Premier League Matchweek 5: Predicted XIs and Key Decisions

The Premier League rolls into Matchweek 5 with managers juggling injuries, suspensions and early-season form. For Fantasy Premier League bosses, the margins are thin and the deadline is looming at 18:30 BST. Here’s how the weekend’s line-ups are shaping up, fixture by fixture.

Brentford v Chelsea

Brentford’s full-back battle is heating up. Aaron Hickey stepped in at right-back last weekend and did enough to keep Michael Kayode out. On the left, El Hadji Malick Diouf impressed in the EFL Cup and is now pushing Keane Lewis-Potter hard for that Premier League start.

Keith Andrews tightened things up in midfield last time out, using Yehor Yarmoliuk in a more advanced central role. The question now: stick with the Ukrainian’s work-rate or turn back to the guile of Mikkel Damsgaard?

Across London, Xabi Alonso is keeping Chelsea’s plans under wraps. He refused to confirm whether Joao Pedro will be fit, calling it “a possibility” despite the forward withdrawing from Brazil duty with injury. If he misses out, Danny Welbeck is the obvious replacement through the middle.

Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Marco Palestra and Jordan Henderson all sit in the maybe pile. Alonso has parked those calls until Friday. Pep Chavarria, meanwhile, is still waiting for his first league start and will be desperate for a nod.

Spurs v Aston Villa

At Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi is ready to tweak his back line. Pedro Porro, left out as a precaution against Everton, is fit and primed to reclaim the right-back spot from Archie Gray. On the opposite flank, Destiny Udogie started the EFL Cup defeat at Liverpool after missing the Everton match and is expected to hold off Andy Robertson.

The midfield picture looks brighter. Sandro Tonali missed Anfield but has been cleared for the Villa clash. James Maddison is also available and edging closer to his first start of the season after a series of cameo appearances. Dejan Kulusevski is back in training after his long lay-off, but his competitive return is likely to wait until after the international break.

Unai Emery, by contrast, is forced into changes at the back for Villa. Matteo Ruggeri, impressive on his first start in the EFL Cup win at Coventry, is set to replace the injured Ian Maatsen at left-back. Tyrone Mings should come in alongside Victor Lindelof in central defence with Pau Torres out, while Matty Cash is a strong candidate to return at right-back in place of Aaron Wan-Bissaka after overcoming muscle soreness.

Joao Gomes is back from suspension and bolsters midfield options. Up front, Emery has a straight choice: persist with Nicolas Jackson or reward Tammy Abraham, who hit a brace in midweek.

Brighton v Arsenal

Brighton arrive buoyant after a 5-0 demolition of Coventry City. Fabian Hurzeler could simply roll with the same XI. Georginio Rutter, though, is now in the frame after returning from injury in the EFL Cup win at Old Trafford and will be pressing for a start.

Jaouen Hadjam is available at left-back despite being forced off on his debut at Manchester United. Femi Azeez remains sidelined with the hamstring problem he brought from Millwall, while a lengthy injury list still includes Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood, Stefanos Tzimas, Yankuba Minteh, Zadok Yohanna, Evan Ferguson and Mats Wieffer.

Arsenal have decisions to make, but the news is largely positive. Ben White picked up a groin issue at Sunderland and missed the EFL Cup win at Ipswich Town, yet Mikel Arteta expects him to be fit. Even so, Jurrien Timber is ready and could come in at right-back if required.

Arteta is also “really positive” about Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera, backing both to be available. The intriguing call is in midfield: Bruno Guimaraes, who scored off the bench at Sunderland, is pushing for his first Premier League start for the club after replacing Myles Lewis-Skelly at half-time there. Arteta has hailed Guimaraes’ dynamism and versatility, hinting that his role will be shaped purely by what Arsenal “need on the day”.

Everton v Ipswich

Everton’s midfield balance hangs on Harrison Armstrong’s fitness. He missed the EFL Cup win over Wolves with injury, and David Moyes says he is “still waiting” but expects him to be ready to partner James Garner in the middle.

Jack Grealish is knocking on the door for his first Premier League start since rejoining on loan from Manchester City. Out wide, Tyrique George could be preferred to Brennan Johnson on the right, though youngster Tyler Dibling did his cause no harm with his performance against Wolves. Merlin Rohl and Christian Norgaard remain unavailable.

Ipswich, beaten by Arsenal in the EFL Cup, have a more straightforward picture. Gary O’Neil confirmed striker Emersonn is fit after a tight quad kept him out in midweek. Yet Zian Flemming, who came on for the injured Emersonn at Crystal Palace and scored the winner, is also chasing a starting berth.

Azor Matusiwa is back in the squad but not expected to feature, leaving Jack Taylor as the only player still sidelined.

Newcastle v Hull

Injuries continue to stalk Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle. Anthony Elanga missed the defeat to Leeds, with Jacob Murphy starting in his place. If Jaissle opts for a reshuffle, Harvey Barnes could switch to the right, allowing Bazoumana Toure to come in on the left.

Nico Gonzalez suffered concussion against Leeds, opening the door for Sean Steur to start in central midfield, especially with Jacob Ramsay also out. At the back, Amar Dedic has joined the growing absentee list, so Tino Livramento is in line to start. Joe Willock and Matias Fernandez-Pardo appear to be contesting a single midfield slot.

Hull, unbeaten four games into their Premier League return, have stability on their side. Sergej Jakirovic has kept changes to a minimum, but Nobel Mendy is out after a concussion from a clash of heads last weekend. Lucas Herrington and Paddy McNair are the main candidates to replace him.

