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 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
| Chelsea | Champions league group stage vs. Lille (H) on 10/12: 2-1 |
| Manchester United | Europa League group stage vs. AZ Alkmaar (H) on 12/12: 4-0 |
| Wolves | Europa League group stage vs. Besiktas (H) on 12/12: 4-0 |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 17 (positions 3 to 7)
| 3 | Manchester City | 32 pts |
| 4 | Chelsea | 29 pts |
| 5 | Manchester United | 24 pts |
| 6 | Wolves | 24 pts |
| 7 | Spurs | 23 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 16: Predicted vs. confirmed
CHELSEA (away vs. Everton, 3-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Abraham | Abraham | |
| MID | Pulisic, Mount, Willian | Pulisic, Mount, Willian | |
| DEF MID | Jorginho, Kanté | Kovacic, Kanté | |
| DEF | Emerson, Tomori, Zouma, Azpilicueta | Azpilicueta, Zouma, Christensen, R. James | |
| GK | Kepa | Kepa | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Hudson-Odoi > Willian, Batshuayi > R. James | |
| Goals | /// | Kovacic |
MANCHESTER UNITED (away vs. Manchester City, 1-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 5 – 2 – 3 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Rashford, Martial, D. James | Martial | |
| MID | Fred, McTominay | Rashford, Lingard, D. James | |
| DEF MID | /// | Fred, McTominay | |
| DEF | Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Wan-Bissaka | Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka | |
| GK | De Gea | De Gea | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) A. Pereira > Martial, Young > Shaw, Tuanzebe > Lingard | |
| Goals | /// | Rashford (pen), Martial (D. James) |
WOLVES (away vs. Brighton, 2-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 5 – 2 – 3 | 5 – 2 – 3 | |
| FOR | Jota, Jimenez, Traoré | Jota, Jimenez, Traoré | |
| MID | Neves, Moutinho | Neves, Moutinho | |
| DEF | Jonny, Saiss, Coady, Dendoncker, Doherty | Jonny, Saiss, Coady, Dendoncker, Doherty | |
| GK | Patricio | Patricio | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Neto > Jota, Cutrone > Jimenez, Vinagre > Traoré | |
| Goals | /// | Jota (Jimenez), Jota (Jonny) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 17
CHELSEA (home vs. Bournemouth)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Abraham |
| MID | Pulisic, Mount, Willian |
| DEF MID | Kovacic, Kanté |
| DEF | Emerson, Zouma, Christensen, R. James |
| GK | Kepa |
| Ruled out | Loftus-Cheek, Tomori |
| Doubtful | Giroud |
| Notes | We expect the four-man defence in front of Kepa to consist of Emerson or Azpilicueta at LB (who both played mid-week against Lille), Zouma (also completed the 90min mid-week), Christensen (who was rested in favour for Rüdiger), and R. James or Azpilicueta at right-back. Rüdiger is a potential starter, but we’re not sure if manager Lampard will start him twice in one week just after coming back from a long injury. Tompori is ruled out with hip injury. Emerson and James could be preferred to Azpilicueta given this is a home game against a team in 15th. Whilst lampard has said he will rotate his midfield in the weeks ahead, Kovacic seems to be a mainstay in Chelsea’s starting lineup and he was replaced by Mount after 82 minutes against Lille. We expect both to feature from the start this weekend. Kanté could be partnering Kovacic in the centre, while we expect Pulisic to join higher up after being replaced by Hudson-Odoi mid-week after 62 minutes. Willian is the most logical player for the opposite flank, but considering his 90 minutes mid-week, though Lampard might opt for Hudson-Odoi or Pedro on that position as well. Abraham was replaced by Batshuayi in the 72nd minute against Lille and is expected to lead the line against the Cherries this weekend. |
MANCHESTER UNITED (home vs. Everton)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Martial |
| MID | Rashford, A. Pereira, D. James |
| DEF MID | Fred, McTominay |
| DEF | Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka |
| GK | De Gea |
| Ruled out | Bailly, Fosu-Mensah, Rojo |
| Doubtful | Pogba, Dalot, Lingard, Shaw |
| Notes | It looks like United have left the worst of their form behind as the treatment room is getting emptier and manager Solskjaer seems to be starting to get an idea of what the foundation for his team should look like. The victory at the Etihad will only have strengthened the belief in his own ideas. It looks like a four-man defence as illustrated is the Norwegian’s preferred set-up in the back. The double pivot in the double will be formed by Fred and McTominay as Pogba has returned to training, but is unlikely to be fit enough for a start already. With Lingard a doubt, we expect A. Pereira to take his spot on number ten, with Rashford to his left and D. James to his right. Up front, Martial leads the line. |
WOLVES (home vs. Spurs)
| 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 | None |
| Notes | Manager Espirito Santo lined up a mix of regular starters and frequent substitutes for the mid-week game against Besiktas. Out of this season’s Premier League regulars, just Coady (played 90 minutes), Dendoncker (played 73 minutes), Moutinho (played 70 minutes) and Neves (played 56 minutes) started in that game. Considering this data, we expect Wolves to revert back to their familiar starting eleven for the game against Spurs. The majority of those players had a week of rest and three out of the four players who featured mid-week were taken off early. |
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