Dugout Discussion

Gundogan fit to start as De Bruyne returns to City XI and Foden drops to bench

After missing out on Manchester City’s win over Everton in midweek, Ilkay Gundogan (£6.1m) has made a swift return from a groin injury and makes Pep Guardiola’s starting XI this afternoon.

Arsenal are the latest team attempting to stop City’s 17-game unbeaten run, with kick-off at the Emirates at 16:30 GMT.

Gundogan featured prominently in both the transfers in and out columns in the run-up to Gameweek 24: 365,022 Fantasy Premier League managers recruited the German after his huge haul against Spurs, with 244,409 of us moving the in-form midfielder on – no doubt influenced by the yellow flag that appeared next to his name following his no-show on Merseyside.

There is other noteworthy team news from the City camp, with Gundogan one of five players who are recalled.

Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) makes his first start in over a month, with John Stones (£5.2m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.5m) and Fernandinho (£5.4m) also back in Guardiola’s line-up.

Phil Foden (£6.1m) drops to the bench despite scoring at Goodison Park, with Gabriel Jesus (£9.2m), Kyle Walker (£6.1m), Rodri (£5.3m) and Aymeric Laporte (£6.0m) also making way from the team that took to the pitch at kick-off on Wednesday.

Sergio Aguero (£10.3m), who has not played for City since the beginning of January, is also among the substitutes for the visitors.

Having named the same team in his last two competitive matches, Mikel Arteta also makes five changes to his starting XI.

Kieran Tierney (£5.2m), Rob Holding (£4.5m), Nicolas Pepe, Pablo Marí (£4.4m) and Mohamed Elneny (£4.2m) return, with Cedric Soares (£4.6m), David Luiz (£5.4m), Gabriel (£5.0m), Emile Smith Rowe (£4.3m) and Dani Ceballos (£4.7m) dropping to the bench.

LINE-UPS

Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Pablo Mari, Tierney, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Pepe, Aubameyang.

Man City XI: Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling.

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 25 SO FAR…

Gundogan fit to start as De Bruyne returns to City XI and Foden drops to bench 1

Second-place Leicester City warmed up for their Gameweek 26 double-header with a win over Aston Villa on Sunday, a match that was notable for injuries to two well-owned FPL midfielders.

Harvey Barnes (£6.8m) recorded his second successive double-digit haul with a goal and an assist in the Foxes’ victory, which took his total to 10 attacking returns in 11 Gameweeks.

James Maddison (£7.3m) is in similarly fine form and opened the scoring at Villa Park – his 12th goal or assist in his last 14 appearances.

But the England midfielder hobbled from the field of play just after the hour-mark, having twice needed treatment from the visitors’ physios.

Missing altogether was Jack Grealish (£7.7m), who was sidelined with a reported shin problem.

While some reports suggest the Villa talisman may be absent for several weeks, manager Dean Smith said he was “hopeful” of the player’s return against Leeds.

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1,652 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Kai
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cangetyellow

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

      You tried.

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

        Bottomed

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

    anyone considering taking out Cancelo?

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

      Cancellow

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

      I've hired a guy already.

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

        Good one that

    3. TAT
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yes. Doubt I can prioritise the transfer though…

    4. Make Arrows Green Again
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      He's out of my league :'(

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

      Yeah gonna switch to Laporte as he’s nailed

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

      I would on WC but not for hits.

  3. Don Kloppeone
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Dias + Gundo goal combo needed now!

  4. Cantona's Kung Fu Kick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    pep parking the bus like jose

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

    31 points so far - good bad or average?

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

      Average id say

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

        Cheers, disappointing WC so far, but haven’t missed out on much I guess

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

      Averages:
      Top 10K - 32.52
      Overall - 27.54

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

        Thanks, just about keeping pace then

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

        So 45 a rank riser

        1. Old Man
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          huge

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

          Nice, I’m hoping to be on that after Bruno

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

            Have Bruno and Shaw then Ings and Bamford c on Tuesday night.

            Didn't extend to Raphinha tho.

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

              Same but no Shaw, Ings (C) over Bamford plus McCarthy and Raphinha

    3. Salan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Very average

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

      average

  6. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    4.6 for that dive

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

    I can already feel my disappointment as Foden trots onto the pitch

  8. Athletico Underachieving
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Lowton and cancelo losing what could be quite important points in a low scoring week. So frustrating

  9. Kai
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Ok I will stop Cancelling

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

      J-wow

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

        Sorry I tried too hard

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

      Kai #cancelled !

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

    Need Dias & Stones to come away with BAPS

  11. FFSbet.com
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Bald fraud got some problems,always warming up Kun and put Jesus in.

    What a boss!

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

    Dias & Stones look tired, should be subbed. 🙂

  13. Catastrophe
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Come on Ruben, crawl into 3 BAP territory

  14. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    City look knackered

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

      That first 15 mins took it out of them.

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

      Arsenal even more so.

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

      CS in danger

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

        From who? Arsenal don't look particularly likely to score honestly. More involved in the game but not likely to score.

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

      They could be so tired that they are all asleep and arsenal still wouldn't get close to scoring

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

    These Arsenal players are really made of glass.

  16. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo wtf

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

    3 - Fernandinho, Zinchenko (29)
    1 - Dias (28)

    Stones (26)

  18. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Mahrez needs to come off. Looks tired, losing the ball and not tracking back.

  19. Weasel Boy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    After that pass back Cancelo needs to go

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

    Get Walker and Kun on

  21. SM001
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz......

  22. Chucky
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    48 points Stones and Antibiotics again on the bench... 🙁

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

      Antonio...

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

        Benched him too but had no choice

    2. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Get well soon

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

          Coming in this GW..

    3. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Cancelo’s gone off reservation last 5 mins

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

      Thought I'd made the right decision playing Mee over Stones lol of course Stones is now going to outscore him

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

        City had better CS odds than Burnley did. ofc Burnley got a CS anyway, but yeh - playing City defenders was always the correct choice. Think people still see Arsenal as a difficult fixture on paper.

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

          Burnley home v West Brom, City away to Arsenal lol

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

            Yes, and City still had better odds. Arsenal are a mid table side - better than West Brom ofc. But City are also significantly better than Burnely.

    5. Coaly
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Kane -4 or Sterling next week?

    6. Egg noodle
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I think I'm going to get depressed if Gundo scores. It's going to be 4 pages worth of gundooooo posts..

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

        Try closing the browser, works for me

    7. Make Arrows Green Again
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Cavani not in squad

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

        As expected.

        1. Make Arrows Green Again
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Gundo sitting in bench 1 slot for me, ahead of Lowton and Digne. Bah

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

      Anyone besides me capping DCL for the double? Not convinced by Spurs, and Salah/Bruno are lacking form and not having great fixtures

    9. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      There is not a chance Arsenal score here and I'm actually being genuine

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

      This has been one boring weekend of football. Quality has been dross.

      1. Dybala10
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Best league in the world