Dugout Discussion

Firmino return forces Jota onto Liverpool bench for Arsenal trip

Diogo Jota (£6.7m) is among the Liverpool substitutes for Saturday’s Gameweek 30 trip to Arsenal.

After the midfielder impressed on international duty following a goal in Gameweek 28, over 200,000 Fantasy Premier League managers signed him for the season run-in.

However, Roberto Firmino (£9.0m) has frustrated Jota’s 6.4% ownership by making his first start since returning from injury.

The Brazilian missed each of Liverpool’s least two league outings but was declared fit and available by Jurgen Klopp in his Friday press conference.

The rest of the Reds’ starting line-up provides fewer shocks, with Mohamed Salah (£12.4m) and Sadio Mané (£11.8m) either side of Firmino.

Andrew Robertson (£7.1m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m) are the full-backs with Nathaniel Phillips (£4.0m) paired with Ozan Kabak (£5.0m) for a fourth Premier League start from the last five.

Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka (£5.2m) and Emile Smith Rowe (£4.2m) have not passed their fitness races for Gameweek 30, left out of the Arsenal squad today.

Martin Ødegaard (£6.0m) is able to hang onto the number 10 role at the Emirates Stadium while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.4m) and Nicolas Pépé (£7.6m) provide the width for Alexandre Lacazette (£8.2m) up-front.

Mikel Arteta continues to shake things up at the back. He has now named a different centre-back duo in eight of Arsenal’s last nine Premier League matches.

Rob Holding (£4.2m) and Gabriel (£4.9m) get the nod today with Kieran Tierney (£5.3m) and Calum Chambers (£4.5m) at left and right-back respectively.

Gameweek 30 Line-ups

Arsenal XI: Leno; Tierney, Gabriel, Holding, Chambers; Partey, Ceballos; Aubameyang, Ødegaard, Pépé; Lacazette.

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Robertson, Kabak, N Phillips, Alexander-Arnold; Fabinho, Thiago, Milner; Mané, Firmino, Salah.

Gameweek 30 so far…

Pep Guardiola was arguably the key man in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Leicester as he rang the changes.

Ilkay Gündogan (£6.1m), John Stones (£5.3m) and João Cancelo (£6.1m) were all benched for Gameweek 30 and, thankfully for their owners, none of them took to the pitch for one-point cameos.

Raheem Sterling (£11.4m) emerged to get a second-half assist while Phil Foden (£6.1m) replaced Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) in the 88th minute and was unable to involve himself in the goals.

Ruben Dias (£6.1m) kept up his run of starts, making his eighth in a row and capitalising on Manchester City’s 17th clean sheet of the campaign.

Benjamin Mendy (£5.9m) got his second goal of the season while Gabriel Jesus (£9.2m) now has four in his last four starts.

Meanwhile, this match was also notable for the return of James Maddison (£7.1m) coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Marc Albrighton (£5.2m).

Provision bonus points

  • 3 – Benjamin Mendy
  • 2 – Gabriel Jesus
  • 1 – Aymeric Laporte

GET IN-GAME DATA AT LIVE FPL

Check your own rank and in-play FPL stats on LiveFPL.net every Gameweek

634 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Shame Salah scored, I was looking forward to seeing how many blanks it took until his EO drops to less than 10%.

    How many do we reckon it would have taken?

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      He’s a season keeper. End of.

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Like Trent was 🙂

  2. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Jota and Trent in next week for Cancelo and Gundo!

    1. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      1nweek late 😆

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Not sure it would have been worth a -8 though

        1. Ginkapo FPL
          • 12 Years
          2 years, 11 months ago

          Clearly would have been

          1. Big boy Bowen
            • 7 Years
            2 years, 11 months ago

            At the time Captain Hindsight lol

  3. JBG
    • 5 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Arsenal are so awful, it's hilarious.

    1. Freshy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      They play well but when they slip it really goes to pieces.

    2. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Arteta is awful

  4. CloudSky
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    All aboard!

  5. Shark Team
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Jota(C)

  6. Sun Jihai
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Jota could be a good option for GW31 wildcarders

  7. gooberman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Ooh did Mane touch it?

    1. moment
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      That'll be a Mane assist

    2. Rainer
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Yes.

  8. TomSaints
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Salah over jota is so annoying right now

    1. Bushwhacker
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Hindsight

  9. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Mane touched that, right?

    1. TomSaints
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Yep =[

  10. camarozz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    I love you Jota 🙂

  11. Salan
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Can't ignore Jota now.

  12. Dirty Harry
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Those WC in GW31 have you already activated?

  13. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    All aboard at Jota Junction!

    1. moment
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Raphinha to Jota feels a very easy transfer to make right now. Question is whether that's enough or if we also play the WC.

  14. Gross Blank Point
    • 3 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Is the triple Liverpool WC gonna be the big thing now? 🙂

    1. Balls of Steel
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Yes with their fixture run in

  15. Isca Extremadura
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Pool need Jota..

    1. Isca Extremadura
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Jota picking up where he left off,
      Got Pools mojo back for Real Madrid Tue

  16. Sterling Malory
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Auba and Stones > KDB and Cresswell?

  17. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Salah or Jota the priority?

    Gotta be Jota?

    1. Dirty Harry
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Jota, Salah as well if you can make it work

    2. Duke Silver ☑
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Got to be Jota

    3. Scholes Out For Summer
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Jota, he's the new Gundo

    4. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Jota, Salah not worth the price for the odd return

  18. Naby K8a
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Jota is so good but wow Arsenal have looked relegation bound today

  19. Make United Great Again
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Jota train in full effect

    1. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Might get him in as a cheeky differential

      1. Baps hunter
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Too late imho.

  20. The White Pele
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    does salah cover Jota?

    1. Dirty Harry
      • 8 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Not for the price

  21. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    An assist yet Mane did nothing to actially attempt to get that to Jota

  22. FFSbet.com
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    This game...TAA,Salah and Jota first on my WC list and didnt WC this GW coz Ars away tough fixture

  23. Mr. O'Connell
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Arsenal players shouldn't be paid for this match

  24. Shark Team
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Games started: 7
    Goals scored: 8
    Diogo Jota, an absolute gem...

  25. Nanoelektronicar
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    I think we haven't seen performances like this since Suarez.

  26. El Matador
    • 10 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Diogo Jota you absolute effin beauty.

  27. Scoring freely
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    This is an absolute disgrace from Arsenal, can't string two passes together. Worst performance I've seen from any team this season, except for maybe Newcastle against Brighton.

  28. Mile Plankton
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    When teams were anounced I thought my decision not to do Odegaard -> Jota was good.

  29. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    The only thing to consider with Liverpool assets is they won't play Arsenal every week.

    1. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      They will probably be back to Liverpool of previous weeks next week after I bring in Jota and TAA

    2. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Fixtures are good anyway, Kabak and Phillips work fine, Jota is electric, Jota and TAA or Phillips is an easy decision.

    3. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      They're different gravy when Fabinho plays in midfield.

  30. zotter
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Can just afford this for a -8. Exact money

    A. Do it now.
    B. Wait
    C. Don’t do it!
    D. Wait and if changes get Mane and Trent instead of Salah and Robbo

    Raph. Konsa. Lingaard >>> Salah. Robbo. Jota

    1. Isca Extremadura
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      B