Dugout Discussion
17 January 2026 634 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
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Five more Premier League matches to come now, following on from the Manchester derby:

James Palmer

TEAM NEWS

Having missed out in Gameweeks 20 and 21, and then made an appearance off the bench in the FA Cup, Hugo Ekitike is back in the Liverpool starting XI today.

Arne Slot’s side shows two changes from the goalless draw at the Emirates, with Ekitike and Curtis Jones in for the injured Conor Bradley and the benched Alexis Mac Allister.

As for Burnley, Scott Parker prefers Axel Tuanzebe and Jaidon Anthony to Josh Laurent and Hannibal Mejbri.

And after sitting on the sidelines for both of Chelsea’s cup matches over the last week, Reece James and Cole Palmer are passed fit to start.

Liam Delap is only fit enough for bench duty after illness, while Wesley Fofana is also among the substitutes as his minute management continues.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews almost goes with the same XI that beat Sunderland, instead preferring Mikkel Damsgaard to Keane Lewis-Potter.

On Wearside, Regis Le Bris reacts to that aforementioned 3-0 pummelling by handing starts to Reinildo, Romaine Mundle and Noah Sadiki. Simon Adingra, Lutsharel Geertruida and Chris Rigg are the fall guys.

Crystal Palace are without the City-bound Marc Guehi, of course, while Jaydee Canvot drops to the bench. Chris Richards and Jefferson Lerma are the new additions compared to Gameweek 21.

Leeds United are without the absent Jaka Bijol and Anton Stach this afternoon, so in come Jayden Bogle and Noah Okafor. There’s a change between the posts, too, with Karl Darlow recalled for the under-fire Lucas Perri.

Fulham’s Marco Silva brings in Sasa Lukic and Ryan Sessegnon for Tom Cairney and Issa Diop.

Finally, in north London, there’s a debut for Conor Gallagher.

Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert and Archie Gray are the other new additions from the last Premier League game. Djed Spence and Lucas Bergvall are subs, while Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur are both out.

West Ham are again without Lucas Paqueta but they hand a full debut to Pablo Felipe, one of their January signings.

LINE-UPS

Chelsea XI: Sánchez, James, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernández, Neto, Palmer, Garnacho, Pedro.

Subs: Jörgensen, Badiashile, Hato, Fofana, Acheampong, Santos, Delap, George, Guiu.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Henry, Janelt, Jensen, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Schade, Igor Thiago.

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Van Den Berg, Pinnock, Nelson, Ouattara, Lewis-Potter, Donovan, Furo,


Fulham XI: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Lukić, Berge, Wilson, Smith Rowe, Sessegnon, Jiménez.

Subs: Lecomte, Diop, Amissah, Reed, Cairney, King, Traoré, Kusi Asare, Kevin.

Leeds United XI: Darlow, Bogle, Justin, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson, Gruev, Ampadu, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Okafor.

Subs: Perri, Bornauw, Byram, Longstaff, Tanaka, Buonanotte, Piroe, Nmecha, Gnonto.


Liverpool XI: Alisson, Frimpong, Konaté, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike.

Subs: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Robertson, Ramsay, Endo, Mac Allister, Nyoni, Chiesa, Ngumoha.

Burnley XI: Dúbravka, Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Humphreys, Pires, Edwards, Ugochukwu, Luis, Anthony, Broja.

Subs: Weiss, Hartman, Ekdal, Mejbri, Laurent, Bruun Larsen, Foster, Tchaouna, Barnes.


Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Reinildo, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fée, Mundle, Brobbey.

Subs: Patterson, Cirkin, Geertruida, Neil, Rigg, O’Nien, Mayenda, Isidor, Adingra.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Lerma, Devenny, Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell, Johnson, Yéremy Pino, Mateta.

Subs: Matthews, Benítez, Clyne, Canvot, Sosa, Imray, Riad, Uche, Drakes-Thomas.


Tottenham Hotspur XI: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Davies, Gallagher, Gray, Odobert, Simons, Tel, Kolo Muani.

Subs: Kinsky, Drăgușin, Danso, Udogie, Spence, Bissouma, Bergvall, Solanke, Scarlett.

West Ham United XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Mavropanos, Scarles, Souček, Fernandes, Bowen, Pablo, Summerville, Castellanos.

Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Igor, Mayers, Rodríguez, Potts, Kante, Wilson.

LIVE GAMEWEEK PAGE!

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

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


price change predictions
634 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Sailboats
    • 10 Years
    6 hours, 47 mins ago

    Bum team Liverpool

  2. PartyTime
    • 4 Years
    6 hours, 46 mins ago

    Ekitike gone missing 😆

    1. Biggsy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      6 hours, 3 mins ago

      JP was the real captain this week

      1. Drop Dead Tsimikas
        • 14 Years
        6 hours, 3 mins ago

        I'm okay(ish) with Wirtz 😉

      2. PartyTime
        • 4 Years
        6 hours, 2 mins ago

        Holy Snipekins(c)

