Dugout Discussion
17 August 2025 795 comments
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Three Premier League matches take place on Sunday with a double-header up first at 14:00 BST.

Chelsea host Crystal Palace in west London, while Nottingham Forest meet Brentford at the City Ground.

Eberechi Eze starts for Palace despite transfer interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

Oliver Glasner makes just one change from the line-up he used against Liverpool last week. It’s an enforced alteration, too, with Daichi Kamada missing out. Will Hughes comes in.

Tosin Adarabioyo is absent for Chelsea after picking up a “small issue” in training, so Josh Acheampong partners Trevoh Chalobah at the back.

Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro make up the front four.

At the City Ground, Morgan Gibbs-White is available for Forest after missing the final pre-season friendly to attend the birth of his child. He starts in a No 10 role.

Dan Ndoye is the only new signing in their starting XI, but Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha are on the bench.

Caoimhin Kelleher missed Brentford’s final pre-season friendly but he starts in goal.

Mikkel Damsgaard and the wantaway Yoane Wissa are both absent, but Kevin Schade is fit enough for a place on the bench.

Rico Henry gets the nod over Aaron Hickey at left-back as expected.

LINE-UPS

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Enzo, Neto, Palmer, Gittens, J Pedro

Subs: Jorgensen, Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Essugo, Santos, Estevao, George, Delap

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze, Mateta

Subs: Benitez, Lerma, Clyne, Esse, Edouard, Sosa, Rak-Sakyi, Devenny, Cardines


Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood

Subs: Gunn, Morato, Awoniyi, Jesus, Jota, Yates, Jair, Boly, Abbott

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Henry, Yarmoliuk, Jensen, Carvalho, Milambo, Lewis-Potter, Thiago

Subs: Valdimarrson, Hickey, Henderson, Schade, Onyeka, Ajer, Peart-Harris, Roerslev, Arthur


795 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Bigbars
    • 15 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Thoughts on how long before the refs stop applying the rule updates, i'd say a month.

    FYI, the 1m / 10yds Rule has been in since 2019, im suprised nobody has tried to game it and setup 2x 3 man walls to force teams away.
    Giving a corner for holding the ball too long instead of an indirect fk like it used to be is daft to me.
    respect the ref and yellow card for holding is inconsistent.

    1. g40steve
      • 7 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      If the ref don’t apply the rules VAR will, is how i’m seeing it?

  2. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Today couldn’t have gone much worse. Sels, Williams, Palmer and Mateta

  3. g40steve
    • 7 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Watching Dorgu & Gyok

    Oh & Martinelli seems very overlooked

  4. Zalk
    • 14 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Not sure if Forest are still good or if Brentford is relegation fodder.

    1. It’s gonna Ben Mee
      • 12 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Bit of both

      1. tangtastic
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 15 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        agreed. brentford are gonna be in trouble, a team to target methinks

  5. Ser Davos
    • 10 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Parallels:

    JP + Palmer
    Watkins + Rogers

    got all 4 😆

    both faced decent sides this GW and have Brentford in the coming weeks

    Also have both Brentford keepers as well :facepalm:

    1. g40steve
      • 7 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Ouch, Brentford looked shakey AF without Mbeumo & Wissa fire power, Thiago did nothing for 80 then soft pen.

  6. Mother Farke
    • 1 Year
    4 months, 11 days ago

    89pts all out. No BB. Need Gyökeres to stay quiet because he's a threat according to livefpl.net.

    1. tangtastic
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      thanks for the update

      1. OverTinker
        • 7 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Why so hurt?

    2. Jordan.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      terrific score w/p

      1. Bushwhacker
        • 6 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Its blind luck lol

    3. Zalk
      • 14 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      the start of dreams

    4. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Top score that!

    5. g40steve
      • 7 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Big haul, sitting on 54 with Bruno to play.

      Who were the big points for you that Sundeland defender & Semy ?

      1. g40steve
        • 7 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Ah, Semy & Hugo to my Sarr & Watkins mmm

      2. Mother Farke
        • 1 Year
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Team is linked, mate. Haaland (C), Semenyo, Ekitike.

        Thanks for all the congratulations.

        1. g40steve
          • 7 Years
          4 months, 11 days ago

          Cracking start, keep it up, very strange first week & lots are WC or burning other chips

    6. The Big Fella
      • 9 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Well done mate

    7. villa_til_i_die
      • 14 Years
      4 months, 10 days ago

      Awesome score mate.

  7. BobbyDoesNotLook
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Where the f did Sanchez's bps go?

    1. tangtastic
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      3 other players got more bps

      1. BobbyDoesNotLook
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Cannot be.

  8. CABAYE4
    • 14 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    I’ve got a horrible feeling FPL will find an extra DC for Anderson.

