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 21 goes, we will take a look at confirmed starting lineups for the top-10 teams in gameweek 20, compare those to our predictions for that gameweek, and then predict their lineups for gameweek 21.
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 GW21
| Liverpool | None |
| Leicester City | None |
| Manchester City | None |
The Premier League at the start of gameweek 20 (positions 1 to 5)
| 1 | Liverpool | 55 pts |
| 2 | Leicester City | 42 pts |
| 3 | Manchester City | 41 pts |
| 4 | Chelsea | 35 pts |
| 5 | Manchester United | 31 pts |
Lineups for gameweek 20: Predicted vs. confirmed
LIVERPOOL (home vs. Wolves, 1-0)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 20 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 20 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah | Mané, Firmino, Salah | |
| MID | Milner, Keita, Henderson | Wijnaldum, Henderson, Lallana | |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, A.-Arnold | Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, A.-Arnold | |
| GK | Alisson | Alisson | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Keita > Lallana, Milner > Wijnaldum, Origi > Firmino | |
| Goals | /// | Mané (Lallana) |
LEICESTER CITY (away vs. West Ham, 1-2)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 20 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 20 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 | |
| FOR | Vardy | Iheanacho | |
| MID | H. Barnes, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze | D. Gray, Ayoze, Albrighton | |
| DEF MID | Ndidi | Choudhury, N. Mendy | |
| DEF | Chilwell, Söyüncü, Evans, Ricardo Pereira | Fuchs, Evans, Morgan, Justin | |
| GK | Schmeichel | Schmeichel | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Maddison > Ayoze, Ndidi > N. Mendy, H. Barnes > D. Gray | |
| Goals | /// | Iheanacho (Ayoze), D. Gray (Ayoze) |
MANCHESTER CITY (home vs. Sheffield United, 2-0)
| PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 20 | CONFIRMED GAMEWEEK 20 | ||
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 – 3 | |
| FOR | Jesus, Aguero, Mahrez | Sterling, Aguero, Mahrez | |
| MID | Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne | B. Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne | |
| DEF | Angeliño, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Cancelo | Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Garcia, Walker | |
| GK | Bravo | Bravo | |
| Subs | /// | (2nd half) Gundogan > B. Silva, Foden > Aguero, Jesus > Sterling | |
| Goals | /// | Aguero (De Bruyne), De Bruyne (Mahrez) |
Predicted lineups for gameweek 21
LIVERPOOL (home vs. Sheffield United)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | Mané, Firmino, Salah |
| MID | Wijnaldum, Keita, Henderson |
| DEF | Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, Milner |
| GK | Alisson |
| Ruled out | Matip, Fabinho, Lovren, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaqiri, Brewster, Clyne |
| Doubtful | None |
| Notes | Manager Jurgen Klopp will be choosing his starting lineup with the FA Cup Merseyside derby on January 5th in mind. Rotation was limited in GW20, so we expect some nailed-on starters to be rested in GW21 against Sheffield United. Alisson will start in goal, with the usual four in front of him, but possibly bar A.-Arnold, who has played the full 90 minutes in the last three games. Milner could replace him. In the midfield, Lallana should make way for Keita, while we expect both Henderson and Wijnaldum to keep their spots. Up front, we can see Origi starting, but the question is, for who? Salah was taken off early in GW19, so we think he’ll start. Our money is on Firmino to be rested and the tireless Mané to start on Thursday. |
LEICESTER CITY (away vs. Newcastle)
| Form. | 4 – 1 – 4 – 1 |
| FOR | Vardy |
| MID | H. Barnes, Maddison, Tielemans, Ayoze |
| DEF MID | Ndidi |
| DEF | Chilwell, Söyüncü, Evans, Ricardo Pereira |
| GK | Schmeichel |
| Ruled out | None |
| Doubtful | None |
| Notes | After the Great Rotation Trick of Brendan Rodgers in GW20, we count on most of the usual suspects to return to the starting lineup for the away game against Newcastle. Schmeichel, Evans and Ayoze were the only regular starters to start in the last round, and Ayoze was subbed off after 64 minutes and 2 assists. There might be some rotation this week as well, but we’re expecting Leicester to turn up in their usual set-up to start the second half of the season in style. |
MANCHESTER CITY (home vs. Everton)
| Form. | 4 – 3 – 3 |
| FOR | B. Silva, Aguero, Mahrez |
| MID | Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne |
| DEF | Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Cancelo |
| GK | Ederson |
| Ruled out | Laporte, Sané |
| Doubtful | D. Silva, Stones |
| Notes | Ederson is back from suspension and will start in goal. Centrally in the back, we expect Fernandinho to start again, this time alongside Otamendi. On the right, we feel Cancelo might relieve Walker this time, while the left-back position might be filled by Angeliño or Zinchenko (who played 90 minutes in GW20) after Mendy’s enormous and crucial mistake against Wolves in GW19. In the middle, the in-form De Bruyne should start, joined by Rodri and Gundogan. We feel Sterling might be rested for this one and replaced by B. Silva on the flank, while Mahrez starts on the opposite side (instead of in the midfield like last week). Aguero is fit and scoring again, and we can see Pep starting him again for this one, although Jesus has overcome his illness and will be rested. |