Every week this new series will take a look at the predicted starting line-ups for clubs in the English Premier League. Knowing which players are expected to play each weekend is a crucial element for every active Fantasy Football manager. The starting XIs for the EPL clubs is increasingly hard to predict, due to congested fixture calendars and the quality of squad depths as a result of the vast amounts of money the EPL clubs generate.
For the moment, we will consider the lineups of the top-5 teams in the Premier League as it stands by the start of the upcoming gameweek. We might analyse the lineups of more teams at a later stage, based on the interest shown in this series. As far as gameweek 12 goes, we will take a look at confirmed starting lineups for the top-5 teams in gameweek 11, compare those to our predictions for that gameweek, and then predict their lineups for gameweek 12.
For much of the injury news mentioned in these pieces, we consult, among other club-specific sources, the excellent Twitter account and website of Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery). Lineups are written down from left to right, as seen from the goalkeeper’s perspective (so in defense, for example, from left-back to right-back).
Factors potentially affecting lineups per team in the build-up to GW12
| Liverpool | Champions League home vs RC Genk on 05/11 |
| Manchester City | Champions League away vs Atalanta Bergamo on 06/11 |
| Leicester City | None |
| Chelsea | Champions League home vs Ajax on 05/11 |
| Arsenal | Europa League away vs Vitoria de Guimaraes on 06/11 |
The top 5 at the start of gameweek 12
| 1 | Liverpool | 31 pts |
| 2 | Manchester City | 25 pts |
| 3 | Leicester City | 23 pts |
| 4 | Chelsea | 23 pts |
| 5 | Arsenal | 17 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 11: Predicted vs. confirmed
LIVERPOOL (away vs. Aston Villa, 1-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 11 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 11 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah | Mané, Firmino, Salah | |
| MID | Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson | Lallana, Wijnaldum, Henderson | |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, A.-Arnold | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, A. Arnold | |
| GK | Allison | Allison | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Origi > Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlain > Wijnaldum, Keita > Lallana | |
| Goals | /// | Robertson (Mané), Mané (A. Arnold) |
MANCHESTER CITY (home vs. Southampton, 2-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 11 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 11 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Sterling, Aguero, Bernardo Silva | Sterling, Aguero, Bernardo Silva | |
| MID | David Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne | David Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne | |
| DEF | Mendy, Stones, Fernandinho, Walker | Angeliño, Fernandinho, Stones, Walker | |
| GK | Ederson | Ederson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) G. Jesus > D. Silva, Foden > B. Silva, Otamendi > Aguero | |
| Goals | /// | Aguero (Walker), Walker |
LEICESTER CITY (away vs. Crystal Palace, 0-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 11 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 11 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 | |
| FOR | Vardy | Vardy | |
| MID | H. Barnes, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze | H. Barnes, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze | |
| DEF MID | Ndidi | Ndidi | |
| DEF | Chilwell, Soyuncu, Evans, Pereira | Chilwell, Soyuncu, Evans, Pereira | |
| GK | Schmeichel | Schmeichel | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) D. Gray > Ayoze, Morgan > H. Barnes, Praet > Maddison | |
| Goals | /// | Soyuncu (Maddison), Vardy (D. Gray) |
CHELSEA (away vs. Watford, 1-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 11 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 11 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Pulisic, Abraham, Willian | Pulisic, Abraham, Willian | |
| MID | Mount, Jorginho, Kovacic | Jorginho, Mount, Kovacic | |
| DEF | Alonso, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta | Emerson, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta | |
| GK | Kepa | Kepa | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Hudson-Odoi > Pulisic, Batshuayi > Abraham, Reece James > Willian | |
| Goals | /// | Abraham (Jorginho), Pulisic (Abraham) |
ARSENAL (home vs. Wolves, 1-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 11 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 11 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 3 – 1 – 2 | |
| FOR | Lacazette | Aubameyang, Lacazette | |
| MID | Aubameyang, Özil, Pepe | Özil | |
| DEF MID | Torreira, Guendouzi | Ceballos, Guendouzi, Torreira | |
| DEF | Tierney, David Luiz, Sokratis, Bellerin | Tierney, David Luiz, Sokratis, Chambers | |
| GK | Leno | Leno | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Martinelli > Lacazette, Saka > Torreira, Kolasinac > Tierney | |
