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. DandyDon
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    PHEW go all none Cancelo owners!

  2. Bushwhacker
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    TBF if Cancelo had scores after that assault it would have been a tad unfair

  3. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Cancelo useless prawn, getting booked and missing complete sitters, use your left foot

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

      He made it a ‘sitter’ tbf

    2. TRIPOS TOPPER
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      you are asking a professional footballer paid many millions per year to use both feet - it'll never catch on

  4. DandyDon
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Stay on that bench Foden. Want Antonio points

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

    Cancelo all bark no bite as per usual

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

    Well.. There is the weekly Cancelo sitter. So frustrating to own. He should be getting double digits every week.

  7. Jimmy Boy
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    If I'd picked Dias over Cancelo on my wildcard this week that would have gone in, apologies everyone

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

    A moment of silence for Cancelo owners.

  9. Danno - Emre Canada
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Anyone over 50pts?

    1. Big_Andy_GAWA
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Not far off...

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

      The highest has 86

    3. Bury94
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Not yet

    4. Slurpy
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      60 if CS holds ,15 from my BB though

      1. Danno - Emre Canada
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Top work

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

    meh Cancelo just meh

  11. Sailboats
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    arghhhhh should have scored

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

    Luiz coming on

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

    Doing his best Coufal impression from Monday night.

  14. ZimZalabim
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Is cancelo the best worst player or the worst best player ?

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

      worst best

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

    To those watching, does KDB look back to his old good form?

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

      Rusty

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

      Looked*

    3. el polako
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Nah don't bother.

    4. JBG
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      If you mean the form he was in before the injury, then yes.

  16. Paqueta Rice
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    No Cavani 🙁 in come Tarkowski

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

      Gutted

    2. Big_Andy_GAWA
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      You benched Tarkowski?!

  17. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Smith probably going to ban training photos and playing FPL!

    "Dean Smith left fuming with training ground leak surrounding Jack Grealish's injury."
    https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-jack-grealish-injury-19884693

    1. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 1 month ago

        The best part is Leicester still set up their team to nullify grealish

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

        What a loser

      • Bushwhacker
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Could just be honest with his press conference and not lie

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

      Is that the first ever concussion substitution?

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

        Mee.

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

        Sure there was one the other week

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

        No. Issa Diop went off.

    3. Top Lad Dakes.
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      There’s no way I’m really about to bench 20+ points,!3 cleansheets while having NO returns in my XI

      Screw that

      1. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Yep

        But for Gundo injury scare it was Bb for me this week. Oh well

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

      Is anyone on here at the game? Is Foden warning up?

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

        Hat and gloves on.

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

          Suspense is killing me

      2. Bushwhacker
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Nope

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

      Wonder what Cancelo's composure stat on Fifa is...

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

        20

    6. Hy liverpool
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Stones is the new john cena

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

      Pebbles really has come on so well.

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

      Mahrez goes from 24 to 28 baps, goddamn Stones is sat fixated on 26.

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

        An assist to fix that.

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

      Antonio -> Ings went well, and Dias and Digne on the bench..:(

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

      10 mins of madness from Luiz coming up?

    11. Tcheco
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Still enough time for another Raz goal

      1. Steve The Spud
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        That would be so good

      2. Bobby Digital
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        This!

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

        He looks done for the day. So annoying.

    12. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I propose those baiting Cancelo owners should have their accounts suspended. This in no way can be considered community banter.

    13. Weak Become Heros
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Do we know how long Grealish is out for?

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

        No. Smith said he had no idea. Which I find doubtful but nothing specific.

    14. Nightcrawler
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Bos very close

      A foul could be worth 3 points