Dugout Discussion

Son and Grealish absent as Bale is benched for final Blank Gameweek 29 match

Son Heung-min (£9.4m) and Jack Grealish (£7.5m) will both sit out the final match of Blank Gameweek 29, while Gareth Bale (£9.7m) begins this evening’s clash between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur on the bench.

Kick-off at Villa Park is at 19:30 GMT.

Bale’s demotion from the Spurs starting XI is a blow to the legions of Fantasy Premier League managers who bought the Welshman ahead of Gameweek 29.

The winger was the subject of more transfers in (771,282) than any other player ahead of Friday’s deadline.

The most-sold FPL asset of the round, Son, hasn’t recovered from the muscle injury that forced him off in the north London derby last Sunday.

Son and Bale are among four players in Jose Mourinho’s Gameweek 28 line-up who miss out this afternoon, with the benched Matt Doherty (£5.6m) and the absent Toby Alderweireld (£5.4m) the others to make way.

Spurs confirmed that Alderweireld and Serge Aurier (£5.2m) both miss out through illness today.

In come Carlos Vinicius (£6.9m), Japhet Tanganga (£4.9m), Joe Rodon (£5.0m) and Giovani Lo Celso (£6.9m).

There’s no rest for Harry Kane (£11.5m) after his 120-minute run-out on Thursday: the England striker, captained by over two million FPL bosses tonight, starts.

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has made two changes following his side’s draw with Newcastle United over a week ago.

Matty Cash (£5.0m) and Morgan Sanson (£5.5m) start, with Ahmed El Mohamady (£4.3m) and Jacob Ramsey (£4.5m) dropping out.

Despite the positive noises about Grealish in Smith’s pre-match press conference, the Villa talisman misses his sixth successive league match.


Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz, Sanson, Traore, Watkins, Trezeguet.

Tottenham Hotspur XI: Lloris, Tanganga, Sanchez, Rodon, Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso, Ndombele, Vinicius, Kane, Moura.

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1,164 Comments Post a Comment
  1. FPL Daniel
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Please rest Bale fully Jose !!! Please fantasy gods

    1. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      No!

    2. Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      1-0 Villa half time then it's difficult to see that happens

    3. pingissimus
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Nope

      He's just tired from 60 mins last time out in EL. You'll get 30 mins.

  2. Eastman
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    He’ll play second half or 20 mins defo

    1. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Pushing the boat out with that prediction

  3. Hooky
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Man United should sign Daphne and Velma to play alongside that clown Fred in midfield. They might be able to solve the mystery of why he keeps getting picked then.

    1. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Worst ever performance

    2. Cilly Bonnolly
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Terrible patter.

  4. Sterling Malory
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Bale benching is great, wouldve been better if the Auba punt came off.

    1. SteJ
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Pretty poor transfer for myself brining in Auba a couple of weeks ago.
      Between him and Sterling for worst value big hitter this season

  5. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Bale was our best player when he came on against Zagreb, don’t understand why he doesn’t start

    1. TRIPOS TOPPER
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      he's ok going forward but doesn't press

      in modern game all players need to press the ball, even the strikers.

  6. TomSaints
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Kane, I know every point hurts my rank. But this is probably my only chance of bringing up the 100 this wretched season.

    10 points, let’s go

    1. TheBiffas
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      100 in a bgw, fair play

      1. TomSaints
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 days ago

        More luck than judgement. Even a broken clock is right twice a day haha

    2. Philosopher's Stones
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Great score in a BGW. Well done!

    3. Steve The Spud
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Huge huge huge green arrow

    4. Corgz Dark side of the Loon
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      wow thats massive well done

    5. WVA
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      I wanted to get trossard over bale but bottled it

    6. Nomar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Trossard cap was a great call.

      1. WVA
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 days ago

        Ha steady on captain

  7. ILOVEBAPS
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Wish I’d captained Lingard now. 🙁
    Got a Tot blank written all over that team.

