Dugout Discussion

Rodgers’ quotes on Perez and Maddison absences as Antonio misses out

There are notable absences on either side as high-flying West Ham United and Leicester City meet in east London this afternoon.

Kick off at the London Stadium is at 14:05 BST.

The non-availability of Michail Antonio (£6.6m) had been heavily signposted in David Moyes’ pre-match press conference, with the striker missing as expected today.

His place in the Hammers’ attack is taken by Jarrod Bowen (£5.9m), with the hosts otherwise unchanged from the 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and still without the sidelined Declan Rice (£4.7m).

As for Leicester, Brendan Rodgers has made two changes to the side that started last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat by Manchester City.

Ricardo Pereira (£5.9m) and Dennis Praet (£5.2m) are recalled, with Marc Albrighton(£5.2m) and Ayoze Perez (£6.0m) making way.

Perez isn’t in the matchday squad and neither is James Maddison (£7.2m), with unconfirmed rumours alleging that the pair – along with Hamza Choudhury (£4.6m) – are absent for disciplinary reasons.

Rodgers poured more fuel onto that fire ahead of kick-off when guaranteeing their availability for next weekend’s FA Cup semi-final:

They’re not available for this game, but after this game, they’ll be fine. They’ll join the group next week and be ready for next week’s semi-final.

Two of the three most-bought players of Gameweek 31 feature in this match, with Jesse Lingard (£6.4m) and Kelechi Iheanacho (£5.9m) both heavily transferred in ahead of Friday’s deadline.


West Ham United XI: Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell, Soucek, Noble, Fornals, Lingard, Masuaku, Bowen.

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel, Amartey, Evans, Fofana, Pereira, Tielemans, Ndidi, Castagne, Praet, Iheanacho, Vardy.


GAMEWEEK 31 SO FAR…

Nick Pope (£5.5m) was absent from the Burnley squad on Sunday as the Clarets made it six matches without a clean sheet when succumbing to a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United.

Sean Dyche said of the England international:

We don’t think it’s too serious. He’s just not made today.

The partnership between budget forwards Chris Wood (£6.3m) and Matej Vydra (£4.8m) continues to reap points in Fantasy Premier League, with the former assisting the latter for the game’s opener.

Wood has five FPL attacking returns in his last four outings, with Vydra registering three goals and an assist in his five most-recent appearances.

Newcastle were, as they so often have been without their first-choice attack, ineffective until the second-half introduction of the fit-again Callum Wilson (£6.5m) and Allan Saint-Maximin (£5.1m).

It was the Frenchman who turned the game on its head, first teeing up wing-back Jacob Murphy (£4.9m) for the equaliser before grabbing the winner with a fine solo goal.

1,144 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Top Lad Dakes.
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Please get one Vardy

  2. Eh, just one more thing ...
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Come on Leicester...really want that West Ham clean sheet removed please ... Coufal hurting me ...

  3. Dybala10
    • 6 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Fofana instead of Coady not the greatest of picks so far...

  4. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Lingard best bit of business done this season along with Raphinha.

  5. Superflymonk
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Salah Capt Lingard Vcapt. What could've been had Salah been fully rested.

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

      You'd have the same points, albeit with a sub to play. Doesn't make that much difference, people stress about marginal gains from captaincy choices too much. As long as you own the players involved, obvs.

      1. Superflymonk
        • 9 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        guess you're right

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

    OMFG... Scenes of Lingard jubilation..

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

    Essential Lingard.

  8. _Gunner
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    No Lingard
    Season over

    1. Steve The Spud
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Yep

  9. mgilbert86
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    This is like Ramsey that season he kept scoring

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

      Or Michu, if you're old enough to remember that purple patch.

      1. Nomar
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        Remember it well.

        1. mgilbert86
          • 11 Years
          2 years, 11 months ago

          Legendary michu cannot be forgotten

  10. Cantona's Kung Fu Kick
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    I had the C on Lind until the "experts" told me Salah was the only real option

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

      Back yourself then.

  11. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    This is why XG is such an important advantage to Fantasy football managers

    It helps identify & avoid overperforming players like Lingard who score 8G & 4A from 4.9 XGi...

    Wait, what?

    1. Rassi
      • 9 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      The stats don't apply to god-tier players like JLingz.

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

      Good one.

      Those XG XA I always consider to be nearly meaningless. They don't count on the conversation rate/ability of players.

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

    Gundo digne and bamford > Fofana lingard and iheanacho for a -4 good moves?

    1. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Only 9 weeks late to the Lingz party

  13. S.Kuqi
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    None of my rivals own him. Not sure how is that even possible

    1. MIGHTY JOE
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Same. Hurt less not captaining him

  14. SweepaKeepa
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    One team is going to spend a lot of money missing Lingard’s hot streak.

  15. FPL Alaska
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Andy has nowhere to hide now.

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

      Haha truee

  16. zon
    • 9 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Antonio over Lingard on WC based on xG wasn't really that smart...

  17. Pukki Blinders
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    2 goals from an xG of 0.3. F off Lingard

    1. GROBARI
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Yessss,get in Lingz!

  18. Van der Faart
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    WC has been disastrous. 18 points down on original team so far, and captain played.

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

    Regretting my Vardy punt already

    1. Royal5
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      1 goal in the last 17 is it?

    2. Van der Faart
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Same. Hoping second half West Ham show up again

  20. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 7 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Guess we can start to Captain Lingard now

    1. It’s gonna Ben Mee
      • 10 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Just took three consecutive double digit hauls to realise it

      1. RAFA THE GAFFA
        • 7 Years
        2 years, 11 months ago

        To trust it*

  21. Champions League Varane
    • 5 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Am I the only Lingard non owner here?

    Coming in no matter what this week

    1. Nomar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      No see below.

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

      Me
      I bought the other “form” players iheahacho and Jota instead

  22. Nomar
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    I fear the runaway Lingard train will derail as soon as I get him in.

    1. HuttonDressedasLahm
      • 14 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Same

    2. TheBiffas
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Doesnt really matter as so many will own him

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

    So my rival has KDB (C) & Dias.
    Bamford & Dallas coming on.
    Lingard (VC).

    WTF is this jam?

    1. A. PRISE
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      The definition of fpl

    2. My heart goes Salalalalah
      • 7 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Wow!

    3. MIGHTY JOE
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Disgusting

  24. Herman Toothrot
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    To think, some people chose Neto over Lingard on their WCs.

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

      You must be kidding?!?

    2. S.Kuqi
      • 11 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      My rival did...lol. Sold him for Neto on wildcard

    3. Kane and Ablett
      • 3 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      Name and shame them!

    4. waltzingmatildas
      • 13 Years
      2 years, 11 months ago

      I did

  25. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    So close to captaining him

  26. HuttonDressedasLahm
    • 14 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Bought Jota over Lingard due to no Antonio or Rice, and fixtures

    Going well so far 🙄

  27. waltzingmatildas
    • 13 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Argh neto over lingard did not work out!

  28. Nightcrawler
    • 4 Years
    2 years, 11 months ago

    Yesss lingard get in!!!

    LOVE to see it! Now we FEAST!

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

    Man United have had this player in their team the whole season. Lol.

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

    The Lingard Express

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

      He’s never scored more than 8 goals in a season..
      Suppose some thought it wouldn’t last,
      But that’s 2 months now...