Premier League Projected Lineups: Gameweek 21 [UPDATED]

This article is part of our Soccer Picks series.

MATCHES (EST)

• Saturday, 7:30 am: Everton vs. Newcastle United
• Saturday, 10:00 am: Crystal Palace vs. Wolverhampton
• Saturday, 10:00 am: Manchester City vs. Sheffield United
• Saturday, 10:00 am: West Bromwich Albion vs. Fulham
• Saturday, 12:30 pm: Arsenal vs. Manchester United
• Saturday, 3:00 pm: Southampton vs. Aston Villa
• Sunday, 7:00 am: Chelsea vs. Burnley
• Sunday, 9:00 am: Leicester City vs. Leeds United
• Sunday, 11:30 am: West Ham United vs. Liverpool
• Sunday, 2:15 pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Everton vs. Newcastle United

Projected Everton Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1 v. Newcastle United): Jordan Pickford (GK), Ben Godfrey (DL), Michael Keane (DC), Yerry Mina (DC), Seamus Coleman (DR), Abdoulaye Doucoure (DMC), Tom Davies (DMC), Gylfi Sigurdsson (AMC), Richarlison (AMR), James Rodriguez (AML), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (FW)

Notes: Carlo Ancelotti returns to a 4-2-3-1 in a favorable matchup, though there are questions across the pitch, mainly on the back line. Lucas Digne, Mason Holgate and Alex Iwobi are all fighting for starts, but on a short week, Sigurdsson enters the XI.

Newcastle United Projected Lineup (4-4-2 at Everton): Karl Darlow (GK), Jamal Lewis (DL), Fabian Schar (DC), Jamaal Lascelles (DC), Isaac Hayden (DR), Ryan Fraser (ML), Jeff Hendrick (MC), Jonjo Shelvey (MC), Miguel Almiron (MR), Allan Saint-Maximin (FW), Callum Wilson (FW)

Notes: If ready, Saint-Maximin returns to the XI, which pushes Jacob Murphy out, though Steve Bruce will likely continue to tinker the squad given poor results.

Crystal Palace vs. Wolverhampton

Crystal Palace Projected Lineup (4-4-2 v. Wolverhampton): Vicente Guaita (GK), Tyrick Mitchell (DL), Cheikhou Kouyate (DC), Gary Cahill (DC), Joel Ward (DR), Eberechi Eze (ML), James McArthur (MC), Luka Milivojevic (MC), Andros Townsend (MR), Wilfried Zaha (FW), Christian Benteke (FW)

Notes: On a short week, it wouldn't be surprising if Roy Hodgson made some rotations. That'd be Patrick van Aanholt and Nathaniel Clyne, among others. Even newcomer Jean-Philippe Mateta could be in the cards to provide a spark.

Wolverhampton Projected Lineup (3-4-3): Rui Patricio (GK), Conor Coady (DC), Willy Boly (DC), Max Kilman (DC), Nelson Semedo (ML), Ruben Neves (MC), Leander Dendoncker (MC), Ki-Jana Hoever (MR), Pedro Neto (FWL), Adama Traore (FWR), Willian Jose (FW)

Notes: A three-man back line continues after holding Chelsea scoreless. Hoever comes in after replacing Rayan Ait-Nouri last match, while Willian Jose makes his first start, giving Daniel Podence some rest after he made a surprise return midweek.

Manchester City vs. Sheffield United

Manchester City Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson (GK), Joao Cancelo (DL), Ruben Dias (DC), John Stones (DC), Kyle Walker (DR), Ilkay Gundogan (MC), Rodri (MC), Bernardo Silva (MC), Phil Foden (FWL) Raheem Sterling (FWR), Riyad Mahrez (FW)

Notes: Man City could repeat their starting XI from midweek after they weren't really challenged. Gabriel Jesus is the main player who could enter, while Walker gives a break to Oleksandr Zinchenko at right-back.

Sheffield United Projected Lineup (3-5-2 at Manchester City): Aaron Ramsdale (GK), Ethan Ampadu (DC), Chris Basham (DC), John Egan (DC), Jayden Bogle (ML), John Fleck (MC), John Lundstram (MC), Oliver Norwood (MC), George Baldock (MR), David McGoldrick (FW), Oliver Burke (FW)

Notes: Egan returns from suspension, which moves Phil Jagielka back to the bench. Bogle also starts again after Kean Bryan was forced off early midweek. Burke is back in the XI after scoring the winner against Man United, taking the spot of Billy Sharp.

