Premier League Gameweek 5: Predicted XIs and Selection Gambles

The Premier League returns this weekend with managers juggling injuries, suspensions and early‑season form – and Fantasy Premier League bosses watching every hint like hawks. Here’s how the top flight is expected to line up in Matchweek 5, and where the big selection calls sit.

Brentford v Chelsea: Full-back battles and Alonso’s smokescreen

Brentford’s back line is under the spotlight. Aaron Hickey stepped in at right-back last weekend, dislodging Michael Kayode, and has every chance of keeping his place. 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.

In midfield, Keith Andrews went safety-first last time out, using Yehor Yarmoliuk in an advanced central role. His call now is whether to stick with the Ukrainian’s industry or turn back to the craft of Mikkel Damsgaard.

Across west London, Xabi Alonso is giving nothing away. He refused to confirm whether Joao Pedro will be fit, calling his inclusion “a possibility” despite the forward pulling out of Brazil duty through injury. If Pedro misses out, Danny Welbeck is the obvious replacement up front.

Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Marco Palestra and Jordan Henderson all sit in the “late decision” pile, with Alonso saying he’ll judge that quartet on Friday. Pep Chavarria, still waiting for his first league start, is hovering in the wings.

Spurs v Aston Villa: Full-backs rotate, big names return

At Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi looks ready to shuffle his full-backs. Pedro Porro, left out as a precaution against Everton, is fit again and expected to reclaim the right-back slot from Archie Gray. On the opposite flank, Destiny Udogie started the midweek EFL Cup loss at Liverpool after missing the Everton match and is tipped to keep his place ahead of Andy Robertson.

Sandro Tonali, absent at Anfield, has been cleared to face Villa. James Maddison is also available and edging closer to his first start of the season after a series of substitute appearances. Dejan Kulusevski is finally back in full training after his long lay-off, but his competitive return is likely to wait until after the international break.

Unai Emery, meanwhile, has no choice but to tinker with his defence. 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. In the middle, Tyrone Mings is poised to partner Victor Lindelof with Pau Torres ruled out. Matty Cash is ready to come back in at right-back for Aaron Wan-Bissaka after shaking off muscle soreness.

Joao Gomes returns from suspension to bolster midfield, while up front Emery faces a straight decision: persist with Nicolas Jackson or reward Tammy Abraham, who struck twice in midweek.

Brighton v Arsenal: Seagulls settled, Arteta spoiled for choice

Brighton come into this weekend flying. A 5-0 win at Coventry in the league and an EFL Cup victory at Manchester United have Fabian Hurzeler tempted to name the same XI that dismantled Coventry. Georginio Rutter, back from injury and used in midweek at Old Trafford, is the main threat to that continuity as he pushes for a start.

Left-back Jaouen Hadjam is available despite being forced off on his debut at United, easing Hurzeler’s concerns. Femi Azeez, though, remains sidelined with the hamstring issue he brought from Millwall. The long-term absentee list is still heavy: Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood, Stefanos Tzimas, Yankuba Minteh, Zadok Yohanna, Evan Ferguson and Mats Wieffer are all out.

Arsenal arrive with options everywhere. Ben White picked up a groin problem at Sunderland and missed the EFL Cup win at Ipswich, but Mikel Arteta expects him to be fit. Even so, Jurrien Timber is ready if the manager opts for rotation at right-back.

Arteta is “really positive about everybody”, including Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera, who are both expected to be fine. The intriguing call comes in midfield: Bruno Guimaraes, who scored off the bench at Sunderland after replacing Myles Lewis-Skelly at half-time, is pushing for his first Premier League start for the club. Arteta has hailed his dynamism and versatility, hinting that Guimaraes’ role will depend on “what we need on the day”.

Everton v Ipswich: Grealish waits, Ipswich boosted in attack

Everton’s midfield hinges on Harrison Armstrong’s fitness. He missed the EFL Cup win over Wolves, but David Moyes says he “expects him to be OK” to partner James Garner in the middle. Jack Grealish, back at Goodison on loan from Manchester City, is pressing hard for his first league start since returning.

On the right flank, Tyrique George could edge ahead of Brennan Johnson, though teenager Tyler Dibling made his case with a lively display against Wolves. Merlin Rohl and Christian Norgaard remain out injured.

Ipswich have good news up front. Gary O’Neil confirmed that Emersonn is fit after a tight quad ruled him out of the EFL Cup defeat to Arsenal. Yet Zian Flemming, who came on for the injured Emersonn at Crystal Palace and scored the winner, is also in the frame to start.

Azor Matusiwa is available but not expected to feature, leaving Jack Taylor as the only Ipswich absentee.

Newcastle v Hull: Jaissle stretched, Hull stay steady

Newcastle’s problems are piling up for Matthias Jaissle. Anthony Elanga missed Monday’s defeat to Leeds, with Jacob Murphy drafted in. If Jaissle changes again, Harvey Barnes could switch to the right with Bazoumana Toure introduced on the left.

Nico Gonzalez’s concussion against Leeds opens the door for Sean Steur to start in central midfield, with Jacob Ramsay already unavailable. At the back, Amar Dedic has joined the injury list, which may hand Tino Livramento a start. Joe Willock and Matias Fernandez-Pardo look to be fighting for one remaining spot.

Hull, unbeaten four games into their Premier League return, have little reason to rip things up. Sergej Jakirovic will, however, be without Nobel Mendy after his concussion last weekend. Lucas Herrington and Paddy McNair are the main candidates to replace him.