  3. Nightcrawler
    • 6 Years
    6 hours, 46 mins ago

    liverpool need to sack slot before they end up outside ucl for next season

    1. TheBiffas
      • 5 Years
      6 hours, 3 mins ago

      Agreed

  4. TheBiffas
    • 5 Years
    6 hours, 46 mins ago

    Saka benched ffs

  5. TheSteel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    6 hours, 45 mins ago

    Salah was right. One-man team

    1. Biggsy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      6 hours, 2 mins ago

      One man and a £417m transfer bill

  6. Scapegoat Salah
    • 9 Years
    6 hours, 45 mins ago

    Saka please stay on the bench, Dorgu in waiting

    1. NABIL - FPL otai
      • 13 Years
      6 hours, 1 min ago

      No way

    2. Snoop Udogie Dogg
      • 5 Years
      6 hours, 1 min ago

      no, if Timber and Gab have to ruin it for me, then Saka can ruin it for you 😛

    3. henrysquire
      • 7 Years
      6 hours, 1 min ago

      Not a chance

    4. jonnybhoy
      • 13 Years
      5 hours, 53 mins ago

      Same hope arsenal go 3 up and he gets some rest

  7. NABIL - FPL otai
    • 13 Years
    6 hours, 44 mins ago

    And Szobo doesn't even get CS point...

  8. Albrightondknight
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    6 hours, 44 mins ago

    There needs to humane solution to the Kerkez problem. And Frimpong a joke in the lead up to the goal too.

    1. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      6 hours, 1 min ago

      Neither are defenders.

  9. henrysquire
    • 7 Years
    6 hours, 44 mins ago

    Saka coming on for 10 minutes.

  10. Gudjohnsen
    • 8 Years
    6 hours, 44 mins ago

    Saka not worth the price

  11. sminkypinky
    • 14 Years
    6 hours, 43 mins ago

    This season just won’t reward you for going with a differential captain. Even if Haaland doesn’t deliver his replacement doesn’t either. Ekitike for me today but noo… nothing.

  12. AC/DC AFC
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    6 hours, 43 mins ago

    Spurs equaliser

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      6 hours ago

      Romero

  13. Sgt. Schultz
    • 9 Years
    6 hours, 43 mins ago

    Romero Header G

    1. Sgt. Schultz
      • 9 Years
      6 hours ago

      Porro A

    2. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      5 hours, 59 mins ago

      The problem with Romero is when to okay him

      Albeit you would have done so, today

  14. Drop Dead Tsimikas
    • 14 Years
    6 hours, 43 mins ago

    Yep, it was Romero, not VdV, to bring in. Of course.

  15. F4L
    • 11 Years
    6 hours, 43 mins ago

    romeroooooooooo

  16. F4L
    • 11 Years
    6 hours, 43 mins ago

    love you romero

  17. PartyTime
    • 4 Years
    6 hours, 42 mins ago

    Is that a Porro assist?

    1. Sgt. Schultz
      • 9 Years
      6 hours ago

      yup

    2. Drop Dead Tsimikas
      • 14 Years
      6 hours ago

      Yep.

  18. TheBiffas
    • 5 Years
    6 hours, 41 mins ago

    6 players 6 blanks 😎

  19. Sgt. Schultz
    • 9 Years
    6 hours, 41 mins ago

    Brobbey G

  20. AC/DC AFC
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    6 hours, 41 mins ago

    Goal

    Sunderland

    2-1

    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      5 hours, 58 mins ago

      Brobbey

      An option

  21. F4L
    • 11 Years
    6 hours, 41 mins ago

    brobbey goal

    1. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      5 hours, 55 mins ago

      Some finish. Looks like he hurt himself pretty bad scoring it

  22. Drop Dead Tsimikas
    • 14 Years
    6 hours, 41 mins ago

    Chalobah defcons.

  23. F4L
    • 11 Years
    6 hours, 40 mins ago

    liverpool with 23 shots and 9 on target jeez

  24. Snoop Udogie Dogg
    • 5 Years
    6 hours, 40 mins ago

    Come on score Brentford, even Thiago will do

    1. NABIL - FPL otai
      • 13 Years
      5 hours, 56 mins ago

      Chalobah OG would be nice

  25. F4L
    • 11 Years
    6 hours, 39 mins ago

    has enzo been pushed forward with garnacho off?

  26. sminkypinky
    • 14 Years
    6 hours, 38 mins ago

    Since I got a taste for the rants let’s keep it going: come on Thiago! I benched Chalobah because of you mate. Now he’s on for a haul.

  27. TheSteel
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    6 hours, 38 mins ago

    Cant wait to sell Saka for Bruno, then watch a Saka brace and defcon vs United.

  28. Tic Tacs
    • 5 Years
    6 hours, 37 mins ago

    Another poor week for me, benched Le Fee and Foden continues to troll - 4 out of the 6 gameweeks I haven’t owned him he’s got double digits.

    1. NABIL - FPL otai
      • 13 Years
      5 hours, 53 mins ago

      Same here, Le Fee on bench, started Foden and Szobo.

      Blinded.

      1. Tic Tacs
        • 5 Years
        5 hours, 49 mins ago

        Ah it sucks, my 50/50 was Le Fee/Thiago - but Thiago hatties when I bench him!

  29. Gudjohnsen
    • 8 Years
    6 hours, 37 mins ago

    My Palmer punt not working out

    1. g40steve
      • 7 Years
      5 hours, 52 mins ago

      Cough cough

  30. Sgt. Schultz
    • 9 Years
    6 hours, 36 mins ago

    Chelsea Pen

    1. Sgt. Schultz
      • 9 Years
      5 hours, 53 mins ago

      Delap wins it