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 17 goes, we will take a look at confirmed starting lineups for the top-10 teams in gameweek 16, compare those to our predictions for that gameweek, and then predict their lineups for gameweek 17.
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 GW17
| Liverpool | Champions League group stage vs. RB Salzburg (a) on 10/12: 0-2 |
| Leicester City | None |
| Manchester City | Champions League group stage vs. Dinamo Zagreb (a) on 11/12: 1-4 |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 17 (positions 1 to 5)
| 1 | Liverpool | 46 pts |
| 2 | Leicester City | 38 pts |
| 3 | Manchester City | 32 pts |
| 4 | Chelsea | 29 pts |
| 5 | Manchester United | 24 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 16: Predicted vs. confirmed
LIVERPOOL (away vs. Bournemouth, 0-3)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah | O.-Chamberlain, Firmino, Salah | |
| MID | O.-Chamberlain, Keita, Henderson | Keita, Henderson, Milner | |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, A.-Arnold | Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, Gomez | |
| GK | Alisson | Alisson | |
| Subs | /// | (1st half) A.-Arnold > Lovren (2nd half) Jones > Robertson, Shaqiri > O.-Chamberlain | |
| Goals | /// | O.-Chamberlain (Henderson), Keita (Salah), Salah (Keita) |
LEICESTER CITY (away vs Aston Villa, 1-4)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 | |
| FOR | Vardy | Vardy | |
| MID | H. Barnes, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze | Iheanacho, Maddison, Tielemans, Praet | |
| DEF MID | Ndidi | Ndidi | |
| DEF | Chilwell, Söyüncü, Evans, Ricardo Pereira | Chilwell, Söyüncü, Evans, Ricardo Pereira | |
| GK | Schmeichel | Schmeichel | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) H. Barnes (Iheanacho), Albrighton (Praet), J.Justin > Chilwell | |
| Goals | /// | Vardy (Iheanacho), Iheanacho (Maddison), Evans (Maddison), Vardy (Praet) |
MANCHESTER CITY (home vs. Manchester United, 1-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, B. Silva | |
| MID | D. Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne | D. Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne | |
| DEF | Mendy, Fernandinho, Stones, Walker | Angeliño, Fernandinho, Stones, Walker | |
| GK | Ederson | Ederson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Otamendi > Stones, Mahrez > B. Silva, Gundogan > Rodri | |
| Goals | /// | Otamendi (Mahrez) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 17
LIVERPOOL (home vs. Watford)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah |
| MID | Wijnaldum, Keita, Milner |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold |
| GK | Alisson |
| Ruled out | Fabinho, Clyne, Matip, Lovren |
| Doubtful | Lallana |
| Notes | After Lovren had to come off early for a second consecutive time due to the same minor discomfort, manager Klopp has confirmed he will sit this one out. Replacement Gomez joins Robertson, Van Dijk and A.-Arnold in defence. After being rested last gameweek and playing the full 90 minutes against Salzburg mid-week, Wijnaldum should retain his spot in the middle. Keita has been a main replacement for Fabinho and is expected to feature from the start as well. The third midfield spot could be Milner’s after Henderson completed the mid-week game. Mané was rested in gameweek 16, so we expect him to start against the Hornets. Firmino was replaced by Milner after 75 minutes versus Salzburg, which should indicate the Brazilian starting this weekend as well. Salah seems to be getting back to form and should fill in the last spot, but considering the opposition, the upcoming fixture calendar and the quality of the bench players, we think the Egyptian is the most likely one to be replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain or Origi. |
LEICESTER CITY (home vs. Norwich)
| 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 | None |
| Notes | Manager Brendan Rodgers has no urgent injuries to deal with, but he did surprise us in gameweek 16 by mixing up his starting lineup a bit after maintaining the same lineup for many weeks. Praet and the in-form Iheanacho came in for H. Barnes and Ayoze. In terms of our expectation for the game against Norwich, we’re leaning towards Rodgers picking the usual starting eleven again, including H. Barnes and Ayoze, but this could be considered harsh on Iheanacho. Knowing that a cup game is coming up soon after this encounter, Rodgers will probably revert to his preferred 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 with H. Barnes and Ayoze on the wings. |
MANCHESTER CITY (away vs. Arsenal)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, B. Silva |
| MID | D. Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne |
| DEF | Angeliño, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Walker |
| GK | Ederson |
| Ruled out | Sané, Laporte, Stones |
| Doubtful | Aguero, D. Silva, Ederson |
| Notes | Ederson missed the mid-week clash with Zagreb due to illness, but is expected to return in goal against Arsenal. Stones is out injured, making a central defensive pair of Fernandinho and Otamendi very likely. Mendy and Cancelo completed the 90 minutes mid-week, so we can see Angeliño (left) and Walker (right) return to the starting lineup. De Bruyne was rested for the Champions League game on Wednesday and will return against the Gunners. Foden and Gundogan got a 90-minute run against Zagreb, so we expect them to be replaced. D. Silva has missed the last 2 training sessions and is a doubt due to pain in his leg but will have a very late fitness test to see if he’s recovered in time to take Foden’s place against Arsenal, while Rodri should fill in the third midfield spot. Up front, Gabriel Jesus continues to lead the line, flanked by Sterling and B. Silva. If D. Silva doesn’t make it in time, we could see a mixed-up midfield with De Bruyne, Rodri and B. Silva, and with Mahrez starting on the right wing. |
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