Klopp decimates Fantasy teams in mass rotation of Liverpool assets

WRITTEN BY DAVID MUNDAY AND NEALE RIGG

Jurgen Klopp has gone from hero to zero for Fantasy Premier League managers in the final Gameweek of 2019/20.

The Liverpool manager has ripped up his usual team-sheet for the trip to Newcastle, consigning Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Trent Alexander-Arnold to the bench.

Andrew Robertson and Virgil van Dijk are the only two key Fantasy assets to keep their place in the side, which features Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi as the front-three.

After all the talk over potential rotation and midweek jollies to Saint-Tropez, Pep Guardiola has made only one change from the Manchester City side that beat Watford 4-0 on Tuesday.

David Silva returns to the team as expected, with Bernardo Silva making way.

Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling make up the three-man City attack, so that again means no place in the side for Riyad Mahrez.

Kevin De Bruyne also keeps his place.

Daniel Farke’s four changes are all enforced, with Emiliano Buendia and Josip Drmic suspended and Timm Klose and Alex Tettey injured.

Teemu Pukki, Marco Stiepermann, Lukas Rupp and Christoph Zimmermann all return.

Chelsea have made two changes, with Christian Pulisic in for the injured Willian in attack.

Frank Lampard has stuck with a wing-back system but has recalled Willy Caballero between the posts, with the out-of-sorts Kepa Arrizabalaga making way.

Adama Traore, Joao Moutinho and Daniel Podence drop out for Wolves, with Romain Saiss, Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto promoted to the starting XI.

Raul Jimenez makes his 37th league start of the season.

There is just the one change to the Manchester United side from Gameweek 37+, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka replacing Timothy Fosu-Mensah at right-back.

Brendan Rodgers has seemingly stuck with three centre-halves but has made three alterations nonetheless, with Hamza Choudhury, Kelechi Iheanacho and Marc Albrighton replacing Ayoze Perez, Harvey Barnes and Ryan Bennett.

Mikel Arteta perhaps has one eye on the FA Cup final as he has made five changes to Arsenal’s starting XI for the visit of Watford. 

Sead Kolasinac, Bukayo Saka, Lucas Torreira, Cedric Soares and Eddie Nketiah drop out, with Kieran Tierney, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nicolas Pepe, Joe Willock and Granit Xhaka recalled.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starts in attack, as does Alexandre Lacazette.

The Hornets have themselves made two changes, with Danny Welbeck and Adam Masina in for the benched Tom Cleverley and Adrian Mariappa.

All appears as it should be for Spurs, who name Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Giovani Lo Celso as their front-four attacking players.

Those still invested in Serge Aurier can also be happy as the right-back holds his place in the side.

Crystal Palace are as depleted as expected, with Tyrick Mitchell starting at left-back and still no Luka Milivojevic in the starting line-up.

Michail Antonio owners will be pleased to see the West Ham midfielder holding down the centre-forward position for Aston Villa’s trip to the London Stadium.

Mark Noble is still in the number 10 role, supported by Declan Rice and the box-to-box option of Tomas Soucek behind him.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the man to miss out for Everton, replaced in the front-line by Moise Kean, who plays alongside Richarlison.

Crucially, Jarrad Branthwaite gets a final start of the season in defence at just £4.0m.

John Lundstram may be out there in some Fantasy squads still as today he bids farewell to the budget defender category for good.

He starts in central midfield for Sheffield United today, alongside Sander Berge and John Fleck.

The Blades face a Southampton side fronted by Danny Ings, who has his sights on troubling Vardy for the Golden Boot.

Amid all the carnage elsewhere, there is familiarly reassuring news from Turf Moor as Sean Dyche sticks with the same starting XI that made the cut in the 2-0 win over Norwich.

Leandro Trossard, Aaron Mooy and Pascal Gross all drop out of the Brighton midfield, meanwhile, with Alexis MacAllister, Solly March and Aaron Connolly handed recalls.

Full Line-ups

Arsenal XI: Martinez, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Luiz, Tierney, Ceballos, Xhaka, Willock, Pépé, Aubameyang, Lacazette.

Watford XI: Foster, Kiko Femenía, Kabasele, Dawson, Masina, Doucouré, Hughes, Sarr, Pereyra, Welbeck, Deeney.

Burnley XI: Pope, Bardsley, Long, Tarkowski, Pieters, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil, Wood, Rodriguez.

Brighton XI: Ryan, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Lamptey, Bissouma, Stephens, March, Mac Allister, Connolly, Maupay.

Chelsea XI: Caballero, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Zouma, James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso, Mount, Giroud, Pulisic.

Wolves XI: Patricio, Doherty, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Jonny, Neves, Dendoncker, Neto, Jota, Jimenez.

Crystal Palace XI: Guaita; Mitchell, Kouyaté, Dann, J Ward; Schlupp, McCarthy, McArthur, Townsend; Zaha, Ayew.

Spurs XI: Lloris; B Davies, Dier, Alderweireld, Aurier; Winks, Sissoko; Son, Lo Celso, Moura; Kane.

Everton XI: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Branthwaite, Digne, Gomes, Davies, Walcott, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Kean.

Bournemouth XI: Ramsdale, Smith, S Cook, Kelly, Rico, Brooks, Gosling, Lerma, King, C Wilson, Solanke.

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel, Justin, Morgan, Evans, Albrighton, Choudhury, Ndidi, Tielemans, Thomas, Iheanacho, Vardy.

Man Utd XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Williams, Matic, Pogba, Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford, Martial.

Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, D Silva, Foden, Jesus, Sterling.

Norwich City XI: Krul, Aarons, Zimmermann, Godfrey, Lewis, McLean, Cantwell, Rupp, Stiepermann, Hernández, Pukki.

Newcastle XI: Dúbravka; Ritchie, Rose, Fernandez, Manquillo; Bentaleb, Shelvey; Saint-Maximin, Almirón, Lazaro; Gayle.

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Robertson, van Dijk, Gomez, N Williams; Milner, Wijnaldum, Keita; Origi, Minamino, Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Southampton XI: McCarthy; Bertrand, J Stephens, Vestergaard, Walker-Peters; Redmond, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong; Ings, Adams.

Sheff Utd XI: D Henderson, Robinson, Egan, Basham; Stevens, Fleck, Berge, Lundstram, Baldock; McBurnie, Sharp.

West Ham XI: Fabianski; B Johnson, Ogbonna, Diop, Fredericks; Rice, Soucek; Fornals, Noble, Bowen; Antonio.

Aston Villa XI: Reina; Targett, Mings, Konsa, Guilbert; Hourihane, D Luiz, McGinn; Grealish, Samatta, Trézéguet.