Premier League Matchweek 5: Predicted Line-Ups and Key Decisions

The Premier League rolls into Matchweek 5 with managers juggling injuries, suspensions and early-season form. Fantasy Premier League bosses will be watching every hint and half-quote, trying to second-guess line-ups before tonight’s deadline at 18:30 BST.

Here’s how the weekend could shape up, fixture by fixture.

Brentford v Chelsea

Keith Andrews has decisions to make on both flanks and in the heart of his Brentford side.

Aaron Hickey stepped in at right-back last weekend, taking Michael Kayode’s spot, and did enough to give his manager a genuine call to make. On the left, El Hadji Malick Diouf impressed in midweek EFL Cup duty, starting at left-back. That puts pressure on Keane Lewis-Potter, who has been operating there in the league.

Further forward, Andrews went safety-first last weekend, using Yehor Yarmoliuk in an advanced central role to add defensive cover. The Ukrainian did his job, but Mikkel Damsgaard is waiting for a recall if Brentford want more guile and less grit between the lines.

Across west London, Xabi Alonso is giving nothing away.

He refused to confirm whether Joao Pedro will be fit, limiting his update to a tight “It is a possibility” after the forward withdrew from the Brazil squad with an injury. If Pedro misses out, Danny Welbeck is the obvious replacement through the middle.

The mystery doesn’t end there. Alonso also kept his cards close on Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Marco Palestra and Jordan Henderson, saying only that decisions on that quartet will come on Friday. Left-back Pep Chavarria is desperate for a first Premier League start and will sense an opening if rotation kicks in.

Spurs v Aston Villa

At Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi is poised to refresh his full-back pairing for Villa’s visit.

Pedro Porro sat out the win over Everton as a precaution but is fit again and expected to reclaim his right-back spot from Archie Gray. On the opposite flank, Destiny Udogie started the EFL Cup defeat at Liverpool after missing the Everton game and should keep his place ahead of Andy Robertson.

The midfield picture looks brighter. Sandro Tonali, who missed the trip to Anfield, has been passed fit for this one. James Maddison is also available and edging closer to his first start of the season after a series of careful cameos off the bench. Dejan Kulusevski has returned to full training after his long lay-off, but his comeback is likely to be held until after the international break.

Unai Emery, meanwhile, is forced into changes at the back for Aston Villa.

With Ian Maatsen injured, summer signing Matteo Ruggeri is in line to start at left-back after catching the eye on his first start in the midweek EFL Cup win at Coventry. At centre-back, Tyrone Mings should partner Victor Lindelof, with Pau Torres ruled out.

On the right, Matty Cash is ready to return having shaken off muscle soreness and rejoined the squad at Coventry, putting Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s place under threat. Joao Gomes is back from suspension and strengthens Emery’s midfield options. Up front, Nicolas Jackson’s starting spot is under real pressure from Tammy Abraham, who scored twice in midweek and has timed his audition perfectly.

Brighton v Arsenal

Brighton arrive in fine form and might not touch a winning formula.

The Seagulls smashed Coventry City 5-0 last weekend and could roll out the same XI. Georginio Rutter, though, is pushing hard after returning from injury in the EFL Cup victory at Manchester United. Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that Jaouen Hadjam is available despite being forced off on his debut at Old Trafford, so left-back is covered.

On the wings, there is no such luxury. Femi Azeez is still out with the hamstring problem he brought from Millwall on Deadline Day, while Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood, Stefanos Tzimas, Yankuba Minteh, Zadok Yohanna, Evan Ferguson and Mats Wieffer remain longer-term absentees.

Mikel Arteta has his own balancing act at Arsenal.

Ben White suffered a groin issue at Sunderland and missed the EFL Cup win at Ipswich Town, but Arteta has suggested the defender should be fit for the trip to Brighton. Even so, Jurrien Timber is ready and could come in at right-back if there’s any doubt.

