PL Team PreSeason Roundup [Part 4] 🌐 [15/08/2026]

⏰ Rennes 1-2 Sunderland
⚽️ Brobbey, Hume
🅰️ -

📰 Sunderland XI:
Roefs
Hume | Ballard | O’Nien | Reinildo
Xhaka | Sadiki (Rigg 64')
Talbi (Mundle 64') | Le Fée | Angulo (Diarra 64')
Brobbey (Isidor 72')

💡 FPL Note: Solid comeback win. Brobbey scored and Hume added one from full-back. Xhaka controlled midfield. Sunderland attacking options (especially Brobbey) look more appealing for early GWs.



⏰ Leverkusen 2-1 Newcastle United
⚽️ Thiaw
🅰️ Elanga

📰 Newcastle United XI:
Horníček
Hall | Botman | Thiaw | Steur
M. Miley (Pivaš 81') | L. Miley (Finneran 46')
Elanga | Woltemade (Neave 86') | Barnes
Wissa

💡 FPL Note: Thiaw scored from an Elanga corner. Youthful side used with key first-teamers rested. Newcastle’s pre-season form is concerning (3L 2W 1D, 11 goals conceded). Avoid all their players



⏰ Lille 1-1 Everton
Big Chances: N/A
Shots (On Target): N/A
⚽️ Ndiaye (pen)
🅰️ -
📰 Everton XI:
Pickford
Röhl | Tarkowski | Branthwaite | Mykolenko
Hackney | Armstrong
Dibling | Dewsbury-Hall | Ndiaye
Barry
(Mass changes later including Beto, Johnson, George, Keane, O’Brien, Alcaraz, Aznou)

💡 FPL Note: Solid final warmup (recent form: mixed with a strong 3-1 win over Newcastle). Ndiaye scored in each of the last 2 friendlies for Everton – both goals coming from penalties



⏰ Augsburg 0-4 Leeds United
⚽️ Stach, Muharemović, Justin, Nmecha
🅰️ Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Tanaka


📰 Leeds United XI:
Trafford
Bogle | Rodon | Bijol (James 67') | Muharemović | Justin
Ampadu (Tanaka 76') | Stach (Longstaff 67')
Wilson (Okafor 67') | Aaronson (Piroe 76') | Calvert-Lewin (Nmecha 67')

💡 FPL Note: Dominant 4-0 win in final friendly. Muharemović scored a spectacular overhead kick. Strong first-choice looking XI used. Calvert-Lewin started but was replaced; Nmecha scored off the bench. Leeds assets look solid heading into GW1.



⏰ Bologna 0-1 Brighton
⚽️ Hinshelwood
🅰️ Wieffer

📰 Brighton XI:
Verbruggen
Wieffer (Igor 78') | Vušković (Svoboda 66') | Boscagli (Dunk 66') | Kadioglu (Costinha 78')
Gross | Ayari
De Cuyper (Yohanna 66') | Gómez (Yalcouyé 66') | Hinshelwood (Osman 66')
Rutter (Kostoulas 73')

💡 FPL Note: Narrow win in final friendly. Hinshelwood scored the winner (assisted by Wieffer). Experimental/rotated side used with several changes. Limited minutes for key attackers – treat Brighton assets cautiously for GW1.



⏰ Hoffenheim 0-3 Tottenham
Big Chances: 0-3
Shots (On Target): 10 (3) - 10 (5)
⚽️ Richarlison, Moore (2)
🅰️ Robertson, Tel (x2)

📰 Tottenham XI:
Kinsky
Gray | van Hecke | Senesi (Hardy 81') | Robertson
Tonali | Gallagher (Hall 81')
Moore (Adewole 81') | Bergvall (Donley 87') | Tel
Richarlison (Elliot-Parris 81')

💡 FPL Note: Comfortable win with a young/rotated side. Mikey Moore scored twice (both assisted by Tel). Richarlison opened the scoring from a Robertson cross. Limited minutes for established first-team attackers.


