FPL 2026/27 – Predicted Line-ups

Latest News: Despite appearing to limp down the tunnel after full-time on Wednesday, Ben White is, according to his manager, "fine" for Arsenal's clash with Sunderland this weekend. The Gunners have emerged from their clash with Napoli unscathed, indeed. As for existing issues, William Saliba (back) remains out, but Cristhian Mosquera (muscle) isn't too far away, with Arteta saying he could be back for "this game or the next one". Jurrien Timber (groin) is already back in training, too, with a return to action seemingly imminent for him - although you'd imagine he'll be coming off the bench at first after so long out. Midweek breathers for the likes of Riccardo Calafiori, Christos Tzolis, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Kai Havertz suggest that they'll return to the side this weekend but we're at a relatively early stage of the season to be discussing fatigue, and there could still be some horses-for-courses tweaks regardless of midweek minutes. Could Bruno Guimaraes be needed in the engine room, for instance, to combat Sunderland's physicality? If none of White, Timber or Mosquera are able to start (which seems less likely now), then Piero Hincapie may be brought into the back four, or we may see someone like Martin Zubimendi moonlighting at full-back. Bukayo Saka was occasionally handled carefully by Arteta in three-game weeks last season, so after two successive starts for the winger this week, it's not outside of the realm of possibility that Noni Madueke starts this one. Saka did, at least, come off after 73 minutes on Wednesday.

Latest News: Brian Madjo (unknown), Leon Goretzka (knee) and Amadou Onana (knee) remain out, while Joao Gomes serves the final match of a three-game ban. Matty Cash will also have to be assessed after missing Tuesday's Champions League win over Club Brugge with a minor issue. In better news, Johan Manzambi (knee) has returned to training this week and could feature, likely as a substitute. Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be on standby to deputise for Cash if needed, while we may see Pau Torres come in for Tyrone Mings, given that Liam Delap is less of a physical menace than Oli McBurnie was last weekend. Unai Emery was asked about his reticence to use his summer signings so far this season, and the likelihood is that a lot of them - such as Matteo Ruggeri, Alejandro Garnacho, Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis - will instead feature in the EFL Cup next Wednesday.

Latest News: Amine Adli (calf), Eli Kroupi (foot), Veljko Milosavljevic (knee) and Julian Araujo (thigh) are on the medium-term injury list, but Bournemouth have no fresh fitness concerns. Marco Rose has made only one starting XI change across the first three Gameweeks, bringing in Tyler Adams - who was always likely to return once deemed fit enough - for Lewis Cook at Newcastle. There is a fourth central midfielder gunning for a place, however: midweek hat-trick hero Ryan Christie. While it seems less likely that he'd oust Adams, and definitely not Alex Scott, Rose could play him further forward in the '10', with Justin Kluivert having had a poor start to the campaign. Kluivert, indeed, played an hour in midweek, when most of the regulars were rested. It may all hinge on whether Christie is fit enough for two successive starts, as the Scotland international had a disrupted pre-season.

Latest News: Nathan Collins will be out until after the September international break with the calf issue he picked up last weekend. Mathias Jensen, missing for the last two matches, is also probably looking at October for a return to action, along with Sepp van den Berg (groin) and Josh Dasilva (hamstring). Antoni Milambo (knee), meanwhile, will feature for the B team over the coming weeks as he builds fitness following a year out. Jannik Schuster is set to come in for Collins, while there's a decent chance that we'll see Jaidon Anthony oust Dango Ouattara after the latter was hooked at half-time last weekend. So too were Mamadou Sangare and Michael Kayode but, after strong starts to the season (especially from the former), it'd be harsh in the extreme if the pair were jettisoned for Yehor Yarmoliuk and Aaron Hickey. With this being a tricky-ish away game, Keith Andrews might instead be tempted to introduce Yarmoliuk for Mikkel Damsgaard, even if such a move would come at the cost of engine-room creativity. Elsewhere, it'll be interesting to see how long Keane Lewis-Potter can stave off the challenge of El Hadji Malick Diouf at left-back.

Latest News: Mats Wieffer (knee), Jack Hinshelwood (unspecified), Yankuba Minteh (leg), Evan Ferguson (ankle), Kaoru Mitoma (hamstring) and Stefanos Tzimas (knee) remain out, while Zadok Yohanna has joined the injury list with a "small issue". New boy Femi Azeez (hamstring) "hopefully is an option", however, and Georginio Rutter (unspecified) "definitely should be close". Bench duty at best likely beckons for those two. We'd usually predict an unchanged XI with confidence but Albion do have a busy week coming up, with Manchester United and Arsenal to come within seven days of Sunday's clash with Coventry. Does Fabian Hurzeler rest a few bodies against the weakest-on-paper opponents (ie the Sky Blues) or follow the more well-trodden path of fielding a second-string side in the EFL Cup? Either way, Oliver Boscagli and Lewis Dunk in the same XI may be seen as overkill against a goalless Coventry, so we may see Costinha brought in for one of them and Ferdi Kadioglu switch over to left-back. Kadioglu's own form has been mixed at best, so he's a candidate for making way, too.

