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West Ham v Sunderland team news: Xhaka ruled out

24 January 2026 620 comments
Skonto Rigga Skonto Rigga
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Before the rumoured bedlam that will erupt with the release of the Manchester City teamsheet, we’ve got a more low-key start to Gameweek 23.

West Ham United v Sunderland gets us underway at 12.30pm GMT.

TEAM NEWS

The team news is fairly straightforward in east London, with West Ham unsurprisingly unchanged from their 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

El Hadji Malick Diouf has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) but has to settle for a place on the bench. Ollie Scarles keeps his place at left-back.

Lucas Paqueta‘s absence was confirmed by Nuno Espirito Santo on Thursday.

Something that Regis Le Bris didn’t do on the same day was divulge information about Granit Xhaka.

The Swiss international, one of just four Fantasy midfielders who were ever-present starters this season, misses out through injury.

Eliezer Mayenda takes his place.

That’s the only change from Gameweek 22.

The Black Cats have two of their own returning AFCON representatives on the bench, namely Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi.

The Gameweek 23 matches are a re-run of the opening weekend of the season. In the reverse fixture of this encounter, Sunderland beat West Ham 3-0 on Wearside.

LINE-UPS

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

Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Ward-Prowse, Wilson, Diouf, Magassa, Potts, Kante.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Reinildo, Hume, Sadiki, Le Fee, Mundle, Mayenda, Brobbey.

Subs: Patterson, O’Nien, Geertruida, Cirkin, Rigg, Diarra, Adingra, Isidor, Talbi.

620 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. F4L
    • 11 Years
    8 hours, 17 mins ago

    fernandes g
    castellanos a

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  2. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    8 hours, 17 mins ago

    OMG fernandes

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  3. JBG
    • 7 Years
    8 hours, 17 mins ago

    Probably should've started Dubravka *shrugs*

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  4. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    8 hours, 16 mins ago

    What a goal

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  5. Amartey Partey
    • 6 Years
    8 hours, 16 mins ago

    It’s suddenly not looking great for all those Chelsea players next week.

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  6. Evasivo
    • 15 Years
    8 hours, 15 mins ago

    Mbrunooo

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  7. F4L
    • 11 Years
    8 hours, 15 mins ago

    ballard -1 pointer incoming 😎

    😥

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  8. Zilla
    • 8 Years
    8 hours, 15 mins ago

    What a strike

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  9. Mighty Duck
    • 1 Year
    8 hours, 15 mins ago

    We all bought wrong Fernandes

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  10. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 15 Years
    8 hours, 15 mins ago

    Sunderland a championship team without xhaka?

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    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      8 hours, 14 mins ago

      Sounds like it

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  11. TheBiffas
    • 5 Years
    8 hours, 14 mins ago

    Paqueta out the door, West ham improving as a team, a striker with good build up play - Bowen all of a sudden looks very tempting

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  12. Gudjohnsen
    • 9 Years
    8 hours, 14 mins ago

    Triple Sunderland defence.

    Season over

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    1. Voronins Pony Tail
      • 2 Years
      8 hours, 11 mins ago

      You haven’t surely?

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      1. Gudjohnsen
        • 9 Years
        8 hours, 10 mins ago

        Nah

        Alderete 1st on bench

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  13. JBG
    • 7 Years
    8 hours, 12 mins ago

    The Xhaka leak was the most important, lol

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  14. The Bandit
    • 15 Years
    8 hours, 12 mins ago

    Ref bottles it

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  15. Sgt. Schultz
    • 9 Years
    8 hours, 12 mins ago

    Reinildo asking for it

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  16. F4L
    • 11 Years
    8 hours, 11 mins ago

    bournemouth will need to be careful to not get dragged into a relegation battle now

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  17. henrysquire
    • 7 Years
    8 hours, 11 mins ago

    Yeah Mukiele wasn't the call this week. Nevermind.

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  18. adstomko
    • 9 Years
    8 hours, 10 mins ago

    I do think there needs to be stricter rules regarding injury news from teams/press conferences.

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    1. Voronins Pony Tail
      • 2 Years
      8 hours, 8 mins ago

      Like what and why?

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      1. adstomko
        • 9 Years
        8 hours, 5 mins ago

        Well perhaps more so the FPL game itself, but the game is just appealing to more & more people who have free time. Deadline may as well be 1 minute before kick off

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  19. F4L
    • 11 Years
    8 hours, 10 mins ago

    only 3 Sunderland players not on negative bps lol

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    1. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      8 hours, 8 mins ago

      I’m already on -8

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  20. mixology
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    8 hours, 8 mins ago

    Sunderland to bounce back next Monday (BUR). But this is painful without Xhaka.

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  21. henrysquire
    • 7 Years
    8 hours, 8 mins ago

    Wait... is Haaland benched?!

