Dugout Discussion

Salah and Jota start together as Klopp benches Mané against Aston Villa

Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Diogo Jota (£7.0m) start together for Liverpool as they host Aston Villa in Gameweek 31.

The two players contributed to the Reds’ impressive finish against Arsenal in Gameweek 30 and were both inside the top-five most-bought players for the most recent round of action.

Sadio Mané (£11.8m) is the man to make way this afternoon, dropping to the bench for the second time in four Premier League matches.

That means Jota starts on the left-hand side of Liverpool’s front-three, spearheaded by Roberto Firmino (£9.0m).

Curtis Jones (£4.4m) misses out as a precaution which means Georginio Wijnaldum (£5.3m), James Milner (£5.3m) and Fabinho (£5.4m) are the midfield trio today.

Nathaniel Phillips‘ (£4.1m) stock remains high, earning his fifth Premier League start from a possible six alongside Ozan Kabak (£5.0m).

There is also plenty of revived interest in Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m) this afternoon.

Having produced 33 points across his last five matches, the Liverpool right-back was purchased by 190,000+ managers ahead of the Gameweek 31, the most new owners for any defender this week.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa are still without Jack Grealish (£7.5m) who recently suffered a setback on his return from a shin injury.

Bertrand Traoré (£5.9m) and Trézéguet (£5.2m) provide the width either side of Ollie Watkins (£6.5m) while Marvelous Nakamba (£4.3m) and Douglas Luiz (£4.8m) both feature in midfield with John McGinn (£5.5m).

Gameweek 31 Line-ups

Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Robertson, Kabak, N Phillips, Alexander-Arnold; Wijnaldum, Milner, Fabinho; Jota, Firmino, Salah.

Aston Villa XI (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Targett, Mings, Konsa, Cash; D Luiz, Nakamba; Trézéguet, McGinn, B Traoré; Watkins.

Gameweek 31 so far…

Fantasy Premier League managers who swerved from their Leeds assets found their Gameweek 31 win at Manchester City hard to watch.

Stuart Dallas (£5.1m) was the second-most benched player for the latest round of action but bagged a brace at the Etihad Stadium.

To add insult to that decision, Patrick Bamford (£6.6m), the third-most sold Fantasy asset ahead of Gameweek 31, provided the assist for his opener.

From a Manchester City perspective, this match was all about Pep Guardiola once again.

Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m), Rúben Dias (£6.2m) and Riyad Mahrez (£8.2m) were all unused substitutes while Ilkay Gündogan (£6.0m) and Phil Foden (£6.0m) both emerged from the bench for one-point cameos.

Ferran Torres (£6.9m) and Bernardo Silva (£7.4m) got the only attacking returns of the afternoon.

Provisional bonus points

  • 3 – Stuart Dallas
  • 2 – Bernardo Silva
  • 1 – Oleksandr Zinchenko

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1,221 Comments Post a Comment
  1. djman102
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Listening in the radio and it's definitely offside according to this Martinez owner

  2. BeaversWithAttitude
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    What are they measuring? The shadow? Hahaha!

  3. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Clear & obvious at least 🙂

  4. Nanoelektronicar
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Martinez 15 pointer.

  5. JONALDINHO
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    I’m done. Clear onside not even close.

    1. Royal5
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 days ago

      Obviously not.

  6. Royal5
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Lol

  7. Says
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Discount Grealish was lucky there

    1. EL TANO
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 9 days ago

      Cash and targett are pretty poor defensively. Not great when you’re a defender

  8. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Oh ffs, these stupid f’ing lines, it’s literally some idiot on paint

  9. Scots Gooner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Just end this season

  10. Botman and Robben
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Watkins on bench.

  11. Cantona's Kung Fu Kick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    clearly off

  12. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    If he scores with the part that was offside it’s handball 🙂

  13. Bushwhacker
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    What a joke of a game this has become.

    1. Salah’s Sonnet
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 9 days ago

      Has lost all it’s integrity

  14. Tasty Jerk
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Nice one ref 🙂

  15. Muchentuchel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    The ball came from Cash and Jota wasn't even offside.

  16. Weasel Boy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    WC curse continues

  17. FPL Alaska
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    VAR is such a joke. They need to do something about it, destroying the game.

    1. Postman Ty
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 9 days ago

      It's the referees that are the problem. This is still better than conceding to someone 2 yards offside, but I agree 100% that was such a scam call against Liverpool.

    2. Sgt Frank Drebin
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 9 days ago

      I'm sorry but it's only Premier League where it is such a circus. The rest of the Europe knows how to use it.

      1. Muchentuchel
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 9 days ago

        no.

  18. Postman Ty
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    As a Chelsea fan I'm very happy that goal was disallowed, but surely VAR offsides are just a front for cheating. There absolutely no way that was offside.

  19. Herman Toothrot
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    fiXtUrE sWinG

    1. MagicMessi
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 9 days ago

      Lol

  20. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Offside for VAR is consistent at least. Seen loads of those being given offside this season.

    1. Postman Ty
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 9 days ago

      It's not though it's based entirely on the people controlling it and their biases. Which frame they choose to freeze the image and where they draw their dumb lines. If Jota has shorter sleeves he's onside, what kind of rule is that? The perspective of where that line goes definitely doesn't factor in depth from what we just saw which is crucial for anything that isn't perfectly square. The consistent part is that there's lots of close calls being labelled offside which is just bad for the game. Favour the attacker everyone wants goals.

  21. Isco Disco
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    What a BS decision!!! This game has gone bonkers.
    Congrats to Emi owners for another 15 ptr

  22. The Train Driver
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Hopefully the re-evaluate VAR and how to use it for next season. Feels like this season has been an experiment for it and an unsuccessful one. I like the idea of VAR but the implementation is terrible.

  23. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Shame the game isn’t on BT to hear Peter Walton’s expert opinion.

  24. Duke Silver ☑
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Shirt sleeves aside they need to get rid of that "defender attempts to play the ball overrules offside" rule.

  25. MIGHTY JOE
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Really cant see the offside

  26. Collie01
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    I hope they change the armpit and toenail offside for next season. If it's that close just give attacker the benefit.

  27. Steve The Spud
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    Fixtures breed form

  28. OLD Rafiki
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    supposed to be TAA assist.

  29. Stupendous
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    TAA , Neto, Sterling captain
    Sold Dallas, sold Bam

    Lovely start to the WC!

  30. Says
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 9 days ago

    People have short memories if they think VAR is getting more offside decisions wrong than linesmen did prior to VAR.