Dugout Discussion
18 October 2025 808 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
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Five more Premier League games get underway at 3pm BST, with all three newly promoted clubs in action – so many Gameweek 8 Bench Boost outcomes ride on the next few hours.


TEAM NEWS

Starting with ‘El Boostico’ (rubbish), there’s one enforced change for Leeds United as Jack Harrison replaces the injured Noah Okafor.

Daniel James and Lucas Perri have recovered from injury but are only among the substitutes.

Scott Parker, meanwhile, makes three changes to his Burnley side, one of which is injury-related as Lyle Foster is absent with a dead leg.

Zian Flemming, Lesley Ugochukwu and Jacob Bruun Larsen come in, while Loum Tchaouna and Josh Laurent drop to the bench.

Jaiden Anthony is fit to start.

In another match that features a number of budget picks being ‘boosted’, Sunderland host Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 7%-owned Omar Alderete has recovered from injury and is joined in the starting XI by Chris Rigg and Dan Ballard, with Arthur Masuaku and Simon Adingra making way.

Wolves bring in Rodrigo Gomes and the fit-again Matt Doherty for the injured Hwang Hee-chan and the benched Jackson Tchatchoua.

There’s a surprise benching for Josko Gvardiol at the Etihad, which naturally comes a day after Pep Guardiola praised the Croatian’s powers of recovery.

Oscar Bobb is also demoted to substitute duty and Rodri misses out, with Nico Gonzalez, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku handed recalls.

Omar Marmoush is on the bench after recovering from injury.

There are also three changes for Everton, who can’t call upon ineligible loanee Jack Grealish.

David Moyes brings in Carlos Alcaraz, Beto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as Tyler Dibling and Thierno Barry make way.

The absence of Evanlison, and a start for £4.5m forward Eli Kroupi, is the headline news from the Vitality. Evanilson misses out with a calf injury.

Alex Jimenez and Justin Kluivert also come in, with David Brooks injured and James Hill benched.

Crystal Palace are unchanged.

So too are Newcastle United for their trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, who bring in Georginio Rutter for the unavailable Brajan Gruda.

Kaoru Mitoma misses out again.

LINE-UPS

Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Dunk, van Hecke, Kadioglu, Ayari, Gomez, Baleba, Minteh, Welbeck, Georginio.

Subs: Steele, Tzimas, Watson, Kostoulas, Milner, Boscagli, De Cuyper, Coppola, Oriola.

Newcastle United XI: Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon

Subs: Ramsdale, Schar, Barnes, Krafth, Osula, Murphy, Willock, Ramsey, Miley.


Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Ugochukwu, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman, Bruun Larsen, Cullen, Florentino, Anthony, Flemming

Subs: Weiss, Edwards, Tchaouna, Ekdal, Pires, Broja, Mejbri, Laurent, Barnes.

Leeds United XI: Darlow, Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson, Longstaff, Ampadu, Stach, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Harrison

Subs: Perri, James, Piroe, Nmecha, Bijol, Tanaka, Bornauw, Justin, Gruev.


Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Munoz, Lacroix, Guehi, Mitchell, Richards, Wharton, Kamada, Sarr, Pino, Mateta.

Subs: Benitez, Clyne, Devenny, Canvot, Lerma, Sosa, Hughes, Esse, Nketiah,

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Jimenez, Truffert, Senesi, Diakite, Scott, Adams, Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo, Kroupi.

Subs: Dennis, Araujo, Smith, Cook, Adli, Hill, Milosavljevic, Christie, Gannon-Doak.


Manchester City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Ake, O’Reilly, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Savinho, Haaland.

Subs: Trafford, Stones, Gvardiol, Lewis, Kovačić, Cherki, Silva, Bobb, Marmoush.

Everton XI: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Garner, Gueye, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Alcaraz, Beto.

Subs: Travers, King, Coleman, Aznou, Dibling, Rohl, Iroegbunam, McNeil, Barry.


Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Ballard, Alderete, Mukiele, Xhaka, Sadiki, Traore, Rigg, Le Fee, Isidor.

Subs: Patterson, Neil, Geertruida, Talbi, Brobbey, Mayenda, O’Nien, Adingra, Masuaku.

Wolverhampton Wanderers XI: Johnstone, Doherty, S Bueno, Krejci, H Bueno, Munetsi, Trindade, J Gomes, Arias, Larsen, R Gomes.

Subs: Sa, Wolfe, Agbadou, Arokodare, Mosquera, T Gomes, Hoever, Lopez, Tchatchoua.


LIVE GAMEWEEK PAGE!

New to Fantasy Football Scout is the Live Gameweek page, which you can see on the side menu.

Here you can follow the scores, watch the defensive contribution (DC) points roll in, see who the leading players are for xG and more as the games play out, as seen below:

808 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. PartyTime
    • 4 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    Barcelona gol gol gol

  2. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    Early thoughts….

    Preferred duo here???

    A- Pope and 4.5 defender max(likely Diouf at 4.4)
    Or
    B- Burn and Petrovic

    Cheers everyone!!

  3. Mother Farke
    • 1 Year
    1 month, 21 days ago

    Do you get subs off the bench on a FH? Amateur Q, I know.

    1. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      Yes mate you do

      1. Mother Farke
        • 1 Year
        1 month, 21 days ago

        Cheers mate. Getting Mukiele for Gvardiol lol

        1. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          1 month, 21 days ago

          The stuff of FPL Dreams!!!!!! Haha congratulations

    2. _Ninja_
      • 15 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      Only if a starter doesnt play

      1. Mother Farke
        • 1 Year
        1 month, 21 days ago

        Cheers!

  4. DL
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    In the middle of the FPL chaos, I also want to appreciate the Palace - Bournemouth game in its own right.

    Now THAT's the Premier League I love. Huge credit to both teams.

    1. Make United Great Again
      • 13 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      Agreed. Was a great watch

    2. Glasner Ball
      • 13 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      Yep, have to say despite the start i really enjoyed that - had everything 🙂

    3. Cojones of Destiny
      • 7 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      yeah had fun watching the game

  5. _Ninja_
    • 15 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    This worth a BB next week?

    Pope
    Timber Gabriel Sensi
    Saka Semenyo Kudus Sarr
    Haaland Pedro Woltemade

    Dubravka (wol) Caicedo (SUN) Rodon (WHM) Guehi (ars)

  6. PartyTime
    • 4 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    What a gem Roefs has been 😎

  7. Make United Great Again
    • 13 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    GYOKERES BRACE + 3PS. CHEERS.

    1. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
      • 9 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      Make Arsenal great again

      1. Make United Great Again
        • 13 Years
        1 month, 21 days ago

        They’re close..

  8. Richm
    • 3 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    Worth doing JP to JPM or wait til after next game?

    1. DARK SIDE OF THE LOON
      • 9 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      After the next one

    2. Make United Great Again
      • 13 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      I wouldn’t bring in a striker vs Arsenal

  9. fedolefan
    • 11 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    Man, pre-match news are so useless. All that talk of White missing training and Hincapie training, yet come match day, White is on the bench and Hincapie not in the squad.

  10. _Greg
    • 15 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    What's Fulham and Bournemouth rotation like?

    Could you rotate King and Kroupi Jr I wonder.

    1. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      IIRC it's good but that sounds risky. King hasn't even returned yet & not like Kroupi is nailed when Evanilson back.

  11. Bobby Digital
    • 8 Years
    1 month, 21 days ago

    Going Gyokeres over double Arsenal defense failed miserably

    1. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      1 month, 21 days ago

      Game over after 30 mins?