54
News May 29

FA Cup restart dates spark Blank and Double Gameweek discussion

54 Comments
Share

The Football Association have announced that a provisional restart date for the 2019-20 FA Cup has been agreed upon.

The quarter-finals of the competition will now take place over the weekend of June 27-28, with the semi-finals staged three weeks later on July 18-19.

The final will be held on Saturday 1 August.

The decision to host the FA Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals on weekends does raise the possibility of more Blank and Double Gameweeks taking place.

Reports suggest that, after the outstanding fixtures involving Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Sheffield United are fulfilled, the remaining Premier League games will then take place over six weekends and three midweek rounds of matches.

Factoring in the mooted July 25 end-date and those FA Cup rounds, the weekend schedule will probably look as follows:

June 20-21: Premier League
June 27-28: Premier League/FA Cup
July 4-5: Premier League
July 11-12: Premier League
July 18-19: Premier League/FA Cup
July 25: Premier League

That means there are five midweeks in between each weekend, with three of them – we think – expected to host full sets of top-flight fixtures.

Therefore two midweeks are free and it could well be that those are the ones that follow or precede the FA Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals, allowing any postponed Premier League matches to be simply moved back or forward three or four days and still fall within the same ‘Gameweek’.

For example, a (very) hypothetical schedule could look as follows, with the weekends highlighted in bold:

June 17: Aston Villa v Sheffield United + Manchester City v Arsenal (potentially part of a DGW39)
June 20-21: Premier League GW39
June 23-24: Premier League GW40
June 27-28: Premier League GW41/FA Cup quarter-finals
June 30-July 1: Free midweek, accommodating postponed GW41 games
July 4-5: Premier League GW42
July 7-8: Premier League GW43
July 11-12: Premier League GW44
July 14-15: Premier League GW45
July 18-19: Premier League GW46/FA Cup semi-finals
July 21-22: Free midweek, accommodating postponed GW46 games
July 25: Premier League GW47

So despite today’s announcement, there are certainly no guarantees of further Blank or Double Gameweeks being added to Fantasy Premier League – should the game restart, of course.

No decision on venues and timings have yet been announced but the all-Premier League line-up for the FA Cup quarter-finals is as follows:

  • Leicester City v Chelsea
  • Newcastle United v Manchester City
  • Sheffield United v Arsenal
  • Norwich City v Manchester United

The full FA statement can be read here.

Nominated for ‘Best in Fantasy Football – Editorial’ at the Football Content Awards 2020

Which FPL assets are on set-piece duties at their clubs? 1

VOTE FOR FANTASY FOOTBALL SCOUT BY
CLICKING HERE.

The Complete Guide to FPL ‘Project Restart’
54 Comments Post a Comment
  1. goriuanx
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Yeah, only first GW looks a DGW.

    BB pretty much wasted for me then, I don't see value of it outside a DGW.

    Open Controls
    1. HamezMace
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Same, although I’m not sure we definitely won’t get anymore DGWs.

      Are they planning to try to restart the CL/EL do you know?

      Open Controls
      1. Fred54
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        UEFA said August.

        Open Controls
        1. HamezMace
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Ah okay, so looks like there is room for the cup games.

          Might FH for the first GW back then, assuming it’s a double.

          Then WC/BB ahead of a fixture shift...not quite as exciting.

          Open Controls
          1. Bury94
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            Yeah FH first week back whether it's a double or blank seems the way to go

            Open Controls
      2. goriuanx
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        I've read they're aiming to complete this year's CL, haven't read about EL to be honest.

        Open Controls
        1. HamezMace
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          If Fred is right about August, then I guess it won’t affect the current schedule anyway.

          Open Controls
    2. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      I know it's unprecedented circumstances but has there ever been a dgw where the midweek fixtures were before the weekend's? I don't think so. It could easily be a big blank gw to start with.

      Open Controls
      1. goriuanx
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        I don't recall. I'm hoping FPL update us as soon, assuming the below neutral grounds are sorted and thus remaining fixture list revealed.

        Open Controls
    3. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      I'm thinking City will have Arsenal and Burnley in that double. I have no FH but it might be worth burning my WC and using it like a FH. Just need a few key players like Bruno etc. to mix with them.

      Going to be such a lottery that I wonder whether chips will be that big a deal over getting starters.

      Open Controls
  2. goriuanx
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    The games which are being discussed for neutral venues due to policing concerns

    Manchester City vs Liverpool
    Manchester City vs Newcastle
    Manchester United vs Sheffield United
    Newcastle vs Liverpool
    Everton vs Liverpool
    The game which Liverpool secure the title

    ^No teams from the south..

    Open Controls
    1. Marty McFly
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      I wouldn’t have security concerns for games involving southern teams, where all the fans are plastic without any bottle.

      Do you have a source for this?