    1. Catastrophe
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      I see goals incoming!

  8. Digital-Real
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Watkins woodwork x2

    1. TRIPOS TOPPER
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      classic

      lot of bad luck for us AV owners of late

  9. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Kane and Martinez owners laughing with Mike Pen Dean in charge, points one way or another

  10. Dirty Harry
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    What is this Spurs team btw. Yuck

    1. Steve The Spud
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Horrid, take out Kane and it’s such an average group

  11. Doctor Evil
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Is bale on yet?

  12. Bury94
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Bale to KDB it is then

  13. TheBiffas
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    1-0 spurs, lo celso G moura A. Kane missed pen, Watkins woodwork incoming

    1. Old Man
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      You can stop that silly talk right now.

  14. Nanoelektronicar
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    With Lamela suspended, Son injured, Bergwijn forgotten, I thought, ok, Bale will play this, and then vs Newcastle, who knows, but at least I got him for this one game. Whish I went for Trossard instead. Now I will probably have to switch him to Son/Mount next gameweek.

  15. Slitherene
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    An AVL CS would shake things up a bit!

    1. Gandalf
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      The only thing I don't want from the game even though got an Aston villa defender! Would likely mean Martinez baps and saves

  16. JONALDINHO
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Kane playing the no.6 role to perfection

  17. DannyDrinkVodka
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    That weird FPL thing where you’ve captained Kane but are rooting for a Villa clean sheet

  18. Botman and Robben
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Give Matrinez some easy saves Spurs.

  19. Says
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Cash's transformation into Grealcash seems to be almost complete, he just needs some low socks.

    1. La Roja
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      And improve in football too

      1. Says
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 7 days ago

        it was never about the football

        1. La Roja
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 7 days ago

          Nice grav

  20. estheblessed
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Kane captain and also Martinez and Konsa.

    What do I want here a Kane haul or a cleansheet from Villa! I'm thinking the latter as most people have Kane.

    1. Gandalf
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Got to be the clean sheet for villa

    2. badgerboy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Cleanie surely.

      1. estheblessed
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 7 days ago

        Yea I just wanted to confirm because it seems assbackwards to wish for!

    3. DBW - Slug's Mortgage …
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Konsa and Kane goals.

      I

      1. DBW - Slug's Mortgage …
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 7 days ago

        I have the same

  21. pingissimus
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Just trying to calculate how many yellow cards I need to beat my season best of 30 in GW4.

    Have 4 in play and on 34. It feels strangely possible.

    1. beric
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      You got 30 yellow cards in gw4?

      Did you BB and all 15 players get 2 cards?

      1. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 7 days ago

        Still running your multiple teams I see

  22. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Spurs absolutely flown out the blocks here .....

  23. Thomas Jerome Newton
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Bale on after 45 minutes 0-0 with fresh legs. Runs rings around everyone.
    No problem. He dreams.

    1. Big Mac 24
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Nets two goals, swallows the Baps and gives me a 28pt captain haul from the bench, tidy darts

  24. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Targett missed.

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

      Caught in two minds

  25. G-Whizz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Spurs trying real hard to rob me of my clean sheet...

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

    Bale will be on before 30 mins at this rate

    1. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Spurs are bad enough, Jose won’t want to be playing with 10.

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

        Come on Bale has been class recently

  27. Forgetmeknot
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    I know I’ve only myself to blame but ignoring form and going for big names of Spurs and arsenal over Bamford, wham (lingard and antonio 1st and 2nd on bench) and presumably villa oh FH seems so silly in hindsight.

  28. fedolefan
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 7 days ago

    Martinez is going to bury me with a 12 pointer here. Can feel the saves coming in the 2nd half.

    1. @persecuted_by_mods
        3 years, 7 days ago

        Spurs would have to shoot for that to happen

        1. fedolefan
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 7 days ago

          They will when Bale comes on.

      • Pompel
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 7 days ago

        Yeah should have learnt by now -

    2. tbos83
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      Hands up if you're massively regretting capping Kane

    3. Neevesy
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 days ago

      God this awful