West Bromwich Albion vs. Fulham

West Bromwich Albion Projected Lineup (4-4-1-1 v. Fulham): Sam Johnstone (GK), Conor Townsend (DL), Semi Ajayi (DC), Kyle Bartley (DC), Dara O'Shea (DR), Conor Gallagher (ML), Romaine Sawyers (MC), Jake Livermore (MC), Robert Snodgrass (MR), Matheus Pereira (AMC), Karlan Grant (FW)

Notes: Townsend could feature again after making the bench midweek, while Gallagher returns to the XI, pushing Kieran Gibbs and Callum Robinson to the bench. West Brom need points quick and Sam Allardyce doesn't have a lot of options.

Fulham Projected Lineup (3-4-3 at West Bromwich Albion): Alphonse Areola (GK), Tosin Adarabioyo (DC), Ola Aina (DC), Joachim Andersen (DC), Antonee Robinson (ML), Andre Zambo Anguissa (MC), Harrison Reed (MC), Kenny Tete (MR) Ademola Lookman (FWL), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (FWR), Ivan Cavaleiro (FW)

Notes: The return of Robinson from a three-match ban moves Bobby Decordova-Reid to the bench, but Lookman and Loftus-Cheek are also options to be rested.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Arsenal Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1 v. Manchester United): Bernd Leno (GK), Cedric Soares (DL), Rob Holding (DC), David Luiz (DC), Hector Bellerin (DR), Granit Xhaka (DMC), Mohamed Elneny (DMC), Bukayo Saka (AMR), Willian (AMC), Nicolas Pepe (AML), Alexandre Lacazette (FW)

Notes: Thomas Partey and Emile Smith-Rowe are most likely to be rested after coming off early midweek. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the big question and his return would move Willian or Pepe to the bench. 

Manchester United (4-2-3-1 at Arsenal): David de Gea (GK), Luke Shaw (DL), Harry Maguire (DC), Victor Lindelof (DC), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DR), Fred (DMC), Paul Pogba (DMC), Anthony Martial (AML), Bruno Fernandes (AMC), Marcus Rashford (AMR), Edinson Cavani (FW)

Notes: It's back to the basics for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Lindelof, Shaw and Cavani back in the XI. They can't afford to lose two matches in one week if they want to win the title.

Southampton vs. Aston Villa

Southampton Expected Lineup (4-4-2 v. Aston Villa): Alex McCarthy (GK), Ryan Bertrand (DL), Jan Bednarek (DC), Jack Stephens (DC), Yan Valery (DR), Theo Walcott (ML), Ibrahima Diallo (MC), James Ward-Prowse (MC), Stuart Armstrong (MR), Che Adams (FW), Danny Ings (FW)

Notes: Oriol Romeu is pushing to return in the midfield, but if he's not ready, everything should stay the same for the Saints because they don't have much of a bench, unless Nathan Redmond moves back in.

Aston Villa Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1 at Southampton): Emiliano Martinez (GK), Matt Targett (DL), Tyrone Mings (DC), Ezri Konsa (DC), Matty Cash (DR), Douglas Luiz (DMC), John McGinn (DMC), Jack Grealish (AML), Ross Barkley (AMC), Bertrand Traore (AMR), Ollie Watkins (FW)

Notes: It's a wonder if Barkley will ever be benched again, but when he is, Anwar El Ghazi will be ready to start. Either way, Dean Smith keeps things the same on a short week.

Chelsea vs. Burnley

Chelsea Projected Lineup (3-4-2-1 v. Burnley): Edouard Mendy (GK), Cesar Azpilicueta (DC), Thiago Silva (DC), Antonio Rudiger (DC), Ben Chilwell (ML), Jorginho (MC), Mateo Kovacic (MC), Callum Hudson-Odoi (MR), Hakim Ziyech (AMC), Kai Havertz (AMC), Timo Werner (FW)

Notes: It's unknown what Tuchel will do in his second game, but he apparently likes three in the back with Hudson-Odoi and Chilwell on the wings. He could either completely change things or go with the same core and possibly feature Werner up front instead of Olivier Giroud. It's a guessing game at this point.