⏰ Nice 0-0 Hull City

⚽️ -
🅰️ -

📰 Hull City XI:
(Full confirmed XI and exact sub times limited in public reports — rotated side used)

💡 FPL Note: Goalless final pre-season friendly. Limited attacking output. Hull assets remain low priority for early GWs.



⏰ Stuttgart 0-1 Fulham
⚽️ Castagne
🅰️ Iwobi

📰 Fulham XI:
Leno
Castagne | Bassey | Cuenca | Robinson
King (Charles 79') | Berge
Bobb | Iwobi | Palacios
García (Nwoko 89')

💡 FPL Note: Narrow win sealed by Castagne’s header from an Iwobi corner. Solid defensive display. Limited attacking threat from the usual suspects – treat Fulham midfield/attack options cautiously for GW1.

#FPL #FPL_PreSeason

🚨 Community Shield Team News :

🔴 Arsenal: Raya, White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Skelly, Guimaraes, Rice, Tzolis, Havertz, Madueke

🔵 Manchester City: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly, Kovacic, Anderson, Foden, Semenyo, Haaland, Doku.

✖️ No G.Jesus, Martinelli or Nwaneri for Arsenal... no Savio for City! But we are blessed with Mudueke ball 🤩

Who are you monitoring ?

Why spend £8.0m for Gabriel when you can get Calafiori for £2.5m less!

PL Team PreSeason Roundup 🌐 [16/08/2026]

⏰ Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City
Big Chances: 4-1
Shots (On Target): 9 (5) - 12 (5)

⚽️ Calafiori, Havertz, Ødegaard
🅰️ Lewis-Skelly, Tzolis (x2)

📰 Arsenal XI:
Raya
White | Mosquera | Gabriel | Calafiori (Hincapié 60')
Guimarães (Rice 46') | Lewis-Skelly (Zubimendi 75')
Madueke (Saka 60') | Ødegaard (Eze 84') | Tzolis
Havertz (Gyökeres 75')

📰 Manchester City XI:
Donnarumma
Khusanov | Dias | Gvardiol | O’Reilly (Guéhi 54')
Anderson (Lewis 60') | Kovačić (González 79')
Semenyo | Foden (Cherki 60') | Doku (Grealish 46')
Haaland (Marmoush 53')

💡 FPL Note: Arsenal dominant in the Community Shield. Calafiori’s early goal + Tzolis with two assists. Havertz and Ødegaard on target. City struggled creatively despite more possession – Haaland and key assets limited impact. Strong start for Arsenal premiums. Did this match change your opinion on any players ?

#FPL #FPL_PreSeason #Arsenal #ManCity

PL Team PreSeason Roundup 🌐 [16/08/2026]

⏰ Nottingham Forest 2-0 Stade Brestois
⚽️ Wood (pen), Netz
🅰️ Domínguez

📰 Nottingham Forest XI:
Victor (Benda 46')
Netz | Abbott (Bindon 78') | Jair Cunha | Morato (Richards 78') | Moreira
Hudson-Odoi (Hutchinson 46') | Domínguez | Schlager
Kalimuendo | Wood (Bakwa 46')

💡 FPL Note: Solid final pre-season win. Chris Wood converted a penalty and remains a reliable option. Luca Netz scored a well-worked goal (assist Domínguez). Several first-teamers given minutes before the Leeds opener next weekend.



⏰ Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 TSG Hoffenheim
Big Chances: 3-4
Shots (On Target): 7 (3) - 11 (6)

⚽️ Davies, Williams-Barnett
🅰️ Fernandes, Sarr

📰 Tottenham Hotspur XI:
Austin
Hall | Danso | Davies | Souza
Fernandes | Bentancur
Maddison (Elliott-Parris 46') | Sarr | Williams-Barnett
Ajayi (Adewole 69')

💡 FPL Note: Behind-closed-doors second friendly of the weekend. Maddison and Bentancur got useful minutes after missing the previous day’s 3-0 win. Youth involvement high again – limited minutes for established assets ahead of the Brentford opener.



