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. tbos83
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Will Stones get the 3bps due to winning goal?

    1. Gandalf
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Winning goal baps already factored in. 1 bap ahead of Dias at the moment

    2. Totalfootball
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Yes

  2. CrouchDown
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    % Dias + Stones owners? 🙁

    1. AIRMILES
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      From the comments, you'd think nearly everyone.

      1. CrouchDown
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        I know.

        It probably is many though, annoyingly

    2. Kabayan
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      1.35% in the Overall

    3. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      very low id expect. most went Cancelo and a CB, few did 2 CBs

  3. mezza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    City attacking coverage is essential - that’s why I went Stones and Dias

  4. umerlfc
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Was gutted to not have him in DGW19
    But have him now, DGW Legend

    1. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Got him in both occasions, bloody brilliant!

  5. Pukki Blinders
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Stones owners are just poor and couldn’t afford Cancelo/Dias

  6. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    John Stones 4.9m 😀

  7. Jafooli
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Stones above Dias on baps....and winning goal so far 😎

  8. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Where's the fount city attack over defence lot now? 😆

    1. Valar(Keith)
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      I am one Here.. Stones KDB Gundogan.. well chuffed so far 🙂 .. would've gone Cancelo if I'd gone for a 2nd defender so I'm pretty happy

  9. 824545201
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Cancelo owners in absolute shambles.

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

      Surely most of them own one of the CBs anyway.

  10. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Cancelo 17 pointer to make up for it in the easier 2nd game

    1. Gandalf
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      This

  11. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    How is KdB on 27 baps? Lost the ball so many times in the first half.

    1. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      His cross for the first goal must have been worth 30 BPS minimum it was that good

      1. Collie01
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        Yes sure he gets them for the assist.

        Looks like he has gone up to 28 now and I honestly can't remember him doing anything in the last few mins. Mahrez is nowhere in the baps and has an assist too.

        1. Collie01
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 29 days ago

          Sorry that sounds a bit whingy.

          I just don't really understand aspects of the baps system. Need to read up on it more.

          1. Big boy Bowen
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 29 days ago

            It’s the style of player he is, always on the ball so I think the little short passes he makes all add up, even with misplaced ones

  12. Rhodes your boat
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    What is it about Man City centre backs in dgw’s?!

  13. Hulk Smash
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Decent start this! Most of my rivals have Stones and/or Cancelo but none have both.

  14. Forza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    If that was Stones' first shot on target today, that's 3 goals from 3 shots on target in the league 😆

    1. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      He has looked dangerous in the box on many occasions this season though. I think he's had one or two ruled out for offside.

    2. Says
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      he almost scored the goal Dias got too, would have been hilarious if he had another brace

  15. JONALDINHO
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Fun fact. Since GW12 Stones has outscored KDB, Jesus and Aguero combined

  16. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    You don’t own City CBs for their clean sheets...

  17. Cok3y5murf
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Stones benched next game while Cancelo hauls

  18. Cantona's Kung Fu Kick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Nice! Former Stones + Dias owner who WC them out....I love FPL!

  19. Gudjohnsen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Sorry guys for ruining Gundo.

    Brought him in for Sterling!

    1. el polako
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      KDB and Kun ruined him, not you.

  20. Random Name
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    As a Stones + Dias owner this is absolutely beautiful. I'm basking in my own genius

    1. DandyDon
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Beautiful!

  21. Ajax Hamsterdam
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Such a shame city couldn't keep a cs

  22. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Kudos to Westham they have played pretty bravely here.

  23. TomSaints
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    This is just repeat punches as a Cancelo owner. Such great stats but doesn’t deliver

  24. 272MK
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Have a feeling Gundo will score 3rd goal

    1. Jafooli
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      *Foden

      1. Totalfootball
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 29 days ago

        **stones

    2. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      *KDB

  25. moment
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Ah well maybe this is the game Ederson gets to take the penalty

  26. DandyDon
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    STONES! His 3rd goal for my team! Anyone have Dias and Stones!? I went with Ederson for the double up on the WC unfortunately. You don’t have much fun owning a Ederson(unless you had him for that assist a few games ago of course)

    1. Hulk Smash
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Yeah had both for ages. Best buys of the season.

  27. tommo-uk-
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    I will take 1 out of the 2!

  28. HuttonDressedasLahm
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Sold Stones on my WC to buy Cancelo for his attacking returns

    Lol

    1. DandyDon
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Just thought he was to good value to sell for me on the WC

  29. fedolefan
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    This useless Gundo Raz midfield partnership is in the mud. Get in the points you fools.

  30. Abusive_Sgt_Daelrhos
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 29 days ago

    Stones lol, how lucky is that

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 29 days ago

      Not very. He’s attacking