In midfield, Matt Crooks will try to fend off Lucas Gourna-Douath and Tim Iroegbunam for his place, while Sorba Thomas is pushing to unseat Elliot Stroud.

Nott’m Forest v Coventry

Nottingham Forest are still juggling fitness concerns. Jair Cunha and Nikola Milenkovic both missed last weekend with hamstring problems. Oliver Glasner has ruled Milenkovic out again, but Cunha is back in training, with the manager waiting to see “how he reacts”. Ola Aina will cover once more if Cunha cannot start.

In midfield, Ibrahim Sangare lost out to Xaver Schlager and James McAtee against Aston Villa and looks set to be benched again. Up front, Igor Jesus came off the bench to score the winner in that match and is now applying real pressure on Dan Ndoye for a starting role.

Frank Lampard has a big tactical call for Coventry. He switched from a back three to a four in the EFL Cup and must decide whether to revert to his previous system. Aurele Amenda is out with a calf injury, so Man City loanee Stephen Mfuni is a strong option to come in, unless Lampard reshapes the back line again.

Victor Torp and Caleb Yirenkyi impressed in midweek and could be rewarded with starts in central midfield. Competition is fierce for the two No 10 roles, with new signing Yann Gboho adding further intrigue. Up front, teenager Sidiki Cherif, who deputised for the suspended Taiwo Awoniyi on Wednesday, will battle Ellis Simms for the striker’s shirt.

AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool

Bournemouth are riding a wave after a landmark European win. Marco Rose used the same XI that drew with Brentford to secure a famous victory at Real Sociedad in their first European outing on Thursday. With no fresh injuries and Amine Adli, Julian Araujo, Junior Kroupi and Veljko Milosavljevic still out, a third consecutive unchanged line-up looks likely.

If Rose does rotate, the most obvious tweak is in central midfield, where he has alternated Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook in the league. That remains the one area he has consistently freshened up.

Liverpool, held by Fulham last weekend, have attacking decisions to make. Cody Gakpo missed that goalless draw through injury but returned in the EFL Cup with a goal and an assist against Spurs. That performance should earn him a start, potentially from the right, allowing Bradley Barcola to stay on the left after his summer arrival.

Alexis Mac Allister also scored in midweek and could step in for Ryan Gravenberch alongside Dominik Szoboszlai. At left-back, Milos Kerkez is set to return against his former club, replacing Konstantinos Tsimikas. Joe Gomez made his comeback from injury versus Spurs, but Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Federico Chiesa remain out.

Leeds v Crystal Palace

Leeds smashed Newcastle 4-1 on Monday and Daniel Farke has little reason to tinker. Harry Wilson is out with a quad injury, though he has only featured from the bench recently. Noah Okafor is expected to keep his place after scoring in that win, with Brenden Aaronson waiting in reserve if Farke chooses to rotate.

Ilia Gruev is back in contention after coming through an Under-21s match unscathed, but Joe Rodon and Mateo Joseph are still sidelined.

Crystal Palace travel north without Axel Disasi, suspended after his red card against Ipswich. Takehiro Tomiyasu is the obvious replacement at centre-back. Ismaila Sarr is pushing for his first start of the season after a lively second-half cameo in the UEFA Europa League victory over Lech Poznan. Manager Pierre Sage admitted the winger could “maybe” start at Elland Road, though he is not ready for a full 90 minutes.

Dean Henderson and Jean-Philippe Mateta are not expected back until after the international break.

Man City v Sunderland

Phil Foden’s suspension opens the door at Manchester City. Sent off in the derby against Man Utd, he will miss the visit of Sunderland, giving summer signing Iliman Ndiaye the chance to make just his second Premier League start for the champions.

Enzo Maresca expects Jeremy Doku to be available after the calf injury he suffered in the FA Community Shield, but the bench looks the more realistic destination for the Belgian. Nico O’Reilly started the EFL Cup win over Norwich on his return from injury, though he is unlikely to dislodge Josko Gvardiol at left-back.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has one major headache: left-back. Reinildo Mandava is suspended after his late red card against Arsenal, leaving Le Bris to choose between the right-footed Trai Hume, who has covered on the left before, and summer signing Dayann Methalie, who would be making his Premier League debut.

The rest of the side should resemble the one that faced Arsenal, with Le Bris expected to reverse the four changes he made for the historic UEFA Europa League win at AZ Alkmaar. Habib Diarra and Romaine Mundle remain the only injury absentees.

Fulham v Man Utd

Fulham head into the weekend still searching for Alvaro Arbeloa’s first Premier League win, but with a settled side. The XI that drew at Liverpool is likely to go again. Sander Berge and Shea Charles formed a solid central midfield partnership at Anfield and should keep their places, with Alex Iwobi continuing in a more advanced role.

Ryan Sessegnon, used only from the bench so far, faces a late fitness test. Kenny Tete is ruled out under concussion protocols after taking a ball to the face at Anfield, while Tom Cairney remains sidelined with a knee problem.

For Manchester United, left-back remains the big doubt. Luke Shaw is still nursing the injury he picked up in Matchweek 3. Michael Carrick insists “there is a chance” he could feature and describes the issue as “really short term”, but Patrick Dorgu is again the favourite to start on the left.

Up front, Carrick has a decision to make. Matheus Cunha is still searching for his first Premier League goal of the season. Benjamin Sesko started the EFL Cup defeat to Brighton but failed to grab his opportunity. If Sesko is preferred through the middle at Craven Cottage, Cunha could be moved to the left, potentially at the expense of Marcus Rashford. Carlos Baleba is in line for his first United appearance, most likely from the bench.

Matchweek 5 won’t just test squads; it will test nerve. Managers, real and fantasy, now have to decide who they trust.