Burnley Projected Lineup (4-4-2 at Chelsea): Nick Pope (GK), Erik Pieters (DL), Ben Mee (DC), James Tarkowski (DC), Matthew Lowton (DR), Dwight McNeil (ML), Ashley Westwood (MC), Jack Cork (MC), Robbie Brady (MR), Jay Rodriguez (FW), Chris Wood (FW)

Notes: Taylor almost made the midweek match and could return Sunday. If not, Erik Pieters will start against at left-back. Otherwise, Cork gets a start for the injured Josh Brownhill and Barnes is back up front.

Leicester City vs. Leeds United

Leicester City Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1 v. Leeds United): Kasper Schmeichel (GK), James Justin (DL), Caglar Soyuncu (DC), Wesley Fofana (DC), Timothy Castagne (DR), Nampalys Mendy (DMC), Youri Tielemans (DMC), Harvey Barnes (AML), James Maddison (AMC), Cengiz Under (AMR), Ayoze Perez (FW)

Notes: Soyuncu and Mendy are forced into the XI because of injury, while Under comes in for Marc Albrighton. Kelechi Iheanacho could take the spot of Perez, but he's seemed to fall out of favor in recent weeks.

Leeds United Projected Lineup (4-1-4-1 at Leicester City): Illan Meslier (GK), Ezgjan Alioski (DL), Liam Cooper (DC), Luke Ayling (DC), Stuart Dallas (DR), Kalvin Phillips (DMC), Jack Harrison (ML), Rodrigo (MC), Pascal Struijk (MC), Raphinha (MR), Patrick Bamford (FW)

Notes: Struijk comes back into the XI, which moves Ayling to center-back and Dallas to right-back. This lineup has worked for the most part and they'll continue together in a tough spot.

West Ham United vs. Liverpool

West Ham Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1 v. Liverpool): Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Aaron Cresswell (DL), Craig Dawson (DC), Angelo Ogbonna (DC), Vladimir Coufal (DR), Tomas Soucek (DMC), Declan Rice (DMC), Pablo Fornals (AML), Said Benrahma (AMC), Jarrod Bowen (AMR), Michail Antonio (FW)

Notes: David Moyes has no reason to change things in a huge spot against Liverpool. 

Liverpool Projected Lineup (4-3-3 at West Ham United): Alisson Becker (GK), Andrew Robertson (DL), Rhys Williams (DC), Jordan Henderson (DC), Trent Alexander-Arnold (DR), Thiago Alcantara (MC), James Milner (MC), Georginio Wijnaldum (MC), Sadio Mane (FWL), Mohamed Salah (FWR), Roberto Firmino (FW)

Notes: Jurgen Klopp has been forced into more lineup rotation this season, but he usually likes pushing his top guys as much as possible and continues with the usuals against West Ham. Injuries to Fabinho and Matip, forces Henderson to stay at center-back next to Williams or Nathaniel Phillips. Curtis Jones is also an option to replace Milner in the midfield.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Brighton & Hove Albion Projected Lineup (3-5-2 v. Tottenham Hotspur): Robert Sanchez (GK), Lewis Dunk (DC), Adam Webster (DC), Ben White (DC), Solomon March (ML), Yves Bissouma (MC), Pascal Gross (MC), Alexis Mac Allister (MC), Joel Veltman (MR), Leandro Trossard (FW), Neal Maupay (FW)

Notes: Adam Lallana and Aaron Connolly are most likely to enter the XI, but they've had success with the current group and there's no reason to switch it up against a top club.

Tottenham Hotspur Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion): Hugo Lloris (GK), Ben Davies (DL), Eric Dier (DC), Toby Alderweireld (DC), Matt Doherty (DR), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (DMC), Moussa Sissoko (DMC), Erik Lamela (AML), Tanguy Ndombele (AMC), Steven Bergwijn (AMR), Son Heung-Min (FW)

Notes: Left-back remains a question and there's a chance for some rotation on a short week. Jose Mourinho went defensive against Liverpool on Thursday, but he's more likely to use a four-man back line against Brighton, which would move Sissoko back into the XI. Son becomes the top striker in place of the injured Harry Kane. Lamela could start, but he didn't perform well off the bench midweek. Aurier is also benched after a poor performance.