We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Sunday’s Double Gameweek 25 fixtures.
The graphics below are taken from LiveFPL, Ragabolly’s excellent and ever-expanding website, and our own Premium Members Area.
GOALS, ASSISTS AND BONUS
INJURIES AND BANS
Wout Weghorst (£6.5m) hobbled off after 74 minutes on Sunday, as he appeared to clutch the back of his knee having landed awkwardly.
“I’ll wait and see (on Weghorst). It is a maybe (on others coming back). Charlie (Taylor) we are being gentle with. Vyds (Vydra) and Johann (Gudmundsson) are making progress and so it is a maybe and we are missing important players. Others are still getting properly fit. Maxwel (Cornet) is not properly Premier League fit, he hasn’t been since he’s been here – not truly. I think Wout (Weghorst) is but he’s now got a knock so we will see how that settles down. It is finding that true sharpness but there are still some really good performances.” – Sean Dyche
Diogo Jota (£8.5m), meanwhile, dropped to the bench for Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp revealing before kick-off that he had suffered a dead-leg in training.
However, the Portuguese appeared after 67 minutes, easing any concerns.
“Jota was due to start, with Sadio (Mane) coming from the bench today but Jota had a dead leg and couldn’t train yesterday. Now he looks fine but we were not sure. We prepared everything with Sadio, knowing he knows what to do.” – Jurgen Klopp
Both Newcastle United full-backs had to be replaced at St James’ Park, with Kieran Trippier (£5.0m) and Javier Manquillo (£3.9m) coming off either side of half-time.
Magpies boss Eddie Howe then later revealed that Trippier – who had passed a late fitness test to feature on Sunday – had gone to hospital to have his injured foot x-rayed.
“Kieran (Trippier) has gone for a scan. We are keeping everything crossed that there is no break.” – Eddie Howe
West Ham United had to make a late change to their starting XI, as defender Kurt Zouma (£5.4m) felt unwell during the warm up, with Issa Diop (£4.3m) starting instead.
“He was ill before the game, he wanted to play, we wanted him to play as well. He was sick during the night, he stayed away from the players and did not eat much. Once he got out he did not think it was possible. We told Issa Diop to be ready. It is a stomach bug, probably something he has eaten.” – David Moyes
At Leicester City, James Justin (£4.9m) came off with an unfortunate hamstring injury, though we are still awaiting an update from Brendan Rodgers.
FPL TALKING POINTS
JOTA BENCHED AS SALAH AND MANE RETURN
After his Gameweek 24 brace, Diogo Jota was surprisingly benched at Turf Moor on Sunday, with Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) and Sadio Mane (£11.7m) starting alongside Roberto Firmino (£8.9m) up front.
However, as revealed earlier, the Portuguese had been in line to start ahead of Mane, but going forward, we should probably prepare ourselves for a bit more rotation.
For now, it does feel like Jota is first-choice for the number nine role, though there is more competition in the wide areas now following the arrival of Luis Diaz (£8.0m) from Porto, as broken down below.
Above: Liverpool’s forward options via WhoScored, with the majority of Diogo Jota’s Premier League appearances arriving through the middle this season
Elsewhere, Fabinho’s (£5.4m) winner means that he has now scored three goals in his last four Premier League appearances, though it is worth noting that across the season so far, the holding midfielder has managed just 10 shots in the box.
Salah, meanwhile, had a quieter than usual afternoon, registering just one attempt on goal.
BURNLEY PERFORMANCE OFFERS ENCOURAGEMENT
Following today’s defeat, Burnley have now gone 11 Premier League matches without a win, scoring just three goals in their past nine.
However, their performance on Sunday offered encouragement, especially in the first-half, as they tested Alisson (£6.0m) several times.
Now, ahead of back-to-back Double Gameweeks, which sees the Clarets take on Brighton and Hove Albion (a) and Tottenham Hotspur (h), followed by Crystal Palace (a) and Leicester City (h), there will be plenty of interest in their assets.
If Weghorst is ruled out for a period, Maxwel Cornet (£5.9m) is surely the best attacking option, whilst at the back, Nick Pope (£5.4m) and James Tarkowski (£4.9m) look like the leading candidates for a place in our squads.
“Frustrating one from our point of view. We were very good throughout, particularly first half. That was a good performance against top class opposition but we didn’t take our chances. I was pleased with the performance today. Sometimes you have to forget where you are in the table because that performance will lead to more.
We are getting players fit. Wout (Weghorst) has done amazingly with the amount of miles he has got in. Dwight McNeil came on and affected the game. They had fewer chances against us than they had previously. Ashley Barnes should not have been out there but we are stretched. They are all trying to get fit and we are just hopeful they do get fit.
You need to get rewards when you play like this and that is the bit that is missing. We have got to start doing that. The mentality was right today and the performance was right.” – Sean Dyche
IN-FORM NEWCASTLE
The Eddie Howe revolution is gathering speed, as Newcastle United collected their third victory in a row on Sunday. As a result, they are now five unbeaten in the league, with their only home league defeat under Howe arriving against Manchester City back in Gameweek 18.
For Trippier, it’s now two goals in two matches, though he did fail to register any clean sheet points due to his early withdrawal on 48 minutes. Despite that, he is still averaging an impressive six points per match across his four Premier League appearances so far.
As for Aston Villa, it was a poor showing from Steven Gerrard’s troops, with Ollie Watkins (£7.7m) seeing his goal ruled out for offside by VAR. However, they still have some good fixtures coming up, and importantly, a confirmed match in Gameweek 30 against Arsenal.
JIMENEZ ENTERS FPL CONVERSATION
After today’s opener, differential Raul Jimenez (£7.4m) has now scored two goals in his last three Premier League appearances, ahead of an appealing run of fixtures for Wolverhampton Wanderers which includes a double-header in Gameweek 26.
Notably, they have now won four successive away matches in the Premier League, whilst no side has conceded fewer goals than their eight on their travels.
Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur have now lost five of their last eight matches in all competitions, having been defeated just once in their first 11 games under Antonio Conte.
Both wing-backs – Sergio Reguilon (£5.4m) and Emerson Royal (£4.9m) – were rotated on Sunday, though the formers replacement Ryan Sessegnon (£4.3m) lasted just 27 minutes, as Conte switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation in an attempt to get back into the game.
BRILLIANT BOWEN
It’s now five goals in as many games for Jarrod Bowen (£7.0m), who following today’s double-digit haul, has moved up to third in the FPL player standings on 148 points for the season, only trailing Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m)
The winger has been directly involved in 21 Premier League goals (including Fantasy assists) so far this season, and despite the fact that West Ham United don’t have any Double Gameweeks in the offing, his form suggests he is worth keeping hold of.
However, that isn’t the case for Michail Antonio (£7.8m), who following today’s blank, has now managed just two goals since Gameweek 10.
For their opponents, Leicester City, they conceded another goal from a corner today, with Wolves and Burnley up next for the Foxes.
