I’ve pondered on this one for quite a while as I can’t see an obvious path for picking up extra points this week and also setting the team up for after the International break. There are only a couple of players that I want to bring in – Maddison and Son. As I don’t want to remove Alvarez, Haaland or Salah, I’ve admitted defeat in terms of getting Son in. I know Luton is a great fixture but we saw how this wouldn’t have paid off earlier in the season when Spurs played Sheffield Utd. I do still fancy bringing in Maddison to cover this game though. The obvious player to take out is Casemiro, he scored badly last week and will be suspended for the Champions League. I’d expect him to lose value today as well. I’ve been considering Saka as well since the press conferences yesterday – I just can’t see an obvious replacement when there’s a chance of Saka playing and it’s only a single game week. I could go Trippier but then I’m almost certain I’ll want Saka back after the break. I also plan to take Colwill out after this game week so I’ve got to think longer term. I’m going to risk leaving Saka in.
I’m also going to switch my captain choice for this week. Brighton haven’t been the best at the back and City have a tough fixture against Arsenal. As a result, I’m going for Salah. It’s a bit of a risk moving away from Haaland but I can’t play it safe every week.
Casemiro out, Maddison in
Captain choice: Salah
Boosters: I’m not using any. I could have been tempted by Son 12th man but I just don’t like the idea of doing it during a single game week. We saw how this would have backfired against Sheff Utd so I’m not risking it today. The longer I can hold a good position on the leaderboard without using boosters, the better position I’ll be in to use them later in the season.