      Open Controls
      1. goriuanx
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        @ianherbs

        Open Controls
    2. Epic Fail
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Bloody northerners. Have to ruin things for everyone.

      Open Controls
      1. goriuanx
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        We're winning the title at Villa Park 😉

        Open Controls
        1. Epic Fail
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Man City are gonna win the league. Watch this space. 😎

          Open Controls
          1. goriuanx
            • 13 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            I'd be lying if I said that hasn't crossed my mind.. I'd give up with life lol

            Open Controls
  3. Planning for a Project Restart Double
    Rotation's Alter Ego
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Following the announcement yesterday that the Premier League would resume on June 17th with Arsenal, Man City, Sheffield United and Aston Villa playing their game in hand, these games will either make up a Double Gameweek or possibly a very barren blank gameweek, though it seems unlikely.

    We can add into that the fact that it seems likely that fixtures will remain in the same order, with Sky already revealing that Liverpool vs Everton will be one of the first games back, which was originally scheduled for GW 30 - this gives us a great guess on what the fixtures will look like!

    https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1266061238708117510

    Will you be looking to invest in any of the teams mentioned above?
    Or will you be steering clear and targeting those with the best fixtures between now and the end?

    Open Controls
    1. Epic Fail
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      FH in the first GW then assess after.

      Open Controls
      1. Rotation's Alter Ego
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Would you FH if they added a free WC (if it's possible)?

        Regardless the question remains - which players would you go for? Still not sure the doubles are that appetising, especially if teams start slow.

        Open Controls
        1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Would use the spare WC like an FH

          Open Controls
          1. Epic Fail
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 13 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            Will you have one eye on the following GWs or solely concentrate on it like a FH?

            Open Controls
            1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
              • 10 Years
              3 years, 10 months ago

              Definitely an eye on the other fixtures. United players look a good bet. The main issue as it normally is in a DGW is which 3 City, the midfield is even more a minefield with Sane back and them all rested.

              Open Controls
        2. Epic Fail
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          If there's a free WC I'll use it straight away so that I can then get the BB over and done with the following week. With a view to using my other WC around say the 4th GW back.

          So either way I will be prioritising players from the DGW teams (if there is one) and then looking at fixtures for the next 4 or so and seeing which teams have a sea of blue fixtures. I haven't looked yet so not sure who those teams are.

          Open Controls
          1. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            United have the plum fixtures

            Open Controls
    2. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Why do you think the blank gw is unlikely? As I said above, I know there the situation is unprecedented but there has has never been a dgw where the midweek fixtures were first.

      Open Controls
      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        I reckon a blank is unlikely as well - would look very odd having a 2- FIxture GW when they can reduce their processing load by tagging it into an existing gameweek - lots of dis-economies of scale from going down the blank GW route

        But unlikely doesn't mean impossible, and its anyone's guess as to what FPL Towers have in store for us

        Open Controls
        1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          *obviously "existing" GW is a bit different here vs. the normal definition- as GW39 doesn't technically "exist" yet - but if (hopefully when) it does

          Open Controls
      2. Rotation's Alter Ego
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Contrary to popular belief, I think FPL will always go with the option that makes the most sense and I think a DGW makes far more sense than a BGW!

        I think adding a free WC if it was a BGW would cause a ton of casuals to utterly torpedo their team even if they have already used their second wildcard, which would cause plenty of whining I think.
        If they have a BGW and don't add a free WC, there will be teams with 3,4,5,6 players and will cause more whining.
        Lose lose whichever way they go imo.

        Open Controls
        1. Wild Rover
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Perfect for a free hit if a blank, I guess most serious players still have the chip

          Open Controls
          1. Rotation's Alter Ego
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • Has Moderation Rights
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            Perhaps, but it's less and less about us anymore 😉

            Open Controls
        2. circusmonkey
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          I agree, I think the whining from the casuals at having a 2 fixture game week will stop them doing that.

          Not sure it is worth free hitting on this DGW, what have you got to go on?

          Open Controls
    3. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      Only Ederson, KDB & Lundstram currently on board at present from those teams - I'm not tripping over myself to get more... although if extra wildcards etc come into the equation things may change

      Open Controls
      1. Rotation's Alter Ego
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Yeah similar.

        Loaded on United, Wolves and Chelsea with KDB and Ederson, but could possibly be tempted to add a SHU fixture given their defensive record and good fixtures for the double*. Grealish and Auba worth a look? Mind Auba would rip my team pricing structure apart.

        *if it is a double

        Open Controls
        1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          Wouldn't surprise anyone if Auba & Grealish exit that DGW (If it happens!) with 15+ points each under their belts...

