The 2021/22 Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League quarter-final and semi-final draws were made in Nyon, Switzerland last week.
As we have learned the hard way in the past, the latter stages of European competition could have a knock-on effect for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers regarding squad rotation in the top-flight.
Five Premier League sides are still involved in European action: Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham United and Leicester City.
With that in mind, we thought it was worth a look at the fixture schedule for those teams right up until the end of the season, in an attempt to highlight the Gameweeks most at risk of rotation.
MANCHESTER CITY
- Saturday 2 April: Gameweek 31 – Burnley (a)
- Tuesday 5 April: Champions League quarter-finals – Atletico Madrid (h)
- Sunday 10 April: Gameweek 32 – Liverpool (h)
- Wednesday 13 April: Champions League quarter-finals – Atletico Madrid (a)
- Saturday 16/Sunday 17 April: FA Cup semi-finals – Liverpool (n)
- Wednesday 20 April: Gameweek 33 – Brighton and Hove Albion (h)
- Saturday 23 April: Gameweek 34 – Watford (h)
- Tuesday 26/Wednesday 27 April: Champions League semi-finals
- Saturday 30 April: Gameweek 35 – Leeds United (a)
- Tuesday 3/Wednesday 4 May: Champions League semi-finals
- Saturday 7 May: Gameweek 36 – Newcastle United (h)
- Saturday 14 May: FA Cup final
- Sunday 15 May: Gameweek 37 – West Ham United (a)
- Sunday 22 May: Gameweek 38 – Aston Villa (h)
- Saturday 28 May: Champions League final
Manchester City’s reward for overcoming Southampton in the FA Cup on Sunday is a meeting with Liverpool at Wembley, which notably comes a week after they entertain the Reds in Gameweek 32, and just a few days after their Champions League second leg against Atletico Madrid.
So, after their trip to Turf Moor in Gameweek 31, from 5 April to 16/17 April, City will face Atletico twice and Liverpool twice across the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Having dropped points at Selhurst Park in Gameweek 29, City’s lead at the top of the table is down to just one point, which encouragingly for FPL managers, should ensure they won’t take their foot off the gas anytime soon.
Pep’s previous comments about City’s players needing “rhythm” are also worth bearing in mind, and does suggest that we’ll see a strong XI against Burnley in Gameweek 31, which notably, is the first game back following the international break.
Beyond those matches, as we enter the last third of April, Gameweeks 33 and 34 could see a degree of rotation, while Gameweek 35 is another one to monitor if Man City are to progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
The postponed Gameweek 33 fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers, meanwhile, could feasibly slot into Gameweek 36, which would hand City an appealing double-header against Newcastle United and Wolves.
In terms of personnel, Ederson (£6.1m) is a reliable starter at the back, although it’s worth noting that Joao Cancelo (£6.9m) and Aymeric Laporte (£5.8m) have sat out just one match each since the turn of the year, while you’d also assume Ruben Dias (£6.2m) will start most games when fit.
Further forward, Bernardo Silva (£7.1m) has started every Premier League game in 2022, while Kevin De Bruyne (£11.7m) only missed the trip to Carrow Road.
The advanced attacking roles look harder to call, however, with Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m), Raheem Sterling (£10.5m), Phil Foden (£7.8m) and Jack Grealish (£7.5m), plus Gabriel Jesus (£8.4m) to a lesser extent, all competing for starts.
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYING TIME AT MANCHESTER CITY 2022:
LIVERPOOL
- Saturday 2 April: Gameweek 31 – Watford (h)
- Tuesday 5 April: Champions League quarter-finals – Benfica (a)
- Sunday 10 April: Gameweek 32 – Manchester City (a)
- Wednesday 13 April: Champions League quarter-finals – Benfica (h)
- Saturday 16/Sunday 17 April: FA Cup semi-finals – Manchester City (n)
- Tuesday 19 April: Gameweek 33 – Manchester United (h)
- Sunday 24 April: Gameweek 34 – Everton (h)
- Tuesday 26/Wednesday 27 April: Champions League semi-finals
- Saturday 30 April: Gameweek 35 – Newcastle United (a)
- Tuesday 3/Wednesday 4 May: Champions League semi-finals
- Saturday 7 May: Gameweek 36 – Tottenham Hotspur (h)
- Saturday 14 May: FA Cup final
- Sunday 15 May: Gameweek 37 – Southampton (a)
- Sunday 22 May: Gameweek 38 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (h)
- Saturday 28 May: Champions League final
Liverpool face similar challenges to Man City, with a packed schedule which could see them play up to nine times in April.
The visit of Watford and then a potentially Premier League title-defining clash with Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad is sandwiched between the two legs of a Champions League quarter-final against Benfica.
