The Dugout Discussion – Sunday

Sunday seeks to follow on from Saturday’s tidal wave of points, handing us a pair of Premier League fixtures at Loftus Road and the Britannia.

It all begins in West London, where Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool pay visit to struggling QPR.

The Liverpool boss has reacted to recent stuttering form with a series of changes, recalling Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique as Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo drop out; the latter is eased onto the bench. Emre Can also earns a first league start in the engine room with Philippe Coutinho benched, while Mario Balotelli is recalled up front in place of Rickie Lambert; the refreshed Raheem Sterling starts, as expected.

Liverpool find a much-changed QPR side in opposition, as Harry Redknapp rolls the dice. It looks likely to be a 3-5-2 set-up from the R’s with Rio Ferdinand surprisingly dropping to the bench to allow Richard Dunne to earn a start. Yun Suk-Young appears to be lining up at left wing-back in his first league start, as Niko Kranjcar drops out of the midfield. Further forward, Bobby Zamora is preferred to Junior Hoilett. There’s also a change in goal for the home side: Rob Green laid low through illness so Alex McCarthy makes his R’s league debut.

The Shepherds Bush action is followed by a tea-time encounter in the Potteries, as Mark Hughes’ Stoke host Swansea. Fantasy managers will be keenly focused on the display of Gylfi Sigurdsson as he bids to regain his spot on top of the FPL midfield rankings.