Arteta is also “really positive about everybody” when it comes to Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera, both expected to be available. The big intrigue sits in midfield. Bruno Guimaraes, who scored off the bench at Sunderland after replacing Myles Lewis-Skelly at half-time, is in line for a first Premier League start for the club. Arteta called him “such a dynamic, versatile player” and hinted that his selection will hinge on “what we need on the day.”

Everton v Ipswich

Everton’s midfield hinges on one fitness test.

Harrison Armstrong missed the EFL Cup win over Wolves, and David Moyes admitted he is “still waiting” on the midfielder’s status, though he “expects him to be OK” to partner James Garner in the middle. If Armstrong does make it, Moyes can keep his preferred axis intact.

Jack Grealish is knocking loudly for his first Premier League start since rejoining Everton on loan from Manchester City. Out wide, Tyrique George could get the nod on the right ahead of Brennan Johnson, but youngster Tyler Dibling made a strong case with his midweek display. Merlin Rohl and Christian Norgaard remain sidelined.

Ipswich boss Gary O’Neil has a welcome boost up front.

Striker Emersonn is fit again after a tight quad ruled him out of the EFL Cup defeat to Arsenal. Zian Flemming, who came on for the injured Emersonn at Crystal Palace and scored the winner, is also pushing hard for a start. O’Neil has a genuine selection dilemma in that central attacking role.

Azor Matusiwa is back available but not expected to feature, leaving Jack Taylor as the only Ipswich player currently out injured.

Newcastle v Hull

At Newcastle, Matthias Jaissle’s problems are piling up.

Anthony Elanga missed the defeat to Leeds and Jacob Murphy stepped in. If Jaissle decides to change again, Harvey Barnes could switch across to the right with Bazoumana Toure coming in on the left. In midfield, Nico Gonzalez’s concussion against Leeds opens the door for Sean Steur to start centrally, with Jacob Ramsay also unavailable.

The defence has been hit too. Amar Dedic has joined the lengthy injury list, which could hand Tino Livramento a start. In midfield, Joe Willock and Matias Fernandez-Pardo are effectively duelling for one remaining slot.

Hull City, unbeaten in their first four games back in the top flight, have the luxury of continuity.

Sergej Jakirovic has largely stuck with a settled side, but Nobel Mendy’s concussion rules him out after a clash of heads last weekend. Lucas Herrington and Paddy McNair are the leading options to step in.

Matt Crooks will hope to keep Lucas Gourna-Douath and Tim Iroegbunam at bay in central midfield, while Sorba Thomas is pressing to dislodge Elliot Stroud out wide. With confidence high and no league defeat yet, Jakirovic will be wary of tinkering too much.

Nott’m Forest v Coventry

Nottingham Forest’s back line is still patched together.

Jair Cunha and Nikola Milenkovic both missed last weekend with hamstring issues. Oliver Glasner has confirmed Milenkovic remains out, while Cunha has returned to training. The manager will wait to see “how he reacts” before making a call. If Cunha is not ready, Ola Aina will again be asked to fill in.

In midfield, Ibrahim Sangare lost out to Xaver Schlager and James McAtee against Aston Villa and looks set to remain behind them in the pecking order. 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 place.

Frank Lampard has tactical choices to weigh up at Coventry.

He switched from a back three to a back four in the EFL Cup and must decide whether to stick with that change. He will definitely be without Aurele Amenda, who picked up a calf injury. Manchester City loanee Stephen Mfuni is the obvious replacement if Lampard keeps a back three, though a system shuffle remains on the table.

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 to the mix. Up front, teenager Sidiki Cherif filled in for the suspended Taiwo Awoniyi on Wednesday and now battles Ellis Simms for the shirt.

AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool

Bournemouth are riding the high of a landmark European night.

Marco Rose sent out the same XI that drew with Brentford to face Real Sociedad in their first European match – and they delivered a famous win. With no new injuries reported and Amine Adli, Julian Araujo, Junior Kroupi and Veljko Milosavljevic still out, Rose could name the same starting line-up for a third time in eight days.