| Goals | /// | Aubameyang (Lacazette) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 12
LIVERPOOL (home vs. Manchester City)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah |
| MID | Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, Alexander-Arnold |
| GK | Allison |
| Ruled out | Matip, Shaqiri |
| Doubtful | Henderson |
| Notes | Captain Jordan Henderson missed the mid-week Champions League game vs Genk due to illness, but should be back on Sunday for the crunch game which Liverpool don’t want to lose (a draw would be good for them). Fabinho was kept on the bench in gameweek 11 due to him being one yellow away from suspension in the Premier League, so we expect him to be starting this one. Rumors about a Salah injury seem unfounded and he should start but will his sore ankle last the full 90? Matip is still out with a knee injury and should again be replaced by Dejan Lovren. Mané and Salah against probably Walker and Mendy up and down the wings – mouth-watering! |
MANCHESTER CITY (away vs. Liverpool)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Sterling, Aguero, Mahrez |
| MID | De Bruyne, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva |
| DEF | Mendy, Fernandinho, Stones, Walker |
| GK | Ederson |
| Ruled out | Sané, Zinchenko, Laporte, Rodri, |
| Doubtful | Ederson, David Silva |
| Notes | With David Silva likely to be out and Ederson also a doubt on top of the existing injuries, the number of options for Guardiola’s starting line-up is rapidly decreasing. If Ederson doesn’t start, Claudio Bravo will. Stones was rested against Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday, Aguero replaced Jesus after 73 minutes and Walker came on (as a goalkeeper!) for Mahrez in the 88th minute. We expect the three of them to start at Anfield on Sunday. We think it will be Sterling and Marhez against TAA and Robertson up and down the wings – mouth-watering! |
LEICESTER (home vs. Arsenal)
| Form. | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 |
| FOR | Vardy |
| MID | H. Barnes, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze |
| DEF MID | Ndidi |
| DEF | Chilwell, Soyuncu, Evans, Pereira |
| GK | Schmeichel |
| Ruled out | M. James |
| Doubtful | None |
| Notes | Seeing as manager Brendan Rodgers has no injuries to worry about and considering Leicester’s good form, the Foxes are very likely lining up exactly as they did in the past three gameweeks. |
CHELSEA (home vs. Crystal Palace)
| Form. | |
| FOR | Pulisic, Abraham, Willian |
| MID | Kovacic, Mount, Kanté |
| DEF | Emerson, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta |
| GK | Kepa |
| Ruled out | Loftus-Cheek, Rudiger, Jorginho (1 match suspension) |
| Doubtful | Mount, Barkley |
| Notes | After a doubtful display on Tuesday vs Ajax, Alonso will likely be replaced again by Emerson at left-back. We did warn last week that Alonso’s position at LB was uncertain once Emerson was fit again. The rest of the defense should remain as usual. Jorginho’s absence should see fit again Kanté slide right back into the midfield. Mason Mount limped off with a leg injury against Ajax and is the main question mark here. If he’s fit, we’re likely to see him in midfield, with Pulisic, Abraham and Willian up front. If he’s not, we could see Willian (or Pulisic) drop back a line to provide space for Hudson-Odoi in attack. If Mount is not fully fit then given the amount of playing time he’s had recently it would make sense for Lampard to rest him so maybe bench at best for Mount but listen for the press conference news on Friday. |
ARSENAL (away vs. Leicester)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Lacazette |
| MID | Aubameyang, Özil, Pepe |
| DEF MID | Torreira, Guendouzi |
| DEF | Tierney, David Luiz, Sokratis, Bellerin |
| GK | Leno |
| Ruled out | None |
| Doubtful | Ceballos |
| Notes | More even than Pep’s, Emery’s lineups are proving increasingly hard to predict. Xhaka remains absent. On Wednesday against Vitoria, Emery started only three players (Sokratis, Ceballos and Tierney) that started gameweek 11 as well. Chambers, David Luiz, Özil and Aubameyang were not part of the mid-week squad. On top of that, the Spaniard chose a 5-3-2 formation for the Europa League game. He might stick to it against Leicester, but seeing as Leicester away is hardly the fixture to experiment with, we think he’ll stick to his usual 4-2-3-1. This weekend could finally see Bellerin replace Chambers at right-back, as the Spaniard didn’t feature mid-week. David Luiz is expected to form a central duo with Sokratis. Tierney played both gameweek 11 and Europa League on Wednesday, so a replacement by Kolasinac could be on the cards. Torreira replaces Xhaka and partners Guendouzi to form the double pivot. Emery could, in theory, pick his strongest offensive set-up, with Lacazette up top supported by Aubameyang, Özil and Pepe. A more defensive set-up could see Willock replace Özil and Auba partnering Lacazette higher up. Saka should get on the pitch at some time. |
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