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.

GET IN-GAME DATA AT LIVE FPL

Check your own rank and in-play FPL stats on LiveFPL.net every Gameweek

1,652 Comments Post a Comment
  1. JBG
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Should have played Cancelo over Salah or Kane, lol.

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

    Terrible, terrible bloody GW

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

    Naughty from Sideshow Bob

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

    Shocking challenge by Luiz there - looking at the man, not the ball.

  5. moz_1983
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Foden stays on the bench, Barnes autosub incoming!

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

      Ashley?

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

      Most excellent jam

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

      Nice!

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

      Don’t jinx it you fool

      1. moz_1983
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        I like to live dangerously.

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

      You lucky boy - you don't really deserve it.

      1. moz_1983
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Got rid of Antonio, Richarlison and Sterling on WC. Needed this!

        1. Rhodes your boat
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Got rid of antonio sterling and lowton here, stones on bench... areola top scorer this week aha

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

            Ouch. why you take out Sterling and Lowton with 26 doubles?

            1. Rhodes your boat
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 1 month ago

              Lowton has poor fixtures coming up and sterling wasn’t justifying his price and used funds downgrading him to upgrade bench for BB26 🙁

              1. Rhodes your boat
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 1 month ago

                On wc

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

        That is truly ridiculous!!! Lol.

  6. balint84
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    A) Sterling+Antonio+4
    B) Foden+Kane (TC)

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

    Most have had a crap one. Leeds Southampton goal fest can save it.

  8. Scots Gooner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Amazing how the past 2 games have already poo-pooed my WC draft. Back to endless tinkering

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

      what was the draft ?

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

    Is Dias worth the extra ££ over Stones on wildcard?

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

      Not for me

  10. aleksios
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Which option?

    a) BB Johnstone--Bam--Dallas--Cresswell. b) TC Son.

    Thanks guys.

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

    Despite no returns from my other 10 players, don’t even want any Bruno points now cos of his damn EO.

    1. Baron Penguin
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Boring isn’t it? Not wanting a player you own to do anything. I have Bruno and Bam Bam not captained so I only care about 9 of my players.

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

    Suppose I’ll just hold sterling

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

    What a dreadful game. Again.

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

    Stones has been on 26 BPS for absolutely ages and has won headers, won tackles, made loads of successful passes, etc. Hmmmm...

    1. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 1 month ago

        It's fake, always has been

      • DycheDycheBaby
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        BPS are plucked out of the sky. Didn't you know that? Lol

      • Gowiththeflow
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Notice the same...

      • Hooky
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        -10 for that shoulder barge

    2. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Even Southampton have gone to 5 at the back, not expecting the end to end goalfest I would have at the beginning of the season

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

        Such a low average!

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

        Yes Pep/Harvey Barnes Foden JAM beautiful 😀

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

          WC success 😆

      • Pompel
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Just came in, any updates on Grealish, seeing he did not play?

        1. seanie3
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Came in from where? Somewhere with no Internet

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

            Yes. Out backcountry skiing

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

        Watching city games is mind numbingly boring. They just refuse to attack. Just sit on 1-0 and kill the game

        1. seanie3
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Ha ha, good joke.. really funny that one

      • Esalman
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Clutch points from 2x man city+Burnley defence 2 weeks in a row.

      • Rainer
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Stones = clean sheets.

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

          This

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

            He's been some buy for me. Got him the week or so before his 21 point haul. 4.8 million. Lol

      • Roy Hudd
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Great to see Sterling receiving no bonus points for having the biggest impact on the game. BPS as always massively flawed.

      • Tripleh123
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Any advice? Which keeper for upcoming gameweeks? Areola, Johnstone, Sanchez

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

        Double City def gives me a decent score at least.

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

        C'mon towers do some bps manipulation to get Dias the 3

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

          That would be lovely.

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

        Beautiful.

        Benched both Kane & Gundogan and have come out unscathed.

        Only Big Dan Burn can hurt me now.

      • fedolefan
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Paying 11.5m for Raz is so silly when defenders half his price equal his points return,.

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

          Midfielders half his price you mean 😀

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

            Midfielders half his price routinely outscore him.

        2. KAALI_DAAL
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          So you saying i sell Sterling amd get 3 Lowtons.

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

            Get whomever you want but I meant City defenders in general.

      • DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Will Phillips now play a few in Liverpool defense?

      • KAALI_DAAL
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        39 points not looking so nice in ML. Oh well.

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

          You are in better MLS than me then as I have hardly anyone over 40pts

      • balint84
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Dunk (wba) or Lowton (tot, lei) next week?

        1. djman102
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          I'm playing Dunk and benching Lowton.