Latest News: Moises Caicedo (calf), Marco Palestra (unspecified), Emmanuel Emegha (hamstring) and Jordan Henderson (wrist) won't return for the Blues this weekend but there are no new major concerns that we're aware of. Xabi Alonso evidently had one eye on the weekend when making nine changes for the EFL Cup tie against Leeds United, with Maxence Lacroix and Josh Acheampong the only survivors. The back three is arguably the biggest question mark this weekend, with Levi Colwill's true fitness a bit of an uncertainty. Benched last weekend, he started in the cup but went off after 76 minutes and disappeared straight down the tunnel, with Alonso saying that it was "just from little things that he's having", adding that he didn't think it was an injury. Malo Gusto's midweek stinker and half-time withdrawal leave little doubt that Pedro Neto is going to start at wing-back, but that's only if Alonso sticks with such a system. Remember, in pre-season, Chelsea did play in a 4-2-3-1 quite a bit, and this is one such match in which he could tinker with his set-up.

Latest News: Haji Wright (quad), Luke Woolfenden (knee), Josh Eccles (unspecified) and Kaine Kesler-Hayden (hamstring) remain out but Coventry have no fresh worries. Loanee Stephen Mfuni is also available again, having been ineligible to face his parent club last weekend. The Sky Blues produced a much-improved display against Manchester City in Gameweek 3, and nearly stole a point from the Etihad. That performance coincided with a formation shift to a 3-4-3 and, although Frank Lampard said there were no guarantees that he'd stick with the same set-up on Sunday, you'd be surprised if he deviated too far from last week's game-plan. He could still make personnel changes within this formation, of course. Caleb Yirenkyi is an option in midfield (even if he did have a poor game when coming on at the Etihad), while Gus Hamer, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Loum Tchaouna and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto give Lampard plenty of choice in the attacking midfield positions. We can add another name to that list, too: the latest new boy, Yann Gboho, has trained this week and should come into the squad.

Latest News: Ismaïla Sarr (groin), Chadi Riad (knee) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (hamstring) remain out for the Eagles. Long-term absentee Cheick Doucoure, who was on the bench in Gameweek 3 before missing out on the EFL Cup win over Middlesbrough with illness, should be fine, however. There was no word on Eddie Nketiah, who was forced off at half-time against Fulham and missed out in midweek, but Pierre Sage had previously said that the striker was anticipated to return to training at the back-end of the week, so we're assuming he's fine. Nevertheless, there could still be a change up top from last Saturday, as Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice and assisted another goal in the 3-0 success over 'Boro. Both players could yet be incorporated in the same XI, of course, with Nketiah as one of the '10s'. Darío Osorio, Dwight McNeil, Zavier Gozo and Evann Guessand are further alternatives in the attacking midfield roles, but Sage redeploying Daichi Kamada further forward, rather than using any of the above, perhaps says much about their lack of match sharpness or how untrusted they are by the Palace boss. The Eagles' defence didn't convince despite their victory last weekend, and Takehiro Tomiyasu and Honest Ahanor could challenge for a place on either side of Axel Disasi.

Latest News: Christian Nørgaard (groin) will remain out until after the September break but that's the only injury we're aware of in the Everton camp, as David Moyes had previously confirmed that James Garner was merely suffering from cramp when hobbling off last weekend. Away from injuries, Jack Grealish is closer to a start, according to his manager, but he's surely unlikely to come in for Tyrique George, who was excellent against Manchester United. So, could we see a repeat of what happened in Gameweek 3, when a poor Brennan Johnson was hooked, George swapped flanks and Grealish was introduced on the left? Elsewhere, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is pushing hard for a start at right-back after his positive introduction off the bench last weekend. Merlin Rohl may drop out, then, but it's possible he's used on the right wing instead, with Grealish staying as a substitute for now.

Latest News: Tom Cairney (knee) remains out until after the September international break but Fulham have no other concerns for the trip to Anfield. While Alvaro Arbeloa seems stubborn about changing (or not changing) his system, we can expect some personnel tweaks after a point-less start to 2026/27. Arbeloa discussed the prospect of using Alex Iwobi on the left wing, for instance, something we saw late last week when central midfielder Shea Charles came on for winger Cesar Palacios. And while Arbeloa suggested again that it was too early to see deadline-day buys Manuel Angel and Hugo Larsson from the start, he said right-sided centre-half David Affengruber was "more prepared physically than the other two". We could therefore see him replace Joachim Andersen, who doesn't seem best suited to Arbeloa's high-octane approach. Away from team news, there's talk of dressing room unrest as Emile Smith Rowe, Iwobi, Kenny Tete and Kevin either deleted references to the club on their social media pages this week or posted cryptic messages. Smith Rowe, Kevin and Tete haven't been starting of late, and Arbeloa perhaps fired a shot at the last three when saying they needed to "show me that they are not happy [about not playing] during their training session".