          But no real interest in either them personally though, rightly or wrongly

          Auba in particular I try to avoid at all costs in FPL, he is (or at least has been in the past) a troll of epic, epic proportions. So glad I didn't give into the DGW temptations in GW29 & stuck with Vardy (c) - Auba trolled big time that week once again

          Would love to see Auba get the lone striker position at utd for the nextcouple of seasons though & take Greenwood under his tutelage - none of this POO on the wings business

          Open Controls
          1. Rotation's Alter Ego
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • Has Moderation Rights
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            Think you need time and patience with Auba, which is a luxury I can't give him with the other fixtures he has left to play. It's a shame, because troll or not he does return pretty reliably when you look over the course of the season.

            Open Controls
            1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 10 months ago

              Yeah he always does end up picking up points here for sure - but therein lies the problem for me - I actually think that faux consistency thing with him is a bit of a fallacy (kind of like Siggy being towards the top end of the midfielder scoring charts last year, but still having nearly 20 blanks in 30 games)

              Reason being, at Auba's price he unfortunately lives or dies by the captaincy - and his record in his "easy" games is verging on diabolical... from his blue fixtures (BUR, AVL, BOU, CPL, WOL, SOU, BHA, SHU, NEW, WHM) he has went (6,5,2,2,8,5,2,0,8,2)

              No doubt he's a fantastic player, and maybe those who are brave enough to captain him when he gets his hauls away to Watford, Norwich, West Ham while Man City & Liverpool have plum fixtures are the real winners who know how to use him properly

              But he's just a player who I've learned the hard way that its *generally* better to avoid

              So 30 points for him in the DGW coming up 🙂

              Open Controls
              1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                • 14 Years
                3 years, 10 months ago

                *blue home fixtures

                Open Controls
          2. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 10 months ago

            If you are looking at an opening DGW I think it could be a toss up Kun or Auba. Maybe Kun for the DGW and swap for Auba after it if he looks sharp.

            Open Controls
    4. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      As someone who still has all their chips, it would be preferable if:

      1) The first set of fixtures involving only Arsenal, Man City, Aston Villa and Sheffield Utd is treated as a SGW. A big blank to allow us to use Free Hit.

      2) Weeks where there are midweek fixtures (I think there are 3 of these?) are treated as massive DGWs so that we can use Bench Boost and Triple Captain and the WildCard during them.

      Otherwise the chips are going to be a bit useless.

      Open Controls
  4. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    David Silva may now come more into the equation as a rested up guy in his last hurrah. Usually either him or KDB are on the pitch pulling the strings the whole 90, good combo to have.

    Open Controls
    1. Dino
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      City nothing left to play for though

      Open Controls
  5. Urchin
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Just logged in, what did I miss?

    Open Controls
    1. Epic Fail
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      PL void.

      Open Controls
  6. DaisyDaisyDaisyDaisy
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Picking a potential WC team for a potential double with no Liverpool in it is a scary business....

    Open Controls
    1. The Polymath
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      I wouldn't do it.

      Open Controls
  7. circusmonkey
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    If you are wondering how you see the 25 Sky free to air games, it is channel 11 on Freeview or whatever else you might have is covered here.

    https://www.t3.com/news/premier-league-football-how-to-watch-the-restart-for-free-without-sky-sports

    Open Controls
  8. moment
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Hoping for a freebie setup WC to overload the team for a BB in the first DGW, then play my actual wildcard, before FH in final week. Glad I’ve used TC tbh...

    Open Controls
    1. St Pauli Walnuts
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      If they grant a freebie WC (and I don't reckon they should), I'd guess the same rules will apply where you can't play another chip like BB at the same time.

      Open Controls
      1. moment
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 10 months ago

        Yeah, but you can play a chip in GW1 - I'm assuming a freebie wildcard would essentially be a "pick your team" do-over, I.e. taking place BEFORE the gameweek.

        Open Controls
        1. St Pauli Walnuts
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 10 months ago

          See what you mean. Can’t see it happening though.

          Open Controls
  9. STHH
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    I'm working on the assumption my two free transfers will still be available. If so, I could potentially navigate the first GW with a couple of transfers and have 6 double players. My only concern is that this will mean I don't have Aguero, who you'd probably want in that first GW back if it's a DGW against two leaky defences. In the Bundesliga, some teams have fallen behind and then capitulated, with a number of 3-0 or higher scorelines.

    All speculation until the fixtures are released and how the GWs will slot into them.

    Open Controls
    1. ritzyd
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 10 months ago

      They are released?

      https://talksport.com/football/557461/premier-league-fixtures-in-full-when-football-returns-dates-and-kick-off-times/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

      Open Controls
  10. ChuckN
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 10 months ago

    Sorry if this has been asked, but does anyone have any info regarding H2H comps, will FPL likely roll back the 9 draws that were handed out? Are we getting 9 replacement Gameweeks?

    Open Controls

You need to be logged in to post a comment.