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. michael_mac11
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 1 month ago

    Is kyle walker able to finesse a cross or a shot or those he have to drive every single ball he gives with all the power in the world lol

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

    Cancelo getting warm.

    1. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 1 month ago

      I need his 3pts

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

        TC Cancelo?

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

      🙂

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

      Wouldn’t be surprised if he came on CM

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

    if the useless City players could finish properly KDB would be on 20 assists already this season he puts it on a plate and they find any way to miss, that one game where sterling and gundo missed from like 3 yards out was insane

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

    Jesus fall for the 1st time...

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

    Dias to score one more?

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

    Dias is the new Justin. Rank killer

    1. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Not being a d*ick here but surely almost everyone has got him?

        1. Scholes Out For Summer
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          37% EO in top10k so no, definitely not everyone has him

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

      Sterling and Cancelo battling it out for the 1 pointer

      1. @persecuted_by_mods
          3 years, 1 month ago

          Sterling can come on and get minus points with a penalty

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

            This made me lol

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

        Seeing City looking so vulnerable on the break, subsequently, I have now discarded any thoughts of Bruno benching next week.

      3. Baines on Toast...
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        KDB makes city worse. 100 point season without him, 19 games won in a row without him. He is a fantastic player but he undermines the system.

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

          Interesting viewpoint.

        2. michael_mac11
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 1 month ago

          JOHN STONNNNNNESSSS

      4. FPL price manipulators are …
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Imagine City sign Haaland. Perma captain material

      5. Jafooli
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        C’mon Phil, fill your boots lad.....

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

        On -4 from 2, down 20k!

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

        OMG stones

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

        Stones!

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

        John Stones as well WTF

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

        Stooooneees

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

        Stones goal

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

        Stones G.

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

        Get Cancelo on for a goal ffs

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

        Goal

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

          Man City

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

            Mahrez to Stones!

            Beautiful.

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

              Stones showing Cancelo the way!!

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

        Ffs +

      16. 272MK
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Gundo ill take 1 goal plsssssss

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

        Just for Cancelo owners, oh no wait

      18. Parsnips
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Stones hababahahahah unlucky

      19. Z
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Lol....I am Diaz and Stons owner!

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

        Stones you beauty. I’ll take that as a consolation

      21. mwa1t
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 1 month ago

        Who needs clean sheets

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

        Dreaaaaaaaaamland

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

        PEBBLESSSSSSS

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

        Stones and Dias. Beautiful.