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 2 covers the teams in positions 4 to 6, part 1 covers the lineups for positions 1 to 3, 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
| Chelsea | GW14 |
| Spurs | GW14 |
| Wolves | GW14 |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 15 (positions 4 to 6)
| 4 | Chelsea | 26 pts |
| 5 | Spurs | 20 pts |
| 6 | Wolves | 20 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 14: Predicted vs. confirmed
CHELSEA (home vs. West Ham, 0-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 14 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 14 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Pulisic, Batshuayi, Willian | Pulisic, Giroud, Pedro | |
| MID | Mount, Jorginho, Kanté | Kovacic, Mount, Jorginho | |
| DEF | Emerson, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta | Emerson, Tomori, Zouma, James | |
| GK | Kepa | Kepa | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Willian > Pedro, Kanté > Jorginho, Hudson-Odoi > Giroud | |
| Goals | /// | /// |
SPURS (home vs. Bournemouth, 3-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 14 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 14 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Kane | Kane | |
| MID | Son, Alli, Moura | Son, Alli, Sissoko | |
| DEF MID | Winks, Dier | Dier, Ndombele | |
| DEF | Rose, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Aurier | Vertonghen, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Aurier | |
| GK | Gazzaniga | Gazzaniga | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Moura > Ndombele, Lo Celso > Son, Winks > Alli | |
| Goals | /// | Alli (Son), Alli (Alderweireld), Sissoko (Son) |
WOLVES (home vs. Sheffield United, 1-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 13 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 13 | ||
| Form. | 5 – 2 – 3 | 5 – 2 – 3 | |
| FOR | Jota, Jimenez, Traoré | Jota, Jimenez, Traoré | |
| MID | Moutinho, Neves | Moutinho, Neves | |
| DEF | Jonny, Bennett, Coady, Dendoncker, Doherty | Jonny, Kilman, Coady, Dendoncker, Doherty | |
| GK | Patricio | Patricio | |
| Subs | /// | /// | |
| Goals | /// | Doherty (Jimenez) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 15
CHELSEA (home vs. Aston Villa)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Giroud |
| MID | Pulisic, Mount, Willian |
| DEF MID | Jorginho, Kanté |
| DEF | Emerson, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta |
| GK | Kepa |
| Ruled out | Loftus-Cheek, Rüdiger |
| Doubtful | Abraham, Barkley |
| Notes | The four defenders in front of Kepa are likely to be Emerson, Tomori, Zouma and Azpilicueta, as the latter was rested over the weekend and replaced by R. James. Kanté came on after 63 minutes to replace Jorginho in gameweek 14, so we expect the Frenchman to start this time, together with Jorginho and instead of Kovacic, who played the full 90 minutes against West Ham. Up front, we expect Willian to enter in place of Pedro, and for Pulisic and Mount to retain their spots as Hudson-Odoi and Pedro hope for playing time as substitutes. In terms of the striker, we expected Batshuayi last weekend and it turned out to be Giroud, so we’re sticking with the French forward this time but will Lampard? |
SPURS (away vs. Manchester United)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Kane |
| MID | Son, Alli, Sissoko |
| DEF MID | Ndombele, Dier |
| DEF | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier |
| GK | Gazzaniga |
| Ruled out | Lloris, Davies, Lamela, Vorm |
| Doubtful | /// |
| Notes | Looking back on gameweek 14 and keeping Mourinho’s first three games for Spurs in mind, there are more or less 3 starting spots up for grabs: left-back, now that Davies is out and Vertonghen replaced him against Bournemouth, right-wing, where Sissoko replaced Moura to start in that same game, and one side of the double pivot in the middle, which has been filled in by both Winks and Ndombele. Seeing as Vertonghen filled in well, he should keep his place, and we expect the same for Sissoko given the away game to Man Utd, who scored the winner against the Cherries and put down an overall good display but Moura will be fresher. We see Dier being accompanied by Ndombele in the middle, while Son, Alli and Kane are all part of the now potent Spurs offense. |
WOLVES (home vs. West Ham)
| Form. | 5 – 2 – 3 |
| FOR | Jota, Jimenez, Traoré |
| MID | Neves, Moutinho |
| DEF | Jonny, Saiss, Coady, Dendoncker, Doherty |
| GK | Patricio |
| Ruled out | Boly, Gibbs-White |
| Doubtful | Bennett |
| Notes | Wolves have no new injury concerns and manager Espirito Santo is not known for rotating much, so we expect pretty much the same team this week as the team that lined up from the start in gameweek 14. Saiss is back from suspension and will likely replace Kilman, and that should be it. Also keep an eye on Bennett, as he was an undisputed starting defender before getting the injury that he has now recovered from. Should Espirito Santo decide to rotate a bit this week, then the likes of Vinagre (instead of Jonny), Neto and Cutrone come to mind. |
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