL’s most-owned defender, Aaron Cresswell (£5.8m), losing his clean sheet when Lucas Moura (£6.6m) nodded home Gareth Bale‘s (£9.3m) corner.

Soucek and Vladmir Coufal (£4.7m) were involved in separate collisions but recovered to finish the game.

Son Heung-min (£9.5m) and Harry Kane (£11.1m) both blanked but came within inches of a return: the former striking the woodwork late on with a freak, looping touch, with the latter seeing a potential assist go up in smoke in the process.

Kane had also teed the impressive Bale up for a second-half attempt that clipped the bar.

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1,215 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo starting?

    1. Make United Great Again
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Teams aren’t out yet.

      1. Hazz
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        They are on the PL Portal.

    2. Coys96
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yes

    3. Digital-Real
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      nope

    4. Mr. O'Connell
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yes

    5. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yes. Rockstar says yes.

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Thanks everyone, made my day

      2. Amey
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Awesome

  2. Scholes Out For Summer
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Uh oh I sold Gundo for Raph....

  3. _Ninja_
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Maddison off. injury

    1. Flair
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Well that solves one of my dilemmas.

  4. JONALDINHO
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    8 players so far. 8 blanks. Gundo first on bench. You know how this story ends

  5. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Gundo TC might be alive.

  6. Make United Great Again
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Maddison probably out of the doubles 🙁

    1. Mr. O'Connell
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Cheers Brendan.

      1. Make United Great Again
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        No worries pal

    2. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Bad for Barnes & Vardy too to be fair.

  7. Flair
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Everyone starts! Love to see it.

  8. b91jh
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Is Barnes still essential without Maddison?

    1. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      no dont get him. leave my differential alone...

    2. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Slightly worse option. Still decent.

    3. Nomar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yes

  9. TheDragon
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Gundo mega haul incoming!

    1. Rolls-Royce
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      He does that every GW he plays, doesn't he

  10. Zilla
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    No Pep roulette tonight.

  11. seewhyaxe
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    omg I'm hysterical.

    Is Sterling starting!?

  12. Sandy Ravage
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Milan 0 - 3 Inter (Lukaku)

    1. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      how many fpl points is that worth?

  13. Stupendous
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Soooooo

    Digne staying on bench probably

    1. EmreCan Hustle
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Same 🙁

    2. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yeah same. Oh well. Got Antonio's 7 at least.

    3. The Ilfordian
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Same. Thought I was going to miss a Pereira haul earlier in the match too

  14. GOTHAM City F.C.
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    If Sterling starts today he will be benched in one of the DGW. Good time to swap with KDB

  15. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Rockstar getting my hopes up with those tweets 😀

  16. Pat Bonner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Gundogan starting so looks like Barnes stuck on my bench. Dangers of BB prep

    1. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Gundogan probably outscore him all honesty

    2. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      No jammy bench points for me. Gundogan & Burn behind Kane...

  17. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    No City autosubs when people have points on the bench...

    Pep oh Pep 😆

    1. Flair
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Excellent work, only have Dias on the bench

    2. Amey
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      So true !

  18. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Who will be on penalties for City?

    1. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Kevin?

    2. Make United Great Again
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Rodri

    3. DA Minnion (Former great)
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Back to De Bruyne

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Thanks all

  19. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    oof needed a pep roulette with Digne on the bench.

  20. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Looks like Sterling starts.

  21. SharkyT
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Gundo KDB Cancelo Dias Stones all start

  22. Make United Great Again
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Dias Stones & Gundogan. LETS GOOOO

    1. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Same!

  23. AC/DC AFC
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    They all play!!

  24. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Fernandinho (C), Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling

    SUBS | Steffen, Walker, Jesus, Aguero, Laporte, Rodrigo, Torres, Mendy, Foden

    1. Steinburg FC
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      planned to bench boost this week but with Gundo injury and A Robinson aperentlay out favor i let it go by, 14points plus Gundo on bench

  25. seewhyaxe
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo, Stones + Sterling.

    Expect 50 points no less.

  26. EmreCan Hustle
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Why is Watkins never in the box?

  27. Scholes Out For Summer
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Sold Gundo and benched Cancelo... need a bigger sofa

  28. SADIO SANÉ
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo haul incoming

  29. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    ⚽ Team News 📰
    ARSENAL : Leno, Bellerin, Tierney, Holding, Mari, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Pepe, Aubameyang
    Subs: Ryan, Gabriel, Lacazette, Martinelli, Smith Rowe, Willian, Cedric, Luiz, Ceballos

    MAN CITY : Ederson, Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Gundogan, Sterling
    Subs: Steffen, Laporte, Walker, Mendy, Ferran Torres, Aguero, Foden, Jesus, Rodri

    1. Arteta
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Oh dear.

  30. Digital-Real
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Sterly starts