A 91st-minute booking signalled a fifth yellow card of the season and a Gameweek 14 suspension for popular Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi (£5.0m).
Owned by close to a quarter of all FPL managers, and around a third of those in the top 100k, the centre-half’s upcoming Gameweek 14 absence has already driven over 200,000 sales.
So, in this article, we take a look at the best replacements for the Argentine stopper.
We’ll focus on £5.5m-and-under assets in this piece but both Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber (£6.4m) and Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz (£6.0m) are going to be popular replacements for those with cash spare.
They’re the two most-bought defenders of Gameweek 14 at the time of writing, indeed:
But on we go with those replacements within £0.5m of Senesi’s price tag…
NICO O’REILLY (£5.1M)
Manchester City sit among the standout teams at the summit of the Fixture Ticker for the upcoming period, with a run of opponents that looks extremely favourable on paper.
Pep Guardiola’s side face three of the current bottom five, as well as a double-header against Sunderland. The first of those games sees the Mackems, second-bottom for goals scored in away games, head to the Etihad.
From a defensive perspective, City have been quietly impressive. Only three sides have recorded more clean sheets than them so far this season (six), while they also rank second overall for expected goals conceded (xGC). This underlines that their defensive returns are backed up by the data rather than fortune.
Among their defensive options, Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) continues to stand out. The 20-year-old has established himself as a key figure at the back in recent weeks, starting five of his side’s last six matches.
He also carries significant attacking upside, with one goal and three assists to his name already in 2025/26. The left-back could have scored twice on Saturday and also set up a big chance that Phil Foden (£8.1m) nearly scored.
In fact, O’Reilly is the top defender for expected goal involvement (xGI, above) since his first start in Gameweek 4.
There’s always a rotation risk when it comes to City players, especially at this time of year. Don’t expect him to start every game in December – but on current form, it’ll be a lot more than not.
MALICK THIAW (£4.9M)
Newcastle United also feature among the teams with a strong upcoming schedule, particularly the double-header against Burnley.
Recent clean sheet returns have dipped, with just one shutout in their last six in all competitions. However, the Magpies boast the third-best xGC (14.92) in the league, which underscores their solidity.
The backline has changed often due to injuries. Even now, Lewis Hall (£5.2m) is having his minutes managed after returning from a lay-off and three different players – Sven Botman (£4.9m), Fabian Schar (£5.3m) and Dan Burn (£5.1m) – have lined up as the left-sided centre-back in the last three Gameweeks.
Still, Malick Thiaw (£4.9m) looks locked in. He has started the last nine league matches under Eddie Howe and has been absolutely outstanding defensively, while also offering a bit of a menace at the other end.
His recent brace against Everton brought into focus his attacking upside. He now sits among the top five defenders for big chances this seasonL
“It’s an interesting one with Malick because he’s ended up, if you look back at our set-plays, getting his head on quite a bit, so his movement, his aggression and his timing is really good. But he hadn’t put the finishing touches to that in the way he did on Saturday with two great headers. It’s great to see that work coming good for us.” – Eddie Howe in Monday’s presser, via the BBC
MAXENCE LACROIX (£5.1m)
With two fixtures against Fulham, a trip to Burnley, and an away clash with Leeds United in their next six outings, Crystal Palace remain a standout side for Fantasy investment.
The Eagles also boast a strong recent track record of responding to setbacks. The last time they suffered back-to-back defeats in all competitions, they bounced back immediately, winning four and keeping four clean sheets across the following five matches.
From a defensive standpoint, Oliver Glasner’s men have been among the most reliable units in the league. They rank joint-second for clean sheets, joint-second for fewest goals conceded, and joint-third for the total number of shots on target allowed.
While his aforementioned teammate Daniel Munoz offer significant attacking threat, Maxence Lacroix )(£5.1m) provides an alternative route to points, specialising in defensive actions and bonus potential rather than attacking returns.
Lacroix currently ranks second overall for total defensive contributions this season (above). He has returned DEFCON points in seven of his 13 matches (it should have been eight after a post-cut-off Opta recalculation!), underlining his consistency for FPL managers.
IBRAHIMA KONATE (£5.4m)
It’s been a frustrating start to the season for Liverpool, with consistency proving an issue. Still, their 2–0 Gameweek 13 win over West Ham United could mark a turning point under Arne Slot.
Defensively, Liverpool have been mixed. They sit among the worst four for big chances conceded, yet rank mid-table for clean sheets and xGC.
Fixtures may now help drive improvement. A recent clean sheet sets them up well for matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), Leeds United (H+A), and Sunderland (H).
While Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) narrowly leads for total defensive contributions, Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) still averages an impressive 9.46 per 90 minutes. It’s a narrow 14-12 in van Dijk’s favour when it comes to DefCon points.
And there’s barely anything between the two when it comes to goal threat:
Arne Slot has continually resisted the urge to drop Konate during his recent slump, so there’s no reason to expect he’ll do anything different now – especially with a dearth of fully fit alternatives.
MATTHIJS DE LIGT (£5.0M)
Manchester United have managed just one clean sheet all season, which is a major concern. Under Ruben Amorim, they also rank among the bottom five for big chances conceded.
Fixture appeal may still tempt managers. Home games against West Ham United and a double against rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers offer clear short-term potential. Leeds and Burnley follow in Gameweeks 20 and 21.
Minutes are no concern for Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m). No player has logged more game time than the Dutch defender this season:
De Ligt offers both defensive reliability and attacking upside.
As well as ranking above his teammates for total defensive contributions, he also sits inside the top eight defenders for NPxGI this season.
All 11 of his shots have come from inside the area, a total that only four defenders can better.
NIKOLA MILENKOVIC (£5.2M)
Nottingham Forest also demand attention at this stage. Under new manager Sean Dyche, they have claimed three wins from their last five matches across all competitions.
It is not just the results that catch the eye, either. Dyche’s well-drilled defensive structure and emphasis on work rate have already yielded three clean sheets over that same five-game spell.
The upcoming schedule offers further scope for Nottingham Forest to continue their upturn in form. Based on recent results, their toughest test looks to be Manchester City (H).
For fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers (A), Everton (H+A), and Fulham (A), investing in Nikola Milenković could be the safest move.
Whilst teammate Neco Williams (£4.7m) comes in cheaper, has more open-play attacking threat and is surprisingly good at racking up defensive contributions, the Welshman currently sits on four yellow cards, so is nearing a ban. One more booking and you’ve got another red-flagged defender for the next Gameweek!
For that reason, Nikola Milenković (£5.2m) perhaps presents himself as the standout Nottingham Forest defender.
The Serbian stopper has banked DefCon points in two of the last three Gameweeks, while he’s joint-second among defenders for headed set-piece attempts (eight) in 2025/26.
Forest are top of all clubs for set-play shots (27) since Dyche took charge, raising hopes that we could see a return to goalscoring form for Milenkovic soon.
