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 20 goes, we will take a look at confirmed starting lineups for the top-10 teams in gameweek 19, compare those to our predictions for that gameweek, and then predict their lineups for gameweek 20.
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 GW20
| Chelsea | Less than 48 hours between GW19 and GW20. |
| Wolves | Less than 48 hours between GW19 and GW20. |
| Spurs | Less than 48 hours between GW19 and GW20. |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 20 (positions 3 to 7)
| 3 | Manchester City | 38 pts |
| 4 | Chelsea | 32 pts |
| 5 | Wolves | 30 pts |
| 6 | Spurs | 29 pts |
| 7 | Sheffield United | 29 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 19: Predicted vs. confirmed
CHELSEA (home vs. Southampton, 0-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 19 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 19 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 5 – 2 – 3 | |
| FOR | Abraham | Hudson-Odoi, Abraham, Willian | |
| MID | Pulisic, Mount, Willian | Jorginho, Kanté | |
| DEF MID | Jorginho, Kanté | /// | |
| DEF | Emerson, Zouma, Rüdiger, R. James | Emerson, Tomori, Zouma, Rüdiger, Azpilicueta | |
| GK | Kepa | Kepa | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Mount > Zouma, Pulisic > Hudson-Odoi, Pedro > Willian | |
| Goals | /// | /// |
WOLVES (home vs. Manchester City, 3-2 win)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 19 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 19 | ||
| 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 | /// | ||
| Goals | /// | Traore, Jimenez, Doherty |
SPURS (home vs. Brighton, 2-1)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 19 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 19 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Kane | Kane | |
| MID | Moura, Alli, Sissoko | Moura, Alli, Sessegnon | |
| DEF MID | Dier, Ndombele | Winks, Sissoko | |
| DEF | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier | |
| GK | Gazzaniga | Gazzaniga | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Lo Celso > Sessegnon, Eriksen > Winks, Dier > Moura | |
| Goals | /// | Kane, Alli (Aurier) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 20
CHELSEA (away vs. Arsenal)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Abraham |
| MID | Pulisic, Mount, Willian |
| DEF MID | Kovacic, Kanté |
| DEF | Emerson, Tomori, Rüdiger, Azpilicueta |
| GK | Kepa |
| Ruled out | Loftus-Cheek |
| Doubtful | R. James |
| Notes | In a bit of a surprise move, manager Frank Lampard started GW19 with a five-man defence. The Blues were unimpressive though, and they only started getting into the game after Mount replaced Zouma at the start of the second half. Arsenal is a bit of an unknown entity under new manager Mikel Arteta, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Lampard reverts back to his frequently used 4-2-3-1 formation. Emerson might start again on the left for a bit more defensive solidity against Arsenal’s powerful attackers, with Azpilicueta on the opposite as R. James is nursing a minor ankle injury and might not be fit in time. Tomori and Rüdiger could form the central duo. Kovacic sat out a one-match suspension and should slot right back into the starting eleven besides Kanté in midfield. Both Mount (in the 46th minute for Zouma) and Pulisic (in the 67th minute for Hudson-Odoi) came on, and improved Chelsea’s overall game, so we expect them to start again this weekend. Willian played 87 minutes in GW19 and might be rested for Pedro, but considering his current form, we picked him to start as well. Up front, Abraham will be needed to finish Chelsea’s attacks after a very disappointing home loss versus Southampton, which is why we think he will be picked over Batshuayi despite the short resting period between these games. |
WOLVES (away vs. Liverpool)*
| Form. | /// |
| FOR | /// |
| MID | /// |
| DEF MID | /// |
| DEF | /// |
| GK | /// |
| Ruled out | /// |
| Doubtful | /// |
| Notes | Due to Wolves’ encounter with Man City finishing tonight about 30 minutes ago, and about half a day before the start of GW20, we’re unable to make a sufficiently informed call on their lineup for GW20. The best advice we can give you is to keep a close eye on Wolves team news and, obviously, try to catch the game tonight (19h45, GMT+0). |
SPURS (away vs. Norwich)
| Form. | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 |
| FOR | Kane |
| MID | Moura, Alli, Lamela |
| DEF MID | Eriksen, Dier |
| DEF | Vertonghen, Alderweireld, D. Sanchez, Aurier |
| GK | Gazzaniga |
| Ruled out | Lloris, Davies, Son (suspended, red card), Sissoko (suspended, yellow cards), Winks (suspended, yellow cards) |
| Doubtful | None |
| Notes | Spurs have the shortest time between GW19 and GW20, so we could see some heavy rotation for this one. The unavailability of Son, Sissoko and Winks makes things a bit less complex for FPL managers, although there are still plenty of options to choose from. The defence will probably remain intact. We think the double pivot might well be formed by Dier and Eriksen, whose quality on the ball could make the difference against a team like Norwich. Ndombele was left out of the squad at his own request in GW19 with Mou clearly a bit confused about this, so we don’t see him putting the Frenchman straight back into the starting eleven this weekend. Instead, Lamela has returned from injury and could take Sessegnon’s spot. Up front, Kane leads the line even though clearly very tired after the Brighton game. Dele Alli is a slight doubt for the game due to a muscle injury and also clearly exhausted at the end of the Brighton match. |