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 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
| Chelsea | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
| Sheffield United | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
| Wolves | 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 3 to 7)
| 3 | Manchester City | 38 pts |
| 4 | Chelsea | 32 pts |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 28 pts |
| 6 | Wolves | 27 pts |
| 7 | Spurs | 26 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 18: Predicted vs. confirmed
CHELSEA (away vs. Spurs, 0-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 5 – 2 – 3 | |
| FOR | Abraham | Mount, Abraham, Willian | |
| MID | Pulisic, Mount, Willian | /// | |
| DEF MID | Kovacic, Kanté | Kovacic, Kanté | |
| DEF | Azpilicueta, Zouma, Rüdiger, R. James | Alonso, Tomori, Rüdiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta | |
| GK | Kepa | Kepa | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Jorginho > Kovacic, Batshuayi > Abraham, R. James > Azpilicueta | |
| Goals | /// | Willian (Kovacic), Willian (pen, Alonso) |
SHEFFIELD UNITED (away vs. Brighton, 0-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | 5 – 3 – 2 | 5 – 3 – 2 | |
| FOR | McGoldrick, Mousset | McGoldrick, McBurnie | |
| MID | Freeman, Norwood, Lundstram | Freeman, Norwood, Lundstram | |
| DEF | Stevens, O’Connell, Egan, Basham, Baldock | Stevens, O’Connell, Egan, Basham, Baldock | |
| GK | Henderson | Henderson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Osborn > Freeman, Mousset > McBurnie, Besic > Norwood | |
| Goals | /// | McBurnie (Henderson) |
WOLVES (away vs. Norwich, 1-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| 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 | |
| Goals | /// | Saiss (Moutinho), Jimenez (Doherty) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 19
CHELSEA (home vs. Southampton)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Abraham |
| MID | Pulisic, Mount, Willian |
| DEF MID | Jorginho, Kanté |
| DEF | Emerson, Zouma, Rüdiger, R. James |
| GK | Kepa |
| Ruled out | Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic (suspended, 5 yellow cards) |
| Doubtful | Azpilicueta |
| Notes | After starting with a five-men defence agains Spurs in GW18, manager Frank Lampard will probably return to his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation for the home game versus Southampton. Considering Azpilicueta’s injury, we can see R. James starting at right-back, with Emerson returning on the opposite side. The central duo might be made up of Zouma and Rüdiger. Kovacic suspension should lead to the double pivot being made up of Jorginho and Kanté, with Pulisic returning in front of them to join Mount and Willian. Up front, Abraham is expected. |
SHEFFIELD UNITED (home vs. Watford)
| Form. | 5 – 3 – 2 |
| FOR | McGoldrick, McBurnie |
| MID | Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram |
| DEF | Stevens, O’Connell, Egan, Basham, Baldock |
| GK | Henderson |
| Ruled out | /// |
| Doubtful | Moore |
| Notes | In comparison to the starting line-up in GW18, we’re expecting manager Chris Wilder to make one change. Midfielder Fleck should return after his suspension at the cost of Freeman. Up front, McBurnie replaced Mousset last weekend and the former scored before being hooked after about an hour. Wilder’s tendency to rotate very little tells us that Mousset will return to the starting lineup on Thursday, but McBurnie’s match-winning goal against Brighton could earn him a second consecutive start. We’ve gone with the latter scenario. |
WOLVES (home vs. Manchester City)
| 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 | /// |
| Notes | It’s not hard to imagine manager Espirito Santo picking his proven strongest eleven for the home game against the reigning champions. That would mean no changes from last weekend’s encounter with Norwich. Wolves have no new injury worries, so we’re expecting an unchanged eleven on Friday evening. |
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