Thanks to sponsorship from FanTeam we’ve now expanded our Premier League starting line-ups predictions articles. This extra article helps members of the fiso community manage their fantasy football teams. First a word from our sponsor:
Get ready for the biggest Fantasy Premier League contest this winter!
The World Championship of Fantasy Football will take place through gameweeks 20 and 21 of the current season. The guaranteed prize pool is €100,000 and the first place takes home a life-changing sum of at least €30,000! But that’s not everything: You can qualify for the WCOFF for as little as €2! Fanteam offers plenty qualifier and satellite contests, which take you step-by-step closer to the huge championship. This is your chance to play against the best of the best and win big! There’s even a chance to enter for free in the Boxing Day free roll.
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 3 covers the teams in positions 7 to 10, part 1 covers the lineups for positions 1 to 3, and part 2 looks at the formations for positions 4 to 6. 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
| Spurs | Champions League group stage vs. Bayern Munich (a) on 11/12: 3-1 |
| Sheffield United | None |
| Arsenal | Europa League group stage vs. Standard Liège (a) on 12/12: 2-2 |
| Crystal Palace | None |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 17 (positions 6 to 11)
| 6 | Wolves | 24 pts |
| 7 | Spurs | 23 pts |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 22 pts |
| 9 | Arsenal | 22 pts |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 22 pts |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 22 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 16: Predicted vs. confirmed
SPURS (home vs Burnley, 5-0)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Kane | Kane | |
| MID | Son, Alli, Lo Celso | Son, Alli, Moura | |
| DEF MID | Ndombele, Dier | Sissoko, Dier | |
| DEF | Rose, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier | |
| GK | Gazzaniga | Gazzaniga | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Sessegnon (Moura), Skipp (Aurier), Parrott (Alli) | |
| Goals | /// | Kane (Son), Moura (Alli), Son (Vertonghen), Kane (Alli), Sissoko (Kane) |
SHEFFIELD UNITED (away vs. Norwich, 1-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 5 – 3 – 2 | 5 – 3 – 2 | |
| FOR | McGoldrick, Mousset | McGoldrick, Mousset | |
| MID | Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram | Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram | |
| DEF | Stevens, O’Connell, Egan, Basham, Baldock | Stevens, O’Connell, Egan, Basham, Baldock | |
| GK | Henderson | Henderson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Besic > Norwood, Robinson > Mousset, McBurnie > McGoldrick | |
| Goals | /// | Stevens (Baldock), Baldock |
ARSENAL (away vs. West Ham, 1-3)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Lacazette | Aubameyang | |
| MID | Aubameyang, Özil, Pepe | Martinelli, Özil, Pepe | |
| DEF MID | Torreira, Guendouzi | Xhaka, Torreira | |
| DEF | Tierney, David Luiz, Sokratis, Bellerin | Tierney, Sokratis, Chambers, M.-Niles | |
| GK | Leno | Leno | |
| Subs | /// | (1st half) Kolasinac > Tierney (2nd half) Guendouzi > Xhaka, Reiss-Nelson > Pepe | |
| Goals | /// | Martinelli (Kolasinac), Pepe (Aubameyang), Aubameyang (Pepe) |
CRYSTAL PALACE (away vs. Watford, 0-0)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 16 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 16 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 | 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 | |
| FOR | Zaha, Ayew, Townsend | Zaha, Ayew, Townsend | |
| MID | Kouyaté, Milivojevic, McArthur | Kouyaté, Milivojevic, McArthur | |
| DEF | Schlupp, Tomkins, Cahill, Kelly | Schlupp, Tomkins, Cahill, Kelly | |
| GK | Guaita | Guaita | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Riedewald > Schlupp, Benteke > Townsend, McCarthy > Kouyaté | |
| Goals | /// | /// |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 17
SPURS (away vs. Wolves)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Kane |
| MID | Son, Alli, Moura |
| DEF MID | Dier, Sissoko |
| DEF | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier |
| GK | Gazzaniga |
| Ruled out | Lloris, Vorm, Ndombele, Davies, Lamela |
| Doubtful | Winks |
| Notes | For the mid-week clash with Bayern, manager Mourinho rested a few of his squad’s stars, including Kane, Son, Alli, Vertonghen, D. Sanchez and Aurier. The outlines of Mourinho’s Spurs are becoming more visible after the first few weeks with the Portuguese manager at the helm. Due to unsuccessful contract negotiations, it looks like Rose will need to accept Vertonghen taking his spot at left-back with Davies out injured. On the opposite side, Aurier returns, while the central duo will be formed by Alderweireld and D. Sanchez. With Ndombele out injured and Winks having just returned from injury, we expect Mourinho to stick to a double pivot consisting of Sissoko and Dier. Up front, Son, Alli and Kane return. Seeing as Moura was taken off after 65 minutes mid-week, the Brazilian should be filling in the last available starting slot. |
SHEFFIELD UNITED (home vs. Aston Villa)
| Form. | 5 – 3 – 2 |
| FOR | McGoldrick, Mousset |
| MID | Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram |
| DEF | Stevens, O’Connell, Egan, Basham, Baldock |
| GK | Henderson |
| Ruled out | None |
| Doubtful | Mousset |
| Notes | With almost a full week of rest and no major injury concerns, manager Chris Wilder, we expect little to no changes to the starting lineup when the Blades welcome Villa. Mousset got a knock last weekend that forced him off in the 66th minute, but the striker is expected to start this weekend. Should he not be fit in time, then the likes of McBurnie, Sharp or Robinson will be hoping to get the nod, but it’s hard to say who of the three. |
ARSENAL (home vs. Manchester City)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Lacazette |
| MID | Aubameyang, Özil, Pepe |
| DEF MID | Torreira, Guendouzi |
| DEF | Kolasinac, D. Luiz, Chambers, Bellerin |
| GK | Leno |
| Ruled out | Ceballos, Xhaka, Tierney, Holding |
| Doubtful | Bellerin, Pepe |
| Notes | Caretaker manager Ljungberg completely mixed it up against Standard Liêge mid-week. Compared to GW16, only Sokratis and Maitland-Niles started both games, with the Europa League game taken as an opportunity to let lesser-utilised and young players get game minutes. For gameweek 17 against City, Leno returns between the sticks. Tierney injured his shoulder and will be replaced by Kolasinac, while Bellerin (if fit) will fill in on the opposite side. In the centre, D. Luiz will partner Chambers, who should provide a comfort with the ball in his feet that Sokratis does not. With Xhaka ruled out, the defensive midfield block should consist of Guendouzi and Torreira. Martinelli’s first goal and Lacazette’s 90 minutes versus Liège could indicate a first start for the former, but considering this weekend’s opposition, we’d expect Ljungberg to line up his strongest eleven. That’s why we believe Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe and Özil have the highest chance of starting on Sunday. |
CRYSTAL PALACE (home vs. Brighton)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 |
| FOR | Zaha, Ayew, Townsend |
| MID | Kouyaté, Milivojevic, McArthur |
| DEF | Riedewald, Tomkins, Cahill, Kelly |
| GK | Guaita |
| Ruled out | Sakho, Ward, Van Aanholt, Schlupp |
| Doubtful | Meyer |
| Notes | The Eagles are going through a defensive injury crisis, so a bit of a makeshift back-line can be expected. Guaita is in goal, Riedewald will probably fill in at left-back, Kelly continues to replace Ward on the right, and the duo Tomkins-Cahill starts centrally. We expect the rest of the team to remain unchanged in comparison to GW16. That means a three-men midfield consisting of Kouyaté, Milivojevic and McArthur, and Ayew up top with Zaha and Townsend in his back. |