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. The Red Devil
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Wow, how close was stones to that! Well done to Dias owners though

    1. Pukki Blinders
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Stones owners trying to get a glimpse of glory...

      1. The Red Devil
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        So, you were saying something?

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

    Gameweek over, season over

    See you later

    1. badgerboy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      See you next page.

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

    Cancelo to Dias no brainer on WC soon.

    Rival is burning me with Ederson Dias

  4. badgerboy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Been waiting months for that Dias goal!

  5. Pukki Blinders
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    DIASSS ITS ABOUT FOOKIN TIME

    HE WAS DUE

  6. King Drogba11
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Sold Dias instead of Cancelo grrrrr

  7. Hazard_18
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    First time own Dias and he scores!!!

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

    My Vc triple captain scored, didn't had cojones to give the armband to him because of Peps roulette...

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

    Going to initially seem hard to pick Dias at 6.5 next year, but he’s probably easily going to justify it tbf

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

      Remember what they said about Trent....

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

        And he had shed loads of attacking threat too!

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

        Yep - he’s a fully fledged FPL beast now that he’s added goals & assists

    2. Pukki Blinders
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      The new VVD

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

    Oh my, with my 3 Leeds, I have a serious benching headache next GW.

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

    It's always a CB in a DGW 😆

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

      LoL we never learn

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

    Wish Stones was 6"7 lol.

    Congratulations Dias owners, I'll take the KDB side salad

  13. nolard
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Outstanding cross on his weaker foot.

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

      Does he have a weaker foot???

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

        Good question!

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

    Dias(TC) anyone ?

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

      Was strongly considering it and he is my Vc but didn't do it in the end.

      1. Champions League Varane
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Think he’s talking about next week

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

    Dias was due.

  16. Jindaljain
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Dias TC are real winners

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

    Where’s the guy talking about TC Dias 🙂

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

    Took out Dias on my WC because I wanted a route to get in KDB for either this or next week...

    1. Goodfeathers
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Ouch

  19. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Best decision I have made this season is to go Dias and Stones in my GW10 WC. Have had them in my team ever since.

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

    I love you Ruben!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

  21. Essan
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    That pays for the hit I took to get Dias in 😀

    (hit needed to fund Kane)

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

      That hit has paid off asap!

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

    Buenos Dias

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

    Dias now has as many goals as the essential attacking machine cancelo

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Cancelo will come good. Maybe not this season though. He is improving and eventually he will improve to the point where he will destroy it (in an attacking sense).

  24. FDMS All Starz
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    KDB TC next week when fully fit?

  25. Vazza
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Dias is now going to have a little star for being in the dream team in our bus team for next week

  26. WrightnBright
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Lol, all that time debating on taking Dias or Cancelo out for Stones to fund Kane.... and now he scores.

    This could be a long week...

  27. Jindaljain
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Stones,Sterling &, Gundogan owners are real failures

    1. Das Boot
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Another one talking absolute nonsense. They still have potentially 140 minutes of football still to play.

      1. Over Midwicket
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Gravless noob, remember

        1. Das Boot
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          It's nothing to do with being a noob tbh. It is just nonsense. People start getting upset on here if their players don't score in the 1st 30 minutes and come out with this garbage. Does my nut in.

      2. Jindaljain
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Hit for -8 won't get returns then what to do?

    2. Crouching Tiger
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      A bit early for that

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

    Would take 1-0 & Dias 15 pointer here tbf

    1. Over Midwicket
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Nah, more Kev returns please

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

      Would be ideal. Still have a feeling West Ham will score though.

  29. Forza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Dias had 1 shot in his previous 6 league games, not sure where this "due" talk is coming from. Fair play to those who went for the most nailed option though.

    1. Pukki Blinders
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      That’s where the eye test comes into play. He was due for a long long time

      1. Forza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        The fact that he kept failing to get his head on it was more discouraging than encouraging for me.

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

      Stats don’t capture nearly getting on the end of headers at set pieces

      Which Dias has been doing almost every game all year

      Remember the “assist” for stones second at Christmas...

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

        Yes i remember. That's why i did cancelo to dias the next week

      2. Forza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        The fact that he kept failing to get his head on it was more discouraging than encouraging for me.

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

          Being in the right position is more important at set pieces- which he is more often than not

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

      Find it amazing how both centre backs were in the box for it haha.
      It’s a good job they scored from it

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

    City CBs love their DGWs.