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 19 goes, we will take a look at confirmed starting lineups for the top-10 teams in gameweek 18, compare those to our predictions for that gameweek, and then predict their lineups for gameweek 19.
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 GW19
| Liverpool | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
| Leicester City | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
| Manchester City | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 19 (positions 1 to 5)
| 1 | Liverpool | 49 pts |
| 2 | Leicester City | 39 pts |
| 3 | Manchester City | 38 pts |
| 4 | Chelsea | 32 pts |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 28 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 18: Predicted vs. confirmed
LIVERPOOL (blank – played FIFA World Club Championship Final in Qatar on 21 Dec)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | /// | /// | |
| FOR | /// | /// | |
| MID | /// | /// | |
| DEF MID | /// | /// | |
| DEF | /// | /// | |
| GK | /// | /// | |
| Subs | /// | /// | |
| Goals | /// | /// |
LEICESTER CITY (away vs Manchester City, 3-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| 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, Ricardo Pereira | |
| GK | Schmeichel | Schmeichel | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Albrighton > H. Barnes, D. Gray > Ayoze, Praet > Tielemans | |
| Goals | /// | Vardy (H. Barnes) |
MANCHESTER CITY (home vs. Leicester, 3-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez | |
| MID | Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne | De Bruyne, Gundogan, B. Silva | |
| DEF | Mendy, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Walker | Mendy, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Walker | |
| GK | Ederson | Ederson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Rodri > Gundogan, Foden > Sterling, Aguero > De Bruyne | |
| Goals | /// | Mahrez (Mendy), Gundogan (pen, Sterling), G. Jesus (De Bruyne) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 19
LIVERPOOL (away vs. Leicester)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah |
| MID | Wijnaldum, Keita, Henderson |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold |
| GK | Alisson |
| Ruled out | Matip, Lovren, Fabinho, Clyne, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Brewster |
| Doubtful | None |
| Notes | Manager Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool are coming off a World Cup for Clubs victory in Qatar after which the players have had a full 4 days of rest. Considering the match-up with 2nd place Leicester this weekend, we expect the Reds to turn up in their strongest starting XI. Joe Gomez will likely be filling in at the back and form a central duo with Van Dijk. |
LEICESTER CITY (home vs. Liverpool)
| Form. | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 |
| FOR | Vardy |
| MID | Albrighton, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze |
| DEF MID | Ndidi |
| DEF | Chilwell, Söyüncü, Evans, R. Pereira |
| GK | Schmeichel |
| Ruled out | None |
| Doubtful | H. Barnes |
| Notes | Manager Brendan Rodgers has one fresh injury concern to deal with in H. Barnes. The injury was deemed not to be too serious, but it remains to be seen if he will be fit for the encounter with Liverpool. Rodgers will be looking to field his strongest starting eleven, the one that has Leicester performing so well this season, and Barnes is part of that line-up. Should he not make it, Albrighton could be starting, seeing as he is the one who replaced Barnes in the 64th minute in GW18. For the rest, we expect no changes for Leicester. |
MANCHESTER CITY (away vs. Wolves)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez |
| MID | De Bruyne, Rodri, B. Silva. |
| DEF | Mendy, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Walker |
| GK | Ederson |
| Ruled out | Sané, Laporte |
| Doubtful | D. Silva, Stones, Gundogan |
| Notes | With Leicester hosting Liverpool, the Cityzens will be aware of the chance they have to take back the second spot in gameweek 19. The away game at Wolves is tough enough on itself already, so we can’t imagine too much rotation. Still, it’s Pep, so maybe he’ll field five youth players as a surprise. Who knows? In the back, we expect Mendy and Walker on the full-back positions, and Otamendi and Fernandinho in the centre. Aguero has been ruled out of a starting spot on Friday, so Jesus should be starting against Wolves, flanked by Sterling and Mahrez, after his MOTM performance in GW18. In the middle of the pitch, we expect Rodri to return and join De Bruyne and B. Silva, who should continue to feature in the continued absence of D. Silva. |
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