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

      Yes

      96.1% certainly

      And Foden too

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  22. Stranger Mings
    • 5 Years
    8 hours, 7 mins ago

    I tried to change c to semenyo at 10.59 but failed!

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    1. AC/DC AFC
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      8 hours, 4 mins ago

      Was it crashing?

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      1. Stranger Mings
        • 5 Years
        8 hours, 2 mins ago

        No just didnt do b4 site updated- gutted

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  23. PartyTime
    • 4 Years
    8 hours, 7 mins ago

    Scenes when Haaland starts.

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    1. DA Minnion (Former great)
      • 13 Years
      8 hours, 6 mins ago

      And blanks

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      1. fedolefan
        • 11 Years
        8 hours, 5 mins ago

        If he starts this week, brev he ain't blanking. That's just them FPL rules.

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    2. JBG
      • 7 Years
      8 hours, 5 mins ago

      Apparently it's true, because the account that leaked it, is getting criticised by a different leaker. Who's also a City fan

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      1. AC/DC AFC
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        8 hours, 3 mins ago

        He's the old leaker

        It's a funny old game

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

        I'm pretty sure Pep already received info that his lineup was leaked because Pep is on ffs. He would have changed it by now with Haaland in the XI. Trust me bro 🙂

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      3. Voronins Pony Tail
        • 2 Years
        8 hours, 1 min ago

        You do know these leakers are spotty little nerds with a Twitter account who have zero contacts or sources.

        Guessing game using the same info we all have.

        Don’t give them any airtime or credit.

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        1. boc610
          • 14 Years
          7 hours, 57 mins ago

          Lol keep telling yourself that

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          1. Voronins Pony Tail
            • 2 Years
            7 hours, 50 mins ago

            So you think someone with real connections to Man City’s inner circle, would have Peps line up at 10:45am and jump on a twitter account to leak their starting line up?

            I could have predicted Haaland benched based on the same info you and everyone else has.

            Let’s see if they guessed right.

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            1. x.jim.x
              • 11 Years
              7 hours, 45 mins ago

              Yes, we've seen it a million times. There was a Liverpool one who used to post a photo of the tactics board.

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  24. Salalalalah
    • 7 Years
    8 hours, 6 mins ago

    Chances Bruno G don't play this week? Bowen warming up on bench

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

      V high

      Unless he's recovered remarkably

      I imagine it was a Howe smokescreen

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    2. Scotty Dog
      • 6 Years
      7 hours, 58 mins ago

      Makes no sense to play him imo needs a rest and perfectly good cover in miley.

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    3. Weasel Boy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      7 hours, 58 mins ago

      Bench at best for BG

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  25. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 13 Years
    8 hours, 6 mins ago

    Bowen is my biggest troll.

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    1. Gudjohnsen
      • 9 Years
      8 hours, 5 mins ago

      always been

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  26. Wayner9
    • 3 Years
    8 hours, 5 mins ago

    Want to bring Bruno Fernandes in for Foden.
    Need to downgrade somewhere to facilitate the move.
    Do I lose Frimpong for Dorgu or Ekitike for Pedro?

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    1. Voronins Pony Tail
      • 2 Years
      8 hours, 1 min ago

      A

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  27. Pariße
    • 10 Years
    8 hours, 4 mins ago

    Of course Bowen was banished from my wildcard team at the eleventh hour. Luckily I don’t own more than one Sunderland defender.

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    1. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 16 Years
      8 hours, 3 mins ago

      Who did you get for Bowen?

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      1. Pariße
        • 10 Years
        7 hours, 56 mins ago

        Thiago. It was somewhat connected to price rising speculation last night, but then this morning I saw expected goals comparison between the two, and there was a ridiculous gap. Although the arguments for Bowen were the superpowers relegation battle teams acquire in later parts of the season, and Bowen’s new penalty responsibility. Brentford might as well end up “on the beach” early.

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  28. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    8 hours, 1 min ago

    TonyAwesome in a few mins with line ups

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    1. Weasel Boy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      8 hours ago

      Haaland not starting.

      He's my captain

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  29. jonnybhoy
    • 13 Years
    7 hours, 58 mins ago

    So as a Haaland non captainer we want Haaland 1 pointer for all the people who captained him dont get vice captain points?

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    1. RamaJama
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      7 hours, 57 mins ago

      Yes

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    2. FPL Blow-In
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      7 hours, 57 mins ago

      Yep

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    3. Weasel Boy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      7 hours, 56 mins ago

      That's pretty obvious

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    4. OneTeamInBristol
      • 2 Years
      7 hours, 53 mins ago

      As a non captainer, I want him to come on in 90, score 3 own goals and get booked.

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  30. DA Minnion (Former great)
    • 13 Years
    7 hours, 57 mins ago

    About to find out how awesome Tony really is.

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