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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 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
| Spurs | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
| Manchester United | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
| Newcastle United | Short rest since there is just 1 week from start of GW19 to end of GW21. |
| Burnley | 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 6 to 11)
| 6 | Wolves | 27 pts |
| 7 | Spurs | 26 pts |
| 8 | Manchester United | 25 pts |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 25 pts |
| 10 | Burnley | 24 pts |
| 11 | Arsenal | 23 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 18: Predicted vs. confirmed
SPURS (home vs. Chelsea, 0-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Kane | Kane | |
| MID | Son, Alli, Moura | Son, Alli, Moura | |
| DEF MID | Dier, Sissoko | Dier, Sissoko | |
| DEF | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier | |
| GK | Gazzaniga | Gazzaniga | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Eriksen > Dier, Rose > Vertonghen, Ndombele > Moura | |
| Goals | /// | /// |
MANCHESTER UNITED (away vs. Watford, 2-0)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Martial | Martial | |
| MID | Rashford, Lingard, D. James | Rashford, Lingard, D. James | |
| DEF MID | Fred, McTominay | Fred, McTominay | |
| DEF | Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka | Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka | |
| GK | De Gea | De Gea | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Greenwood > D. James, Pogba > Lingard, Mata > McTominay | |
| Goals | /// | /// |
NEWCASTLE UNITED (home vs. Crystal Palace, 1-0)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | /// | 5 – 3 – 2 | |
| FOR | /// | Joelinton, Carroll | |
| MID | /// | Shelvey, Hayden, Almirón | |
| DEF | /// | Dummett, Lejeune, Fernandez, Schär, Manquillo | |
| GK | /// | Dubravka | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) S. Longstaff > Hayden, Gayle > Joelinton, Yedlin > Dummett | |
| Goals | /// | Almirón |
BURNLEY (away vs. Bournemouth, 0-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 18 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 18 | ||
| Form. | /// | 4 – 4 – 2 | |
| FOR | /// | Wood, Barnes | |
| MID | /// | McNeil, Cork, Westwood, Hendrick | |
| DEF | /// | Taylor, Mee, Tarkowski, Bardsley | |
| GK | Pope | ||
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Lennon > Hendrick, Rodriguez > Barnes, Brady > McNeil | |
| Goals | /// | Rodriguez (Westwood) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 19
SPURS (home vs. Brighton)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Kane |
| MID | Moura, Alli, Sissoko |
| DEF MID | Dier, Ndombele |
| DEF | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier |
| GK | Gazzaniga |
| Ruled out | Lloris, Davies, Son (suspended 3 matches – red card) |
| Doubtful | Lamela |
| Notes | Manager José Mourinho has largely settled on a starting XI for now, but he must make at least one change due to Son’s red card in GW18. Eriksen, Lo Celso and Ndombele are all candidates to take his spot, and we feel it might be Sissoko who moves up to the right wing, so that Ndombele takes his spot in the middle, next to Dier. This would see Moura move to the opposite wing or to the number-10 role if Alli is moved out to the left wing. Neither Eriksen nor Lo Celso have the track record this season to justify a punt on them over Sissoko/Ndombele. |
MANCHESTER UNITED (home vs. Newcastle)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Martial |
| MID | Rashford, Pogba, D. James |
| DEF MID | Fred, McTominay |
| DEF | Shaw, Maguire, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka |
| GK | De Gea |
| Ruled out | Bailly, Fosu-Mensah, Rojo |
| Doubtful | Tuanzebe |
| Notes | The big news around the red part of Manchester is the return to match fitness of Pogba. The expectation is that he will slot right into the starting eleven for GW19. We feel there is a good chance he will do so in the number-10 spot instead of Lingard, so that the double pivot of Fred and McTominay remains intact. For the rest, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer probably won’t mix his optimal starting XI up too much, especially considering the need to show themselves at Old Trafford after the hugely disappointing loss at Vicarage Road last weekend. |
NEWCASTLE UNITED (away vs. Manchester United)
| Form. | 5 – 3 – 2 |
| FOR | Joelinton, Carroll |
| MID | Shelvey, Hayden, Almirón |
| DEF | Willems, Lejeune, Fernandez, Schär, Manquillo |
| GK | Dubravka |
| Ruled out | Saint-Maximin |
| Doubtful | Ritchie, Lascelles, Clark, Willems Dummett, Ki |
| Notes | At Old Trafford, we can imagine manager Steve Bruce going for a similar approach as last weekend and most of the season until now. The Magpies are going through a bit of a defensive injury crisis, but at least Willems is expected to make the Manchester United game. The rest of the five-man defence will likely be identical to last weekend. In the middle, Hayden takes care of most of the defensive work, while Shelvey and Almirón (after breaking his goal drought) provide attacking impulses. Up front, Joelinton and Carroll are going to do battle with the Man United defence. |
BURNLEY (away vs. Everton)
| Form. | 4 – 4 – 2 |
| FOR | Wood, Barnes |
| MID | McNeil, Cork, Westwood, Gudmundsson |
| DEF | Taylor, Mee, Tarkowski, Bardsley |
| GK | Pope |
| Ruled out | Hendrick (suspended, 5 yellow cards) |
| Doubtful | Gibson, Lennon |
| Notes | Manager Sean Dyche has stated that Gudmundsson is finally back in the mix and chances are he’ll get a start right away, due to Hendrick being forced to sit GW19 out with a suspension. McNeil, Cork and Westwood should complete the midfield. The Clarets put down a decent defensive performance to beat Palace 1-0 in GW18, so Dyche will likely stick to Taylor, Mee, Tarkowski and Bardsley in the back. Up front, Wood and Barnes are likely to start, though Rodriguez is knocking on the door, especially after his match-winning goal last weekend. He might get the nod ahead of Barnes, but we’ve still gone with Barnes for this one. |