⏰ Como 0-0 Liverpool

📰 Liverpool XI:
Mamardashvili
Ramsay (Sonni-Lambie 77') | Endo | Chambers | Tsimikas
Nyoni | Mac Allister (Ndiaye 70')
Elliott (Wright 57') | McConnell (Pitt 78') | Muñoz (Morrison 57')
Chiesa (Koumas 57')

⏰ Liverpool 2-0 Como
Big Chances: 3-1
Shots (On Target): 10 (2) - 14 (4)
⚽️ Gakpo, Jacquet
🅰️ Frimpong, Gakpo

📰 Liverpool XI:
Alisson
Frimpong | Jacquet (Araújo 46') | van Dijk | Kerkez
Gravenberch | Szoboszlai
Ngumoha (Koumas 62') | Wirtz (Nyoni 73') | Gakpo (Muñoz 73')
Isak (Wright 84')

💡 FPL Note: Strong Anfield finish to pre-season. Gakpo scored and assisted. Debutant Jacquet netted on his first appearance. Key assets like Isak, Wirtz, Szoboszlai and van Dijk got solid minutes ahead of the Newcastle opener.

#FPL #FPL_PreSeason

Is going without Haaland actually madness ?

Arguments FOR starting with Haaland

•Historical early-season monster**: He has consistently delivered big returns in the first 5 gameweeks since joining City (examples quoted: 9G+1A, 7G+1A, 10G, 6G across previous seasons).
• Fixture advantage**: Excellent early run (Bournemouth home in GW1 + more favourable home games). Many say “he scores no matter the fixture”.
•Ownership risk**: Extremely high ownership (often cited around 70-75%+). Missing a big haul early tanks your rank hard and forces an early Wildcard or multiple transfers to get him in.
•Easier to get out than get in**: Most managers prefer having him from the start and downgrading later rather than chasing him after he explodes.
• One bad game doesn’t matter**: Community Shield was quiet, but people are dismissing it — “this is Haaland we’re talking about”.



Arguments AGAINST starting with Haaland
• Price is brutal (£15.5m): Forces a much weaker overall squad. You lose depth, especially for a strong Bench Boost.
• Opportunity cost is high: Money can be spent on a better-balanced team (stronger midfield + defence). • Several managers say a “No Haaland” draft looks much more complete and allows BB GW1 or GW2 properly.
• Early Wildcard / Free Hit plan is viable**: Many are comfortable going without him for 2–4 weeks, then Free Hitting GW3 (for Coventry home) or Wild Carding GW4/5 once more data is available.
• Community Shield concern**: City looked poor and Haaland was quiet. Some are using this as confirmation to start without him and captain Bruno (or others) instead in the opening weeks.
• Flexibility**: Starting without him keeps more transfer flexibility and avoids being locked into captaining him almost every week.

✍️ Verdict : I'm starting the season WITH Haaland! but I won't be afraid to move on from him as soon as GW4/GW5

Gameweek 1 Predicted Lineups are updated (18/08/2026) 👉 https://fpledits.com/predicted-lineups-pl

Who are the best £4.0m defenders ?

• Milan van Ewijk [COV] : 43 starts last season, 8 assists, solid DefCon (≈6.4/90). Attacking right-back with creativity.
- No DefCon potential, but high attacking upside (long throws into the box are a weapon).

• Bobby Thomas [COV] : Excellent DefCon numbers (8.5+/90), 3 goals + 4 assists last season, set-piece threat. Guaranteed starter and 90-minute man.

• Issa Diop [IPS] : Looks locked into Ipswich’s defence. Pre-season minutes (200+) support him starting.
- Great GW1 fixture (home to Sunderland, who scored only 17 away goals last season).

