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. Thescaff
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Yesss Cancelo wins

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

      Too early

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

      how ?

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

      Dias has 8 points already in the bank...

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

      As A Cancelo owner with double City of Stones /Dias in my MLs, that West Ham goal is beautiful

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

    Just had a gut feeling that City wouldn't keep the CS.

    1. Weilong7
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      They struggled in fact IMO. West Ham deserved the equaliser.. played well on the break

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

    I hate Antonio

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

      goal for a defender = 6pts, ceiling already fell through bud

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

        Nowhere to hide bud.

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

          team ID not linked, who you hiding from?

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

        Own goal incoming

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

    Dias wagon derailed.

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

      Hardly. CS defence EO 100 percent. Infact Dias owners are winning if anything

    2. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      How? He scored

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

    Antonio has scored 2 goals since I sold him:-(

    1. tbos83
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      And so say all of us

    2. svasei - Up (?) the Rovers
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Yes, it was such a trap that injury.

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

    Excellent for Man City no CS

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

    Is Pep showing support for the pub trade with that hoody that he wears?

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

      I'm just glad he's ditched that woolen jacket he used to wear

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

        The grey one? I liked that

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

          Yeah thats the one. Would be useless in the rain.

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

            Style over substance for Pep. Always

  8. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Antonio second sub.

    At least I didn't sell him. Could've already had a brace.

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

    Dias owners in heaven 😀

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

      I'd rather have the Cs as well though so dropped from heaven just onto cloud 9.

  10. MagicMessi
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Antonio Blank Vs Fulham and Sheffield then gets goals Vs Spurs and MCi what a troll!

  11. Twisted Saltergater
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Get Foden on

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

      HAs to act

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

      And Sterling and Cancelo

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

      Hope so. Tonight Man City lacks of creativity and energy.

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

        Its only just afternoon

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

    Antonio fixture proof

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Never coming in my team ever again

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

        why lol

  13. Zilla
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Gundogan Top 10k EO is 92.75%

    1. Twisted Saltergater
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Don’t get it once off pens and KdB/Aguero/Jesus playing again

  14. faux_C
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Oh I see this week is going to be a troll week. Good to know so early.

  15. Salah’s Sonnet
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    I despise Antonio

  16. gers23
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Antonio to Watkins hmmm

  17. Says
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    You think Antonio is bad? Wait until you see what Salah will do to his sellers.

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      1 assist?

    2. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Who the hell sold salah

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

          loads, he's due to drop in price

        2. moment
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Me, for KDB TC. Yes, I'm anxious about it.

      • Qaiss
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        It’s not bad. There’s no way anyone would have kept Antonio if they were bench boosting. Pointless hindsight imo.

      • JBG
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Jota sold Salah from his FPL team.

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

        haven't sold salah......yet

      • Muchentuchel
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        We're absolutely dead mate.
        Season's over.
        Salah won't do anything.

    3. Rolls-Royce
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Would love a West Ham win here. Will absolutely LOVE it.

    4. potatoace
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Rival mate has Antonio and Coufal on bench.

      Forgot to activate BB 🙂

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

      Lingard now locked in next week

      Fixtures now not looking so awful 🙂

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

      Besides Antonio's goal, Man City is playing "walking" football and taking 50% rest on the pitch.

      Believe this will be the same case for the coming few matches in PL from them.

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

      Justice for Cancelo owners, get in

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

      Stones 2 point DGW haul, if West Ham don’t score again...

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

        8 points*

    9. Ruinenlust
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Antonio punishing his sellers haha

    10. MagicMessi
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      Now benching Mitchel for Cancelo was a bad idea lol!

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

      Antonio has LEE next week and people sold him loooooooooool

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

        In on wc for that game , 1st sub though today

      2. potatoace
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        They can get him back

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

        well I sold him 2 weeks ago when he was supposed to be 'injured'

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

      Antonio on so many benches

      Another reason why this was the week to use Bench Boost

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

      City need Cancelo.

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

      Weird there is no reaction to Jota selling Salah from his FPL team.

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

        Wouldn’t mind this one bit as a non owner