There are six Premier League matches kicking off simultaneously at 3pm this afternoon and there is huge interest from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective, as five teams with two Double Gameweek 26 fixtures are in action:
- Arsenal v Brentford
- Aston Villa v Watford
- Brighton v Burnley
- Crystal Palace v Chelsea
- Liverpool v Norwich
- Southampton v Everton
The big team news from Anfield is that Mohamed Salah starts in a three-man attack against Norwich but there is no Trent Alexander-Arnold or Andrew Robertson in the Liverpool line-up, with the former absent altogether and the latter among the substitutes.
The Liverpool Echo report that Alexander-Arnold is merely being rested, so he could come back into the reckoning against Leeds in midweek.
The omission of the two full-backs is among seven changes that Jurgen Klopp has made to the side that won at Inter Milan in midweek. Konstantinos Tsimikas, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate are fresh additions to the back four, while Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain come in for Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott in an all-new midfield.
The injured Diogo Jota is replaced by Luis Diaz up top, with Roberto Firmino also absent due to a muscle problem.
Opponents Norwich make just one change to the side beaten 4-0 by Manchester City, with Mathias Normann coming in for Pierre Lees-Melou.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made just a solitary change from the win at Wolves, with Emile Smith Rowe recalled to replace the suspended Gabriel Martinelli. Takehiro Tomiyasu is fit enough for a place on the bench.
Thomas Frank has also made one team tweak: Josh Dasilva gets his first start of the season as Vitaly Janelt drops to the bench. Christian Eriksen and Ivan Toney aren’t involved.
Burnley’s teamsheet shows three changes, with both James Tarkowski and Ashley Westwood absent because of Covid-19 and Jay Rodriguez benched. In come Nathan Collins, Dwight McNeil and Jack Cork. Wout Weghorst is passed fit to start.
Brighton’s Graham Potter has gone one better than his opposite number, with Tariq Lamptey, Shane Duffy, Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck in for Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard.
There’s only one change at St Mary’s for Southampton’s clash with an unchanged Everton, as Tino Livramento comes in for Romain Perraud.
Cheikhou Kouyate, Nathaniel Clyne, James McArthur and Michael Olise replace Conor Gallagher, Joel Ward, Will Hughes and Odsonne Edouard for Palace’s match against Chelsea, who also make four changes to the side that won the Club World Cup last Saturday.
Christian Pulisic, Malang Sarr, Jorginho and Hakim Ziyech come in with Cesar Azpilicueta, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mateo Kovacic and the injured Mason Mount dropping out.
Danny Ings in for Ollie Watkins is Steven Gerrard’s only alteration at Villa Park, with Roy Hodgson bringing Ismaila Sarr and Imran Louza in for Juraj Kucka and Edo Kayembe.
GAMEWEEK 26 LINE-UPS
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, Soares, White, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Lacazette.
Subs: Leno, Holding, Tomiyasu, Pepe, Tavares, Lokonga, Elneny, Nketiah, Hutchinson.
Brentford XI: Raya, Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock, Canos, Jensen, Norgaard, Dasilva, Jensen, Henry, Mbeumo, Wissa.
Subs: Ghoddos, Onyeka, Baptiste, Janelt, Sorensen, Roerslev, Stevens, Fernandez.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Chambers, Mings, Digne, McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey, Buendia, Ings, Coutinho.
Subs: Olsen, Sanson, Watkins, Young, Hause, Bailey, Chukwuemeka, Chrisene, Iroegbunam.
Watford XI: Foster, Femenia, Cathcart, Samir, Kamara, Sarr, Louza, Sissoko, Cleverley, King, Dennis.
Subs: Bachmann, Ngakia, Ekong, Masina, Sema, Kabasele, Kalu, Hernández, Kayembe.
Brighton XI: Sanchez; Lamptey, Veltman, Duffy, Cucurella; Bissouma, Moder, Mac Allister, Lallana; Maupay, Welbeck.
Subs: Steele, Trossard, Gross, Alzate, March, Caicedo, Roberts, Leonard, Ferguson.
Burnley XI: Pope, Pieters, Mee, Collins, Roberts; Lennon, Cork, Brownhill. McNeil; Cornet, Weghorst.
Subs: Hennessey, Waller, Lowton, Barnes, Stephens, Rodriguez, Bardsley, Long, Thomas
Palace XI: Guaita, Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell, Kouyate, McArthur, Schlupp, J Ayew, Olise, Zaha.
Subs: Butland, Milivojevic, Eze, Hughes, Mateta, Benteke, Edouard, Kelly, Adaramola.
Chelsea XI: Mendy, Pulisic, Christensen, Silva, Rudiger, Sarr, Kante, Jorginho, Ziyech, Havertz, Lukaku.
Subs: Kepa, Alonso, Chalobah, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Saul, Kenedy, Vale, Werner
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Van Dijk, Keita, Mane, Salah, Gomez, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas, Diaz, Matip.
Subs: Kelleher, Fabinho, Konaté, Thiago, Milner, Minamino, Robertson, Origi, Elliott
Norwich XI: Gunn, Aarons, Gibson, Hanley, Gilmour, Normann, Rashica, Williams, Pukki, McLean, Sargent.
Subs: McGovern, Byram, Zimmermann, Kabak, Giannoulis, Lees-Melou, Placheta, Dowell, Rowe.
Southampton XI: Forster, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Livramento, S Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Elyounoussi, Broja, Adams.
Subs: Caballero, Stephens, Long, A Armstrong, Djenepo, Smallbone, Diallo, Walcott, Valery.
Everton XI: Pickford, Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Kenny, Gordon, Allan, van de Beek, Iwobi, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison.
Subs: Begovic, Patterson, Townsend, Mykolenko, Gomes, Branthwaite, Rondon, El Ghazi, Alli.
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