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

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