    I’ve picked some DC-players myself but first GW I can’t say I’ve enjoyed it as an addition to the game. Think will try and avoid checking mid-game next weekend.

    1. PartyTime
      • 4 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      They always do

  9. Jordan.
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    9 played ,total dc points ZERO

  10. Brosstan
    • 11 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Win - Curuella and Sanchez double up 🙂

    Loss - Forest defense triple up 🙁

    1. pjomara
      • 15 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      The rough and the smooth

    2. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      The clean sheet could have been the other way around

      I lost out with Sels and Milenko and despite no Wood have jumped rank by 250k it seems to 750k ish on 65 points.

      Need Bruno to put on a show now.

      1. The Big Fella
        • 9 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Still a good rank I’d be happy for 750 million after my gameweek

    3. g40steve
      • 7 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Bugger that’s harsh

  11. gooberman
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Murillo the defcon monster with only 5 defcon pts.

  12. The Bandit
    • 15 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    16pts on BB, but so close to another 12 with Verbruggen, Milenkovic, and De Cuyper

    1. BobbyDoesNotLook
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      What is your XI if you bench Milenkovic?

      1. The Bandit
        • 15 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Sels, Porro, Cucu, Frimpong, Palmer, Kudus, Wirtz, Ndiaye, Watkins, Ekitike, Bowen

  13. Dynamic Duos
    • 12 Years
    4 months, 11 days ago

    Mateta or Wood?

    1. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Wood.

    2. g40steve
      • 7 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Next week Mateta?

      1. Punned It
          4 months, 11 days ago

          Don't you start!

          1. g40steve
            • 7 Years
            4 months, 10 days ago

            🙂

      2. Glasner Ball
        • 13 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        You want Mateta gameweek 3 when we play Villa, always a goal fest for us

    3. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
      • 9 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Cole Palmer doesn’t have a non-pen goal in the Prem since 14th January 2025 …

      1. Do I Not Like Orange
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Yep, never been in one of my drafts because the memory of owning him through that drought is still fresh.

    4. Make FPL Casual Again
      • 7 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      "1 hour, 44 mins ago
      Id love it if Anderson stopped at 11 defcons after all the counting, monitoring"

      Lol

    5. Mighty Duck
      • 1 Year
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Sunderland's Reinildo from my 3rd bench spot gets more points than all the bloody triple NFO defence. Neato.

      1. Count of Monte Hristo
        • 12 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Started him 😎

    6. CoracAld2831
      • 4 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Smooth:
      Salah no-blank, Reijnders masterclass, Cucu + Porto CS

      Rough:
      Konsa red, Mateta instead of Wood, No Haaland, Watkins & Wirtz fail.

      1. CoracAld2831
        • 4 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        *Porro

    7. lilmessipran
      • 13 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Come on Bruno

      1. Bobby Digital
        • 8 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Let's f go

      2. Zalk
        • 14 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        I'm hoping for 2 DC's, that's about it.

    8. Zalk
      • 14 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Palmer & Guiu -> Wood & Semenyo is very tempting right now.

      1. RICICLE
        • 3 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        That is a knee jerk if I ever saw one hehe

    9. maltasi
      • 16 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      So the teams who finished 1st and 5th for most clean sheets last season fail to keep one this weekend but the side who finished 16th for keeping them did!

      No def con points for Murillo or Williams, but 2 for the unfancied (to get them) Aina.

      Ditto Mitchell getting them today, but not Guehi or Richards.

      FPL is well and truly back eh!

    10. Revival
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      I do like Cunha as a player but he is a disciplinary nightmare waiting to happen

    11. Gandalf
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Sanchez
      Frimpong Murillo Porro
      Salah Palmer Reindeer Anderson
      Watkins Ekitike Pedro

      A. Frimpong > Cucu or Ait Nouri

      B. Palmer > Saka

      C. FH to get in Arsenal players and Haaland

      D. Roll FT

    12. GunnerStorm
      • 11 Years
      4 months, 11 days ago

      Oh God, I can't with Gary Neville!

      1. Glasner Ball
        • 13 Years
        4 months, 11 days ago

        Viaplay FTW

    13. g40steve
      • 7 Years
      4 months, 10 days ago

      Cali G

      1. g40steve
        • 7 Years
        4 months, 10 days ago

        Keeper lost at sea

    14. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 months, 10 days ago

      Awful

    15. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 months, 10 days ago

      Been all United and the keeper just ruins it as quick as that

    16. have you seen cyan
      • 6 Years
      4 months, 10 days ago

      In 15 years or so of FPL I have never had an opening gameweek anything like this before. My only return is salah cap. Got Bruno and Dorgu playing, so there is the chance I get a second player retuning, but I doubt it.

      I honestly can’t believe how bad it’s been, it’s like it’s a sign telling me not to play this season.