If he does freshen anything, central midfield is the likeliest spot. Tyler Adams has been the man rotated most often, with Lewis Cook waiting in the wings if Rose wants fresh legs in the engine room.

Liverpool, though, arrive with their own momentum after EFL Cup progress.

Cody Gakpo missed the goalless draw with Fulham through injury but returned with a goal and an assist in the midweek win over Spurs. That performance should earn him a start, potentially on the right, allowing Bradley Barcola to stay on the left after his summer arrival.

Alexis Mac Allister also strengthened his case with a midweek goal and may come in for Ryan Gravenberch alongside Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield. At left-back, Milos Kerkez is expected to return to the XI 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 unavailable.

Leeds v Crystal Palace

Leeds have little reason to change a thing.

Daniel Farke watched his side dismantle Newcastle 4-1 on Monday and is unlikely to tinker with a winning team. Harry Wilson has been ruled out with a quad injury, but he has been used only from the bench recently, so the starting XI should remain intact.

Noah Okafor, on the back of his goal against Newcastle, is set to keep his place. Brenden Aaronson offers an alternative if Farke does decide to rotate. In midfield, Ilia Gruev is back in contention after coming through an Under-21s game unscathed, but Joe Rodon and Mateo Joseph are still out.

Crystal Palace must reshuffle their defence.

Axel Disasi is suspended after his red card against Ipswich, opening the door for Takehiro Tomiyasu to come in at centre-back. Further forward, Ismaila Sarr is pushing for his first start of the season after a lively second-half cameo in the UEFA Europa League win over Lech Poznan.

Manager Pierre Sage said the Senegal winger could “maybe” start at Leeds but stressed he is not ready for a full 90 minutes. Dean Henderson and Jean-Philippe Mateta are both sidelined until after the international break.

Man City v Sunderland

Phil Foden’s suspension has created an opening at Manchester City.

Sent off in the derby against Manchester United, Foden sits this one out, and that clears the way for summer signing Iliman Ndiaye to make just his second Premier League start for the club.

Jeremy Doku is also on the comeback trail. Enzo Maresca expects the Belgian to be available against Sunderland after his calf injury in the FA Community Shield, though a place on the bench looks more realistic than an immediate start. Nico O’Reilly featured at left-back in the EFL Cup win over Norwich on his return from injury, but Josko Gvardiol should keep his place there in the league.

Sunderland head to the champions with one key gap to plug.

Reinildo Mandava is suspended after his late red card against Arsenal, leaving Regis Le Bris with a decision at left-back. He can either turn to Trai Hume, a right-footer who has covered that side before, or hand a Premier League debut to summer signing Dayann Methalie.

Beyond that, Sunderland’s side should resemble the one that faced Arsenal, with Le Bris having made four changes for the historic Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar. Habib Diarra and Romaine Mundle remain the only injury absentees.

Fulham v Man Utd

Fulham are close to settled under Alvaro Arbeloa, but the first league win still eludes them.

After a disciplined draw at Liverpool, the head coach could stick with the same XI. Sander Berge and Shea Charles formed a new-look central midfield partnership at Anfield and are likely to stay together, 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 out as he follows concussion protocols after taking a ball to the face at Anfield, while Tom Cairney remains sidelined with a knee injury.

Manchester United have a familiar issue at left-back.

Luke Shaw, injured in Matchweek 3, is still a doubt. Michael Carrick said “there is a chance” he could feature and described the problem as “really short term”, but Patrick Dorgu is again the favourite to start if Shaw isn’t ready.

Up front, Carrick has a call to make. Matheus Cunha has yet to score in the Premier League this season, and although Benjamin Sesko started the EFL Cup defeat to Brighton, he did not seize his opportunity. If Sesko is trusted again through the middle, Cunha may be shunted to the left, potentially at Marcus Rashford’s expense. New signing Carlos Baleba is edging towards involvement and could make his debut from the bench.

Line-ups will lock in soon. For managers on the touchline and on Fantasy apps alike, Matchweek 5 could be the moment early-season gambles start to pay off—or unravel.