Latest News: Jack Butland (shoulder), Ilyas Ansah (back), Hidemasa Morita (adductor) and Charlie Hughes (groin) remain out for the Tigers. So too do Darko Gyabi (thigh) and Elliot Matazo (knee) but those two, along with Óscar Zambrano, aren't in the 25-man Premier League squad anyway. Tim Iroegbunam, Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Paddy McNair weren't risked for the midweek cup tie at Sunderland due to various niggles but are now fit, as is John Egan, who took a knock on Wearside. In more alarming news, Sorba Thomas was involved in a car crash on Friday morning, but mercifully escaped unhurt and will presumably be in the squad at Stamford Bridge. Thomas for Elliot Stroud is one of the likelier changes to this in-form Hull line-up in the coming weeks but after that road traffic accident, and given the defensive work likely needed in west London, it's an alteration that will probably remain on ice. Norton-Cuffy for Lewie Coyle is another plausible change but again, after the former had calf issues in midweek, Coyle may get a stay of execution.

Latest News: Jaden Philogene (ankle) and Azor Matusiwa (muscle) have both returned to training this week, leaving Jack Taylor (knee) as the Tractor Boys' only confirmed absentee. Gary O'Neil will surely be tempted to throw in Zian Flemming, who has proven Premier League goalscoring experience, at the expense of Emersonn, but otherwise, it's hard to envisage much else changing with the line-up. Matusiwa isn't ready to start, and while O'Neil said Philogene could maybe contribute an hour, the winger hasn't started a match of any variety - even a pre-season friendly - since May. You'd imagine that Tuesday's EFL Cup tie against Arsenal is a likelier game for him to contribute meaningful game-time.

Latest News: Joe Rodon will be out for 8-10 weeks with the hamstring injury he sustained in Gameweek 2 but apart from him, and forgotten man Mateo Joseph (knee), Leeds have a clean bill of health. Daniel Farke made eight changes for the midweek EFL Cup tie against Chelsea, and he may have made more had he had more centre-halves at his disposal; James Justin and Tarik Muharemovic were forced to go again. Few of the second-string really did enough to suggest they'd keep their place, in truth, and the majority of those who performed well at Brighton last Saturday will return against Newcastle. Back on home soil, and with the Magpies not particularly physically strong in the middle of the park, might Farke consider ditching one of the three central midfielders (Ao Tanaka) and bringing in a more attacking option like Harry Wilson? That's the most plausible change we can see, if indeed there are any at all.

Latest News: Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoni (knee) and Federico Chiesa (muscle) remain out and Andoni Iraola is unsure whether Cody Gakpo (adductor) will be fit to face Fulham after the Dutchman missed Wednesday's UEFA Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid and midweek training. The aim was to assess Gakpo in training on Friday, but Iraola admitted that the Reds may "need to wait for the next one". With Bradley Barcola hobbling off in midweek with cramp after his first start since the World Cup, you wouldn't be surprised if Victor Munoz and Rio Ngumoha started out wide against the Cottagers. Jeremie Frimpong is also an option on the right wing. There could well be a change at left-back, too, as Milos Kerkez was cramping in midweek, and didn't exactly convince with his performance, either. Alexis Mac Allister has bounced back to form in the last week but Ryan Gravenberch offers fresh legs in midfield, if desired. Joe Gomez (muscle) mightn't be too far away based on a previous timeline from Iraola; we didn't get an update on him in Friday's presser.

Latest News: Jeremy Doku (calf) remains out but Nico O'Reilly (back) has been passed fit, and there are no other known concerns in the City squad. O'Reilly's return to fitness presents an interesting discussion over tactics, especially after Enzo Maresca talked up Enzo Fernandez's ability to contribute goals and assists. Are we about to see Enzo in the '10' (in place of Rayan Cherki) and one of O'Reilly or Ayyoub Bouaddi partnering Elliot Anderson in midfield? Playing Enzo further forward is something that Maresca did a lot of at Chelsea in fixtures of this magnitude; see his final line-ups against Liverpool and Arsenal as Blues boss. O'Reilly for Josko Gvardiol (hooked early in midweek) or Abdudokir Khusanov for Matheus Nunes (to deal with a resurgent Marcus Rashford) are other possibilities, selections that would, of course, have implications for who starts further forward, given that Maresca likes to send one full-back upfield, be it inverted or providing width. After Maresca gave some constructive public criticism of Iliman Ndiaye last weekend ("most of the time he was moving in the wrong way"), and with Cherki's big-game credentials perhaps questionable, Phil Foden may well start on the right ahead of Nunes, as he did against Porto. The Manchester native's excellent track record in derbies, and the suggestion that meetings with the old enemy mean more to him, were topics discussed in Maresca's presser.