• Luke O’Nien [SUN] : One of the few non-promoted 4.0m options.
- Potential starter if Mukiele (£5.5m) and Alderete (£5.0m) are rested/rotated.
- Solid DefCon (6.87 per 90) + set-piece threat.
- Pure short-term / Bench Boost pick – not expected to hold the shirt long-term.

• Leif Davis [IPS] : Very attacking profile (2 goals + 4 assists last season) . Weaker DefCon than Thomas/van Ewijk but higher upside for attacking returns.
- Most attacking returns of any Ipswich player in pre-season (4).


• John Egan [HUL] : Strong DefCon (10+/90), 3 goals last season, set-piece threat. Reliable starter.


👉 Promoted clubs dominate the 4.0m bracket (Coventry & Ipswich especially).
👉 Best pure DefCon + set-piece → Bobby Thomas
👉 Best attacking 4.0m → van Ewijk or Davis
👉 Best for GW1 Bench Boost → Ipswich trio (Diop, Davis, O’Shea) thanks to home fixture vs weak Sunderland attack.
👉 Hull options are currently being avoided due to rotation and defensive fragility.



#FPL #GW1

🚨 The 10 most owned new players to the Premier League #FPL! ✅

❌ Christos Tzolis: Arsenal — 4.0%
❌ Luka Vušković: Brighton — 2.6%
❌ Marco Palestra: Chelsea — 2.4%
❌ Gonzalo García: Fulham — 1.8%
❌ Johan Manzambi: Aston Villa — 1.8%
❌ Tarik Muharemović: Leeds — 1.7%
❌ Mamadou Sangaré: Brentford — 1.5%
❌ Jeremy Jacquet: Liverpool — 1.2%
❌ Victor Muñoz: Liverpool — 0.8%
❌ Ronald Araújo: Liverpool — 0.6%

[Source : FPLMatt]

✍️ the less new to the league players you have the better!

How many attacking returns do you expect from Tzolis in the first 6 GWs ?

Arsenal’s first 6 opponents – Average goals conceded per game last season :

• Coventry (GW1 H): 0.98 (45 goals in 46 Championship games)
• Aston Villa (GW2 A): 1.29
• Chelsea (GW3 H): 1.37
• Sunderland (GW4 A): 1.26
• Brighton (GW5 A): 1.21
• Leeds (GW6 H): 1.47

Keep your eyes on 19-year-old George Hemmings 👀

The teenager has now started Aston Villa's last three fixtures—including the UEFA Super Cup clash against PSG 🏆

If he's being trusted to step into that Morgan Rogers role, we might just be looking at the ultimate £4.5m attacking budget enabler 💎⚽️

We went from Gabriel (£8.0m) to Calafiori/White (£5.5m) to Konsa (£4.5m)

Joao Pedro, what did you do ? 😭

Gameweek 1 ; The Updated Scout Selection

2️⃣ Double MUN, TOT ,& triple ARS
🛡Double TOT GKS & double ARS defence!
🧐 3-5-2 formation
❌ No Thiago , No Isak , No DCL

How many do you own from these ? #FPL #GW1

Oh Joao Pedro, what did you do 😭

🎲 Gameweek 1 Preview: Goalscorer Odds

• Haaland vs BOU (H): 27 goals last season (15 at home). City scored heavily at home (≈2.4 goals/game). Bournemouth conceded 1.79 away.

• Isak on a mission to worsen Newcastle’s situation!

• Arsenal have a 51% chance of scoring 2+ goals vs COV (H) in GW1 (2nd only to Man City). Havertz, Saka & Tzolis are the most likely to get involved!

• Thiago vs TOT (H): 22 goals scored last season, 13 of them at home! He faces a new-look Spurs defence in GW1!

• Chelsea travel to face Fulham, who conceded only 20 home goals last season (3rd fewest). It won’t be easy for Palmer & Pedro!

• Mbeumo is Man Utd’s most in-form attacker in pre-season with 3G & 1A! He has the highest chance of scoring when Man Utd travel to face HUL (A).

How many of these do you own in your #GW1 team?
#FPL