Overview
Premier League team news continues to evolve ahead of Gameweek 5, with several significant injury developments affecting FPL assets. Our analysis highlights a concerning long-term injury for Leeds defender, questions about Liverpool's defensive setup, and the forward dilemma between Wissa and Barry facing many wildcard managers this week.
Confirmed / Expected Absences
Leeds United have been dealt a significant blow with Charlie Cresswell out for 8-10 weeks with a serious hamstring injury. The manager described this as "a key player" and "big blow for us" which raises legitimate concerns about the Leeds defensive setup. While Pascal Struijk remains 100% nailed, this injury could negatively impact Leeds' defensive solidity and clean sheet potential in the coming gameweeks. FPL managers with Leeds defenders might want to consider their starting positions carefully this week.
Crystal Palace continue to face multiple challenges with Alex Sarr still unavailable. The defender didn't secure his preferred move during the transfer window and is reportedly struggling with fitness issues, which our analysis suggests is concerning from a professional standpoint. Palace's defensive issues appear to be mounting, as they've already shown vulnerability at the back this season.
At Nottingham Forest, Ibrahim Sangaré has returned to training after missing out in recent fixtures. While this is positive news for his owners, our model suggests he may still be eased back into the starting lineup. The manager indicated he still "needs to get back to top fitness" which creates some minutes risk for GW5.
Aston Villa will be without Matty Cash for around two months, which many managers assumed would secure consistent minutes for Konchesky. However, our scouting suggests caution here - Villa have spent significant money on squad depth players in recent windows, and there's no guarantee Konchesky starts consistently when Mosquera is fit. Emery has demonstrated willingness to rotate his fullbacks even when they've cost substantial fees.
Minutes Risk
Liverpool's defensive setup poses interesting questions for FPL managers. Bachetia sounds likely to play some part against Bournemouth but probably from the bench according to our sources. More intriguingly, there's been considerable discussion around Dominik Szoboszlai potentially playing at right-back.
While some managers are avoiding Szoboszlai due to this positional change, our analysis suggests this could actually benefit his FPL output. Playing at right-back would raise his floor significantly through defensive contributions (two extra points for a clean sheet plus potential bonus from defensive actions) while his attacking threat remains relatively unchanged as he's still expected to take set pieces. Our projected points for Szoboszlai in this role suggest he could be a stronger asset, not a weaker one.
At Newcastle, new signing Fernandez-Pardo will likely be "eased in gently" according to our sources. FPL has classified him as a £6.0m forward, which significantly diminishes his appeal compared to if he'd been listed as a midfielder. While this positioning makes him largely irrelevant for immediate transfer plans, his potential deployment is worth monitoring over coming weeks.
Arsenal's training images have shown no sign of Mascherano, and Bruno Guimarães was also absent from visible sessions. However, our analysis of past Arsenal patterns suggests this doesn't necessarily indicate absence - Ben White wasn't spotted in training last week but still started, so we recommend caution before making transfer decisions based solely on training images.
Replacement Options
For managers dealing with the Rodon injury, the 8-week timeline makes him impossible to carry on your bench. Our data suggests several strong replacement candidates in the same price bracket.
Konchesky offers a premium defensive option, but comes with the rotation risks outlined above. At £4.5m, Kolasinac now looks even more secure in the Leeds defensive line and offers attacking threat from set pieces. For those wanting to pivot completely from Leeds, Chão from Everton offers good underlying attacking numbers with improving defensive statistics.
In the forward position, the Wissa versus Barry debate is increasingly relevant for wildcard teams. Brentford's Yoane Wissa (£6.1m) offers proven Premier League quality and appears set for consistent minutes at Newcastle, whether deployed as a striker or number 10. However, our analysis highlights Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.5m) as potentially the better value option.
With Beto's departure and the failed Balogun transfer, Barry is now "the last man standing" at Everton and appears nailed for starts. His underlying xG numbers from the opening fixtures look encouraging, and he's likely on penalties. The £0.6m price difference is significant - it could enable meaningful upgrades elsewhere in your squad, such as affording the in-form Cheikhou Kouyaté over more budget midfield options.
Crucially, both forwards have similar fixture swings in GW5-6:
Our model projects these as comparable opportunities for returns, making the price differential even more relevant to decision-making.
- Wissa: Hull (H), Coventry (A)
- Barry: Ipswich (H), Hull (A)
Watchlist
For midfield options in the budget to mid-range category, Pascal Groß continues to impress with attacking returns and set-piece responsibilities. With Sherwood injured, Groß is playing in an advanced role and our model rates him as the standout option at £5.5m over alternatives like Grealish, Ghana or Olise.
At Bournemouth, our data suggests many managers are overreacting to Solanke's performances. After being hailed as an essential pick after GW1, he's now facing mass sales. Our analysis shows his true value lies somewhere in between - neither essential nor terrible, but a solid mid-priced forward option with decent underlying numbers.
Brighton's midfield competition increases with Aziz joining, which creates minutes risk for Gomez, particularly as they play on the same side. Wildcard managers should be wary of selecting Gomez given this developing situation.
For managers planning ahead, our model has identified GW7 as a potential optimal Bench Boost opportunity. The fixture combination for budget goalkeepers looks particularly appealing:
This creates a situation where having a playing second goalkeeper could generate significant value.
| Player | Pos | Price | GW4 | GW5 | GW6 | GW7 | GW8 | GW9 | GW10 | Total xPts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groß BHA | MID | £5.7m | 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 22.2 |
| Grealish EVE | MID | £6.5m | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 3.4 |
- Leno home to Hull
- Kinsella home to Coventry
Action Plan
For teams containing injured assets like Rodon, a wildcard may be tempting, but our model suggests patience may be rewarded. Free transfers can solve individual problems without requiring the loss of this valuable chip, particularly when specific fixtures like Newcastle vs Sunderland this week offer high-ceiling opportunities for players you might otherwise remove.
For Wissa vs Barry decisions on wildcard, we recommend looking at the complete team structure enabled by each option. The £0.6m saving with Barry could significantly improve your overall squad balance and might be the difference between affording a premium defender or settling for a budget option.
If holding Szoboszlai, our analysis suggests keeping despite the potential positional change - the defensive points floor combined with his attacking threat makes him an even more intriguing asset.
For non-wildcarding managers with Calvert-Lewin, our data suggests holding is perfectly viable - the transfer to Wissa or Barry likely isn't worth a precious free transfer given similar fixture quality in the short-term.
Finally, when making tough bench decisions this week, remember that defensive assets often have more volatile outcomes than attackers. Starting attackers like João Pedro against strong defensive teams typically offers better expected value than trying to predict clean sheets among similar-quality defenders.
SetPieceScout
Guest Analyst
Written by the FPL King editorial network - tactical FPL analysis, captaincy edges, transfer strategy and fixture-led planning.
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