Latest News: Michael Carrick will assess Luke Shaw after the left-back wasn't risked - Carrick said he "wasn't quite ready for it 100%" - in Thursday's UEFA Champions League victory over Sabah. Marcus Rashford was likewise unused in that game, to keep him "fresh and ready for the weekend". Patrick Dorgu can deputise in either position, if needed. Might Carrick throw Andrey Santos in for this one, perhaps sacrificing Youri Tielemans? Maybe, but managed minutes for both Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo in midweek suggests that that's going to be the pairing again in the derby. Benjamin Sesko surely doesn't start two games in less than 72 hours after so long out, meanwhile, so we're likely looking at Matheus Cunha up top again. Amad Diallo (unspecified), Manuel Ugarte (knee), Carlos Baleba (ankle), Matthijs de Ligt (back) and Tom Heaton (hamstring) have all been on the sidelines lately, but we didn't get any update on them in Carrick's presser.

Latest News: Amar Dedic came off with hamstring discomfort in Tuesday's EFL Cup win over Millwall, with Matthias Jaissle saying at the time that it was "hopefully nothing serious". He repeated those sentiments on Thursday. Jaissle was less helpful on the rest of the news, citing "confidentiality" reasons for not updating us on Joelinton (unspecified), Dan Burn (ankle), Ewen Jaouen (ankle) and Will Osula (foot) - not that we're expecting them back anyway. If Dedic isn't fit, then we'll probably see Lewis Miley move to right-back, as Tino Livramento is only just back from months on the sidelines. Miley covering in defence would allow Jacob Ramsey to come into the midfield, and the Miley-to-Ramsey change is one that Jaissle may make regardless, after the former Villa man came off the bench to good effect in Gameweek 3. As for Matias Fernandez-Pardo, could we see him in the line-up on Monday? Jaissle said he is "getting closer" to starting but did add that Newcastle would "need to be smart with his load management", so we're expecting to see Joe Willock and Yoane Wissa through the middle at Elland Road.

Latest News: Nicolo Savona (knee) is Forest's only confirmed absentee for the trip to Aston Villa. With Xaver Schlager and James McAtee in such good form that they're likely to see off the fit-again Ibrahim Sangare (calf) in midfield, and with Oliver Glasner all but confirming that Jair Cunha would continue ahead of Ousmane Diomande, there are maybe only one or two spots up for grabs. One is in attack, where Igor Jesus is pushing Dan Ndoye for a start. The other is at right wing-back, where Glasner's man, Daniel Munoz, is posing a serious threat to Ola Aina's minutes. Both Aina and Ndoye were taken off early for their positional rivals in Gameweek 3 but, in the case of Munoz, it's more a question of whether he's deemed fit enough to start after a disrupted pre-season.

Latest News: Romaine Mundle (knee) has joined Habib Diarra (hamstring) on the sidelines this week but we're not aware of any other injuries in the Sunderland camp. Regis Le Bris made 11 changes for Tuesday's cup victory over Hull City, with Thomas Meunier the only Gameweek 3 starter who featured at all. He came on as a second-half substitute. The likelihood is, then, that we're going to see that rested Premier League XI return against Arsenal. Trai Hume for Meunier is a possibility on the right wing (Le Bris seems intent on fielding a full-back there, one way or the other!) but given the Belgian veteran's considerable height advantage, you'd assume the Sunderland boss sides with him for the visit of the set-piece specialists.

Latest News: Mykhailo Mudryk (ankle) has joined Xavi Simons (knee) and Wilson Odobert (knee) on the injury list, while Dejan Kulusevski (knee) was not in team training this week as his 16-month lay-off drags on. After Friday's press conference, Roberto De Zerbi mentioned in an interview with in-house media that Pedro Porro (muscle) and Destiny Udogie (muscle) are also concerns, adding that he would not take any "risks". Plenty of not-so-good news, then, but at least James Maddison (shoulder) is available again. Archie Gray and Andrew Robertson will be prepared to come in at full-back, with Tosin Adarabioyo an outside shout for right-back duty. Could we see a change in the spluttering attack, too? Dominic Solanke for Mathys Tel is a possibility, with Omar Marmoush moving to a left-wing role. Mohamed Kudus is also "very close to being ready to start the game", according to his manager, but you wonder whether "very close" means "not quite yet". Conor Gallagher would likely drop out to accommodate Kudus, if the Ghanaian playmaker is deemed fit. Matheus Fernandes and Lucas Bergvall are further options in the '10', as well as further back in midfield.