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-10 teams in the Premier League as it stands by the start of the upcoming gameweek, divided over three articles. This part 1 covers the teams in positions 1 to 3, part 2 covers the lineups for positions 4 to 6, and part 3 looks at the formations for positions 7 to 10. We might analyse the lineups of all teams at a later stage, based on the interest shown in this series. As far as gameweek 15 goes, we will take a look at confirmed starting lineups for the top-10 teams in gameweek 14, compare those to our predictions for that gameweek, and then predict their lineups for gameweek 15.
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 defence, for example, from left-back to right-back).
Factors potentially affecting lineups per team in the build-up to GW15
| Liverpool | GW14 |
| Leicester City | GW14 |
| Manchester City | GW14 |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 15 (positions 1 to 3)
| 1 | Liverpool | 40 pts |
| 2 | Leicester City | 32 pts |
| 3 | Manchester City | 29 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 14: Predicted vs. confirmed
LIVERPOOL (home vs. Brighton, 2-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 14 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 14 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah | Mané, Firmino, Salah | |
| MID | Wijnaldum, Keita, Henderson | O.-Chamberlain, Henderson, Wijnaldum | |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, A.-Arnold | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, A.-Arnold | |
| GK | Alisson | Alisson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Lallana > Salah, Origi > Firmino, Adrian > O.-Chamberlain | |
| Goals | /// | Van Dijk (A.-Arnold), Van Dijk (A.-Arnold) |
LEICESTER CITY (home vs. Everton, 2-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 14 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 14 | ||
| 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, Söyüncü, Evans, Ricardo Pereira | Chilwell, Söyüncü, Evans, Pereira | |
| GK | Schmeichel | Schmeichel | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Iheanacho > Ayoze, Albrighton > H. Barnes | |
| Goals | /// | Vardy (Iheanacho), Iheanacho (Pereira) |
MANCHESTER CITY (away vs. Newcastle, 2-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 14 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 14 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez | |
| MID | David Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne | David Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne | |
| DEF | Mendy, Fernandinho, Stones, Walker | Mendy, Fernandinho, Stones, Walker | |
| GK | Ederson | Ederson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) B. Silva > Mahrez, Foden > D. Silva, Rodri > G. Jesus | |
| Goals | /// | Sterling (D. Silva), De Bruyne |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 15
LIVERPOOL (home vs. Everton)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah |
| MID | Oxlade-Chamberlain, Henderson, Wijnaldum |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, Alexander-Arnold |
| GK | Adrian |
| Ruled out | Fabinho, Clyne, Matip, Alisson (suspended 1 match) |
| Doubtful | None |
| Notes | As a result of Alisson’s red card, Adrian will start in goal for the Reds. Rotation could be turned up a notch by Klopp from now on, as Liverpool have the busiest December month of all clubs coming up, but we expect largely the same lineup as the one that started gameweek 14. Amongst the players most likely to be introduced should Klopp rotate are Keita (instead of Oxlade or Wijnaldum), Gomez (instead of A.-Arnold) and Origi (instead of one of the front three). Robertson is playing through pain due to a sore ankle which has meant he has minimal training. |
LEICESTER CITY (home vs. Watford)
| Form. | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 |
| FOR | Vardy |
| MID | H. Barnes, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze Perez |
| DEF MID | Ndidi |
| DEF | Chilwell, Söyüncü, Evans, Ricardo Pereira |
| GK | Schmeichel |
| Ruled out | None |
| Doubtful | D. Gray |
| Notes | While the positive results keep rolling in and there is no sign of extreme fatigue, Brendan Rodgers is expected to stick to his successful lineup. The absence of serious injuries to key players makes this a lot easier for the Scottish manager. The Foxes have no European obligations this month, either. We expect an identical starting lineup in comparison to the one last weekend although Iheanacho may well get the nod ahead of Perez after his impressive sub appearance yesterday. |
MANCHESTER CITY (away vs. Burnley)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, B Silva |
| MID | Foden, Rodri, De Bruyne |
| DEF | Angeliño, Fernandinho, Stones, Cancelo |
| GK | Ederson |
| Ruled out | Sané, Laporte, Aguero, Gundogan (1-match suspension, yellow cards) |
| Doubtful | Zinchenko |
| Notes | With the Burnley game following a little over two days after the gameweek 14 game versus Newcastle, we’re expecting rotation galore for this one. Ederson will start in goal. Seeing as Mendy started at left-back and Walker at right-back in the weekend, we might well see Angeliño and Cancelo replace the Frenchman and the Englishman, respectively. Fernandinho and Stones should form the centre. Gundogan’s suspension should lead to Rodri starting as defensive midfielder, with De Bruyne on his right. On the left side, we have a feeling Foden might start instead of D. Silva, who is rested frequently. Up front, Gabriel Jesus leads the line, with Sterling to his left and either B. Silva or Mahrez to his left. Seeing as Mahrez started against Newcastle, failed to make a real impact and was replaced by B. Silva, we feel the Portuguese technician could get the nod this time. |
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