After the conclusion of what was the final international break of 2023, there is always a concern for FPL managers in terms of Premier League rotation due to fatigue or injury to name just a couple of reasons. With that in mind, we look at a selection of important playing assets who may find their starting positions under threat in Gameweek 13.
With Man City facing Liverpool in a blockbuster opening Gameweek 13 fixture, a match of such importance isn’t expected to see a huge amount of rotation but an eye must be kept on Erling Haaland (£14.0m), who was left out of Norway’s game against Scotland due to an ankle injury that continues to plague the forward.
The Norwegian national team doctor has confirmed that Haaland is in “so much pain” due to the ankle problem and it’s hard to see him being at 100% by this coming Saturday. A player of Haaland’s importance means that it’s likely Pep Guardiola will start him against Liverpool even if he is not fully fit. But Man City’s star striker has to be considered at least doubtful to line up from the beginning against Liverpool.
On the Reds’ side, forward Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) has been on international duty for Uruguay, scoring three times across their two victories against Argentina and Bolivia respectively. However, in each of the last two gameweeks immediately following an international break, Nunez has started from the bench for Liverpool, so he certainly represents a Gameweek 13 rotation risk, regardless of the fixture’s magnitude.
Matty Cash (£4.9m) has been a regular starter for Aston Villa across the season, but a shoulder problem saw him not play for Poland across the international break and following a tough schedule, he is one who needs to have a close eye kept on him when it comes to possible rotation.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has shown a penchant for rotation across his time in charge of the Seagulls so far and may be set to change his side again in Gameweek 13 following Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) withdrawing from the Japan squad due to injury. After not featuring in Gameweek 12, Evan Ferguson (£6.1m) was in action for the Republic of Ireland, and proved his fitness, which may well lead to him starting for Brighton in Gameweek 13. Should this be the case, then fellow forward Joao Pedro (£5.3m) would likely be on the bench.
