GW5 Predicted Lineups: Foden’s Ban and Newcastle’s Makeshift Midfield

Team news is still landing right up to Friday’s deadline, but the shape of Gameweek 5’s headline lineups is already clear enough to plan around. A three-match ban and a three-injury night have reshaped two of the week’s biggest teamsheets. Here’s how the key sides look set to line up, and where the genuine selection dilemmas sit.

A predicted lineup is a probability, not a guarantee. Treat any single-source XI as a starting point, not the final word.

Manchester City (home vs Sunderland)

Haaland starts regardless, in the best fixture of his week. The change is enforced rather than tactical: Phil Foden serves the first match of his three-game ban, with Rayan Cherki the direct beneficiary in behind the front line. Jeremy Doku remains out with his calf issue, so City’s left-sided threat leans further on Cherki and Jeremy’s understudies than it has all season. Worth checking the exact shape before locking in a City midfielder, since this is the least tested version of the attack so far this campaign.

Newcastle United (home vs Hull City)

This is the week’s most disrupted midfield by some distance. Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey and Joelinton are all out, and Nico Gonzalez is a doubt pending concussion assessment after his head knock against Leeds. Absent late reinforcements, Newcastle may again lean on the young pairing of Lewis Miley and Sean Steur that struggled to cope on Monday. Harvey Barnes is the clearest attacking beneficiary of the disruption, set for another extended run in the side, with Yoane Wissa leading the line. Treat any Newcastle midfielder as a hold rather than a buy until Gonzalez’s status is confirmed.

Chelsea (away at Brentford)

Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers start without question, the same pair driving Chelsea’s goal-every-match run. The doubt is Joao Pedro, missing from Tuesday’s visible training alongside Reece James for reasons not yet disclosed, with Moises Caicedo already ruled out through a calf issue picked up before Gameweek 4. If Pedro doesn’t recover in time, Estevao is the direct replacement in the front three and has already shown against Hull that he can trouble a defence from the bench. Check Friday’s final team news before committing to any Chelsea captaincy plan.

Arsenal (away at Brighton and Hove Albion)

Saka, Odegaard and Havertz all start with no fresh doubts after the Sunderland win, and Ben White has been confirmed fine despite a late limp in midweek Champions League action. At centre-back, Ezri Konsa continues to hold his place on merit even as Cristhian Mosquera edges closer to full fitness, a settled call from Mikel Arteta rather than a like-for-like swap waiting to happen. This remains the most reliable lineup of the week’s headline fixtures.

Leeds United (home vs Crystal Palace)

No dilemmas here at all. Jayden Bogle, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor and Tarik Muharemovic all start as the same unrotated XI that took apart Newcastle, and Daniel Farke has given no indication of changes against a Palace side missing several forward options of its own. It’s the calmest team sheet of the week, and that stability is a large part of why Leeds assets keep delivering.

Manchester United (away at Fulham)

Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo start regardless. Luke Shaw is a possible return at left-back after missing the derby with a minor issue, though Michael Carrick has stopped short of confirming it. Amad Diallo, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt and Tom Heaton remain out, and Carlos Baleba is being eased back with a return targeted for after the international break rather than this week. A patched-together back line away at a Fulham side missing only fringe pieces is the week’s clearest defensive-asset avoid on the United side of this fixture.

All of the above is subject to change before Friday’s 19:30 BST deadline. Final press conferences and matchday team news can still shift a starting berth, so check back before locking anything in.