Matt Crooks is hoping to keep Lucas Gourna-Douath and Tim Iroegbunam out of central midfield, while Sorba Thomas is pushing to unseat Elliot Stroud in the attacking positions.

Nott’m Forest v Coventry: Forest weigh risk, Lampard weighs shape

Nottingham Forest are nursing key hamstring issues. Jair Cunha and Nikola Milenkovic both missed last weekend’s match. Oliver Glasner has confirmed Milenkovic is still out, but Cunha is back in training, with the manager waiting to see “how he reacts”. Ola Aina stands by to fill in again if needed.

In midfield, Ibrahim Sangare was overlooked in favour of Xaver Schlager and James McAtee against Aston Villa and looks set to miss out once more. Up front, Igor Jesus came off the bench to score the winner in that game and is now putting serious pressure on Dan Ndoye for a starting berth.

Frank Lampard’s Coventry have a tactical decision to make. He switched from a back three to a back four in the EFL Cup and must now choose whether to revert. Aurele Amenda is out with a calf injury, so Man City loanee Stephen Mfuni is a strong candidate to step in, unless Lampard reshapes his defence again.

Victor Torp and Caleb Yirenkyi impressed in midweek and could force their way into central midfield. Competition is fierce for the two No 10 roles, with new signing Yann Gboho in the mix. Up front, teenager Sidiki Cherif deputised for the suspended Taiwo Awoniyi on Wednesday and will battle Ellis Simms for the shirt.

AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool: Rose rides momentum, Klopp’s wide conundrum

AFC Bournemouth are on a high after a landmark European night. Marco Rose named the same XI in the 1-1 draw with Brentford and the famous win at Real Sociedad on Thursday. With no fresh injury concerns and Amine Adli, Julian Araujo, Junior Kroupi and Veljko Milosavljevic still out, a third unchanged line-up in eight days looks likely.

If Rose does rotate, it may only be in central midfield, where he has occasionally alternated Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook in the league.

Liverpool’s forward line is where it gets interesting. Cody Gakpo missed the goalless draw with Fulham through injury but returned with a goal and an assist in the EFL Cup win over Spurs, putting him in pole position to start. He may, though, have to operate from the right to allow Bradley Barcola to continue on the left after his summer move.

Alexis Mac Allister, another midweek scorer, is pushing to replace Ryan Gravenberch in central midfield alongside Dominik Szoboszlai. In defence, Milos Kerkez should return at left-back against his former club, taking over from Konstantinos Tsimikas.

Joe Gomez made his comeback against Spurs, but Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Federico Chiesa are still sidelined.

Leeds v Crystal Palace: Farke sticks, Palace shuffle after red card

Leeds have rhythm and Daniel Farke seems unlikely to disturb it. The side that dismantled Newcastle 4-1 on Monday night should stay intact. Harry Wilson, ruled out with a quad injury, has only been a bench option recently, so his absence doesn’t affect the starting XI.

Noah Okafor is set to keep his place after scoring against Newcastle, though Brenden Aaronson offers an alternative if Farke wants fresh legs. Ilia Gruev is back in contention after coming through an Under-21 match unscathed, but Joe Rodon and Mateo Joseph are still out.

Crystal Palace must adjust after Axel Disasi’s red card against Ipswich. He is suspended, opening the door for Takehiro Tomiyasu to step in at centre-back. Ismaila Sarr, who made his first appearance of the season as a second-half substitute in the Europa League win over Lech Poznan, is pushing for a start. Manager Pierre Sage admitted Sarr could “maybe” start at Leeds, but not complete 90 minutes.

Dean Henderson and Jean-Philippe Mateta remain unavailable until after the international break.

Man City v Sunderland: Foden banned, Ndiaye steps up

Phil Foden’s suspension after his red card in the Manchester derby hands opportunity to Iliman Ndiaye. The summer signing is set for just his second Premier League start under Enzo Maresca. Jeremy Doku, out since the Community Shield with a calf problem, is expected to be available but will likely begin on the bench.

Nico O’Reilly started the EFL Cup win over Norwich at left-back on his return from injury, but Josko Gvardiol is still expected to hold that position in the league.

Sunderland, fresh from a historic Europa League win at AZ Alkmaar, have a clear issue at left-back. Reinildo Mandava is suspended after his late red card at Arsenal, leaving Regis Le Bris with two options: the right-footed Trai Hume, who has filled in on the left before, or a Premier League debut for summer signing Dayann Methalie.

Elsewhere, the team should closely resemble the side that faced Arsenal, with only Habib Diarra and Romaine Mundle missing through injury.

Fulham v Man Utd: Arbeloa searches for first win, Carrick weighs his No 9

Fulham may go unchanged after a disciplined draw at Liverpool. Alvaro Arbeloa finally has a midfield pairing he likes in Sander Berge and Shea Charles, who are expected to keep their places with Alex Iwobi operating further forward.

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

At Manchester United, the left-back question lingers. Luke Shaw, injured in Matchweek 3, remains a doubt. Michael Carrick says “there is a chance” he plays and describes the issue as “really short term”, but Patrick Dorgu is again the likely starter if Shaw doesn’t make it.

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 leads the line at Craven Cottage, Cunha could shift to the left, potentially displacing Marcus Rashford.

Carlos Baleba is in line for his first United involvement and may debut from the bench.

Gameweek 5 won’t decide the season, but with managers juggling injuries, form and fixture congestion, the choices they make this weekend could reshape more than just Fantasy mini-leagues.