GW7 Predicted Lineups: Brighton’s Settled XI and Liverpool’s Open Front Line

Team news is still landing ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 BST deadline, and Friday’s press conferences will settle several of the calls below. These predictions are built from Wednesday’s team news and two predicted-lineup trackers, and where the sources disagree, the section says so. The shape of the headline teams is clear enough to plan around: Brighton are close to full strength, Liverpool’s front line is still a question mark, and Manchester City arrive with no reported injuries and a returning Phil Foden.

The most useful number in a predicted lineup is the one that is not 90 percent.

Manchester City (home vs Ipswich Town)

Predicted XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Fernandez, Anderson; Ndiaye, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland.

Haaland starts regardless. The question is the supporting cast. Foden’s three-match ban ended with the Liverpool game and he returned on the bench for Wednesday’s Champions League tie, but both trackers keep Cherki in the central attacking role with Semenyo and Ndiaye either side. Doku, who scored off the bench at Anfield, is rated at roughly a 30 percent chance of starting. City report no injuries, which makes this the least uncertain team sheet of the week.

Chelsea (away at Everton)

Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Martinez; Acheampong, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Caicedo, Henderson, Chavarria; Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro.

Pedro is rated about 90 percent to start after scoring twice in 71 minutes against Bournemouth, with Palmer and Rogers behind him. Moises Caicedo is back in the squad, and Reece James is a 75 percent doubt who would compete with Pedro Neto at right wing-back. One tracker disagrees with the rest and has Lavia and Welbeck in place of Henderson and Pedro, which is a useful reminder that no single source is the final word. With a 12:30 BST kick-off, Friday’s press conference is the last news you will get before the deadline.

Everton (home vs Chelsea)

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Maitland-Niles, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Garner, Armstrong; Johnson, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry.

Everton change little from the side that drew at Hull. Dewsbury-Hall and Barry both started and scored there, and both are rated around 90 percent to start again. The one doubt is Mykolenko at left back, rated between 50 and 75 percent depending on the source. If he misses out, the back four loses a regular but not a defensive-contribution threat, since Tarkowski and Branthwaite remain the centre-back pair.

Arsenal (away at Nottingham Forest)

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimaraes, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Havertz.

Saka is rated about 90 percent to start, and nothing in Arsenal’s team news changes that. The unsettled places are elsewhere. Havertz and Gyokeres compete for the striker’s role, with Havertz favoured after 62 minutes against Leeds. Eze did not play at all against Leeds, so a start is less certain than the 60 percent in one model suggests. Zubimendi is rated 75 percent after the ankle knock, Hincapie 25 percent, and Saliba and Tzolis remain out. Konsa played 90 minutes against Leeds and is expected to keep his place.

Brighton and Hove Albion (home vs Crystal Palace)

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Vuskovic, Dunk, Boscagli; Chema Andres, Gross; Gomez, Ayari, De Cuyper; Kostoulas.

Both trackers produce the same eleven, which is rare. De Cuyper, Vuskovic and Gross are each rated about 90 percent to start, and Kostoulas is at 80. Wieffer, Minteh, Mitoma, Tzimas and Ferguson are out, and Struijk is suspended. The caution is Fabian Hurzeler’s reported rotation hint with a European match in the schedule, so confirm the teamsheet before relying on any single Brighton name, even though the predicted XI looks close to full strength.

Liverpool (away at Brentford)

There is no predicted XI worth trusting yet. Isak (thigh), Gakpo (ankle) and Szoboszlai (hamstring) have not trained with the group, and the trackers disagree about them: one lists all three at 50 percent, while the official game has Isak and Gakpo at 0 percent and Szoboszlai at 75. Gravenberch is suspended, Ekitike and Bradley are out, and Iraola said on Thursday it was too early to know. The spine looks like Alisson, Araujo, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Wirtz and Barcola, but the front line and Szoboszlai’s place wait for Friday.

Brentford’s side is steadier: Kelleher; Kayode, Schuster, Ajer, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Yarmoliuk; Anthony, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago. Schade, Schuster and Damsgaard are all listed at 75 percent, so check Friday’s news if you own any of them.

Leeds United and Manchester United

Leeds predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Trafford; Justin, Bijol or Elvedi, Muharemovic; Bogle, Ampadu, Tanaka, Gudmundsson; Stach; Okafor, Calvert-Lewin. Manchester United predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Tielemans, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford; Cunha.

Leeds are close to the week’s calmest team sheet, with only the third centre back in doubt. United are less settled. Fernandes, Mbeumo and Cunha start, but Dorgu, Heaton, Sesko and Ugarte are out, de Ligt and Mazraoui are at 25 percent, and Shaw carries a 75 percent flag. The case against Fernandes this week is in the Captain Recommendations column and does not depend on who starts around him.

All of the above is subject to change before the 11:00 BST deadline on Saturday, 17 October, ninety minutes before Everton host Chelsea. Friday’s press conferences are the last team news before it, so check back before locking in anything built around a start.