Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United were all in action in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on Tuesday.
Here we look at how they fared, the key talking points and what implications this could have for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers ahead of Gameweek 13 and beyond.
RESULTS
| Team | They will resist | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | Barcelona (you) | 3-0 win | Kounde (own goal), Estevao, Delap | James, Enzo |
| Men’s city | Delivery pad (h) | 2-0 defeat | n/a | n/a |
| Newcastle | Marseille (a) | 2-1 defeat | Barnes | n/a |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | Changes compared to the GW12 starting eleven | Players who retained their places (minutes played) | Minus for other notable players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 5 | Enzo (90), Cucurella (90), Chaloba (90), Sánchez (90), James (82), Neto (76) | Caicedo (90), Fofana (90), Estevao (82), Gusto (45), Delap (31) |
| Men’s city | 10 | Nico (90) | Reijnders (90), Savinho (90), Trafford (90), Marmoush (65), Foden (45), O’Reilly (45), Doku (45), Haaland (25) |
| Newcastle | 3 | Guimaraes (90), Tonali (90), Barnes (90), Thiaw (90), Pope (90), Livramento (61), Murphy (61), Schar (61) | Burn (90), Gordon (72), Hall (29), Woltemade (18) |
Man City rotation is good for Free Hitters
In truth, there isn’t much to say about Man City’s second successive defeat as Pep Guardiola made 10 changes to his starting line-up against Bayer Leverkusen. In retrospect, an exaggerated amount.
“Too many changes. What I said, I always believe in the long seasons, games every two or three days, everyone has to be involved. Maybe it was too much.” – Pep Guardiola on why this defeat happened
The likes of Jeremy Doku (£6.5 million), Phil Voet (£8.0 million), Nico O’Reilly (£5.0 million), Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7 million), Like Guardiol (£5.8m) and goalscoring machine Erling Haaland (£14.9m) started in the bank.
Guardiola lost at half-time and brought this front three forward, throwing his star Norwegian forward into the mix after conceding again.
This could provide clues to any managers who are about to use a Gameweek 13 Free Hit Tijjani Reijnders (£5.4 million) with all 90 minutes played. Their home match against newly promoted Leeds United is one of three straight after the FPL deadline, meaning early team news could arrive in time.
Is Pope About to Lose His Place?
Meanwhile, it was Newcastle who defeated Man City last Saturday, but in Marseille the Magpies proved once again that they travel terribly and cannot come from behind.
In fact, that’s three trips in a row where they’ve taken the lead and ultimately lost – often as a result Nick Pope (£5.2m) blunder.
This time the goalkeeper made a baffling decision to run 30 yards at a loose ball that never looked winnable. Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took the ball neatly and finished from a tight angle, scoring again a few minutes later.
It undid the shape Harvey Barnes‘ (£6.3m) early opener, his fourth goal in three games.
On Tyneside the question is whether Aaron Ramsdale (£4.8 million) will finally get a series of matches between the sticks. That will affect more than 1.3 million FPL bosses, but Eddie Howe has a soft spot for player loyalty.
“I think it is a concern if we concede goals, regardless of who is to blame. I think we have to look at everything with a balanced head. He has saved us many times. He made some very good saves against Manchester City two days ago. That is the life of a goalkeeper. But I will definitely support him.” – Eddie Howe on Nick Pope
Managing the minutes of Woltemade
Howe’s starting XI had less rotation than expected. Only three changes from the weekend, such as Bruno Guimaraes (£6.6 million), Sandro Tonali (£5.4 million) and Malick Thiaw (£4.9 million) all took another 90 minutes.
Then Burns‘s (£5.1m) suspension in Gameweek 12 kept him fresh for the South of France, as the visitors opted for a full-back system.
The minutes of Lewis Hall (£5.2m) was achieved, having just made his first league start since Gameweek 5.
As for 19.4% ownership Nick Woltemade (£7.4m), he had started fifteen consecutive games for Newcastle and Germany, making this rest essential. Expect him in the Gameweek 13 line-up at Everton.
Estevao shines for Chelsea
At Stamford Bridge, Estevao (£6.5m) surpassed fellow 18-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal to score a fantastic solo goal, the second of Chelsea’s three against 10-man Barcelona.
The Brazilian has scored in each of his last seven starts for club and country. It’s just a shame this never happens again in the competition – not since Gameweek 6. Cole Palmer‘s (£10.3m) impending return will muddy the waters further.
“If he doesn’t play, Pedro Neto plays wide in that position and Pedro Neto is good. We are happy with Pedro. It depends on the game plan who the eleven players are.” [who start].
“In probably the most difficult match of the season, Barcelona, we decided to play with Estevao. I am not a coach who does not let players play minutes. It is always about the game plan. Many people say we are unpredictable, but the game plan determines the starting eleven.” – Enzo Maresca on Estevao
Stay in midfield, Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) scored at Burnley and performed well again here, with two goals disallowed but assisted Liam Delap‘s (£6.2m) strike. He played all 90 minutes but is unlikely to be substituted in Sunday’s tough top-two clash with Arsenal.
Additional, João Pedro (£7.5m) was an unused substitute, which strongly suggests he will start.
And that’s now four clean sheets out of five for the Blues. Third best at preventing opponent shots (112) in the Premier League, only Arsenal have conceded fewer attempts on goal (31).
It’s just a shame that they are in second place for us Fixture sticker over the next eight game weeks.
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