Dugout Discussion

Aguero, De Bruyne start for Man City as Sterling, Cancelo on bench for Double Gameweek 26 opener

Sergio Aguero (£10.3m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) both start for Manchester City in their first Double Gameweek 26 fixture at home to West Ham.

Aguero makes his first appearance in a City starting XI since Gameweek 6 – in the reverse fixture against the Hammers – while De Bruyne made his full injury return by starting in the 1-0 win at Arsenal in Gameweek 25.

Ferran Torres (£6.9m) is another longer-term absentee making an injury comeback, which means a host of FPL assets find themselves on Pep Guardiola’s bench.

Raheem Sterling (£11.6m), Gabriel Jesus (£9.2m), Phil Foden (£6.1m) and Bernardo Silva (£7.4m) are all out of the XI, as is Joao Cancelo (£6.1m).

Rodri (£5.3m) is also on benchwarming duty as Fernandinho (£5.4m) earns a second consecutive league start, anchoring a midfield three also featuring De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan (£6.2m).

Aymeric Laporte (£6.0m) drops out of the starting line-up after beginning in the Champions League, as FPL managers’ favoured duo of Ruben Dias (£6.1m) and John Stones (£5.2m) are flanked in defence by Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.5m) and Kyle Walker (£6.1m).

On his rotated side, Guardiola told BT Sport ahead of kick off:

Many games, we have two days recovery. We have a fantastic squad. Everyone deserves to play, all doing incredibly well, fresh legs and a very good mentality.

On West Ham, the Man City boss added:

Looks like they will play five at the back, previous seasons they did it as well, we knew it. They can do normal shape but they’ve done five at back at Old Trafford. The ideas are the same, good runners up front, two incredible holding midfielders. We try to impose our game.

Fabianski is absent for the Irons

Lukasz Fabianski (£5.0m) is the big name missing from West Ham’s starting line-up, with the Poland keeper ruled out due to a training-ground injury.

“Unfortunately one of the players just stood on Lukasz’s arm yesterday (in training). It’s swollen up, he’s just not been able to extend his arm. It’s a real blow, he’s been in really good form.” – David Moyes

Ireland international Darren Randolph (£4.3m) is between the sticks for the Hammers, behind a back five of Ben Johnson (£3.9m), Aaron Cresswell (£5.8m), Craig Dawson (£4.5m), Issa Diop (£4.3m) and Vladimir Coufal (£4.7m).

Declan Rice (£4.7m) and Tomas Soucek (£5.3m) will hope to add to the spoiling effect of Moyes’ five-man defence, behind a front three of Jesse Lingard (£5.9m), Pablo Fornals (£5.9m) and Michail Antonio (£6.5m).

Manchester City XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Zinchenko, Dias, Stones, Walker; Gundogan, Fernandinho, De Bruyne; Torres, Aguero, Mahrez.

West Ham United XI (5-2-2-1): Randolph; Johnson, Cresswell, Dawson, Diop, Coufal; Rice, Soucek; Fornals, Lingard; Antonio.

1,312 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Scots Gooner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    This game is pretty pants so far

    1. Eh, just one more thing ...
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      DIAS ... goal

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

        In my WC team w/ KDB : D

        Powerful anti-jinx

  2. Differentiator
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Hayden is better than Fernandinho

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

    Johnson YC

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

      Finally some action

  4. jbenny1107
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Score West Ham score

  5. Captain Vantastic™
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Antonio looks fatigued.

  6. REDMOND IN SANDALS
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    johnson has been a liability thus far

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

      He's very consistent. Gives it away every time

  7. Eh, just one more thing ...
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Come on Dias ... up for this corner ... nut it son

    1. Eh, just one more thing ...
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      CALLED IT ... hahahaha YES!

      1. Eh, just one more thing ...
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Sort of called it anyway ...LOL

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

    Is Aguero plodding about or actually looking fit?

  9. Captain Vantastic™
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Can't even take a corner rn KDB

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

      You were saying...

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

    OMG dias

  11. GinjaWhinja
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Positioning of Gundo and KDB has been great. Right up behind Aguero when in and around the box. Just lacking end product so far.

  12. Captain Vantastic™
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DIAS

  13. Hotdogs for Tea
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    KDB ...

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

    Dias goal
    Kdb assist

  15. MoSalad
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    KDB pure quality

  16. Captain_Shirokov
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DIASSSSSSSSS

    SIUUUUU

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

    Back of the net!!

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

      KdB to Dias

  18. DAZZ
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DIAS!!!

  19. Royal5
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Dias

  20. Gross Blank Point
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    TC assist, get in there

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

    Love it.

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

    FFS Dias goal...

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

      Fpl

      Not fantasy football scout!

  23. Bubz
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Kdb and Dias in on the WC successss

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

      kept cancelo over moving to Dias had the funds too 😐

  24. The Mighty Hippo
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    KDB and Dias, a lovely start.

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

    See, told you KdB is looking great 😎

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

      Haha fair is fair

      Ridiculous ball with his “weaker” foot

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

        Ain’t it!

  26. tiger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DIAS will be this DGW's Stones...hopefully!

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

    There's always one Man City defender who hauls in a DGW
    Shame the one I own is on the bench!

  28. JJeyy
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DIASS

  29. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Ruben Dias G

  30. Hotdogs for Tea
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    KDB is back ... what a ball