Then, another clash with Man City in the FA Cup semi-finals is followed by Anfield meetings with rivals Manchester United and Everton. Should they defeat Benfica, there’s also the first leg of a Champions League semi-final at home to either Bayern Munich or Villarreal on April 26 or 27.
To prepare, we could see a bit of minute management against Watford in Gameweek 31, although given the timing of the international break, that is far from definite.
As ludicrous as it sounds, given the magnitude of the derbies, Gameweeks 33 and 34 could perhaps see a spot of rotation, while the same goes for Gameweek 35 if they are to progress past Benfica in the Champions League.
It’s also worth noting that the postponed Gameweek 33 fixture against Aston Villa could feasibly slot into Gameweek 36.
Jurgen Klopp, at least in the past, hasn’t been one for mass rotation, but competition for places is greater than ever under the German right now.
For example, Mohamed Salah (£13.3m), Sadio Mane (£11.7m), Roberto Firmino (£8.7m), Diogo Jota (£8.3m) and Luis Diaz (£8.0m) are all excellent options up front, with further depth supplied by squad players like Takumi Minamino (£5.1m) and Divock Origi (£4.8m).
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m), meanwhile, is an early doubt for Gameweek 31 after picking up a hamstring injury, with Klopp suggesting that he would be out for a “few weeks”. If that’s the case, Fantasy managers may consider selling the England right-back, given that matches against both Manchester clubs follow.
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYING TIME AT LIVERPOOL 2022:
CHELSEA
- Saturday 2 April: Gameweek 31 – Brentford (h)
- Wednesday 6 April: Champions League quarter-finals – Real Madrid (h)
- Saturday 9 April: Gameweek 32 – Southampton (a)
- Tuesday 12 April: Champions League quarter-finals – Real Madrid (a)
- Saturday 16/Sunday 17 April: FA Cup semi-finals – Crystal Palace (n)
- Wednesday 20 April: Gameweek 33 – Arsenal (h)
- Sunday 24 April: Gameweek 34 – West Ham United (h)
- Tuesday 26/Wednesday 27 April: Champions League semi-finals
- Sunday 1 May: Gameweek 35 – Everton (a)
- Tuesday 3/Wednesday 4 May: Champions League semi-finals
- Saturday 7 May: Gameweek 36 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (h)
- Saturday 14 May: FA Cup final
- Sunday 15 May: Gameweek 37 – Manchester United (a)
- Sunday 22 May: Gameweek 38 – Watford (h)
- Saturday 28 May: Champions League final
Chelsea have been handed one of the tougher Champions League quarter-final draws against Real Madrid, which does suggest we may see a degree of rotation in Gameweek 32.
Looking further ahead, Gameweeks 33, 34 and 35 could also be at risk, especially if they end up prioritising the cup competitions, which could feasibly happen given that they are 10 points behind second-place Liverpool and eight points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth.
That would certainly limit the appeal of assets like Reece James (£6.2m), although the upside he offers is probably worth the risk regardless.
Elsewhere, the forward positions look hard to nail down, with Kai Havertz (£7.9m), Romelu Lukaku (£11.4m) and to a slightly lesser extent, Timo Werner (£8.6m), all vying for starts.
It’s also worth noting that the Blues have two matches still to be rescheduled against Leicester City and Leeds United.
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYING TIME AT CHELSEA 2022:
WEST HAM UNITED
- Saturday 2 April: Gameweek 31 – Everton (h)
- Thursday 7 April: Europa League quarter-finals – Lyon (h)
- Sunday 10 April: Gameweek 32 – Brentford (a)
- Thursday 14 April: Europa League quarter-finals – Lyon (a)
- Sunday 17 April: Gameweek 33 – Burnley (h)
- Sunday 24 April: Gameweek 34 – Chelsea (a)
- Thursday 28 April: Europa League semi-finals
- Sunday 1 May: Gameweek 35 – Arsenal (h)
- Thursday 5 May: Europa League semi-finals
- Saturday 7 May: Gameweek 36 – Norwich City (a)
- Sunday 15 May: Gameweek 37 – Manchester City (h)
- Wednesday 18 May: Europa League final
- Sunday 22 May: Gameweek 38 – Brighton and Hove Albion (a)
West Ham United are entering a crucial period of the season, with their next three league games against Everton, Brentford and Burnley – all sides in the lower reaches of the table.
From those fixtures, Gameweek 32 is perhaps when we will see a bit of rotation, given the importance of their Europa League quarter-finals either side.
However, it’s worth noting that the Hammers have made the fewest changes to their starting XI in the Premier League all season.
That’s mainly down to a shortage of options at David Moyes’ disposal, which was evident in Gameweek 30, when Arthur Masuaku (£4.4m) for Pablo Fornals (£6.0m) was the only outfield change, despite being taken to extra-time against Sevilla on Thursday.
As a result, given the threadbare nature of the squad, there probably won’t be too much rotation during the run-in even if they do reach the Europa League semi-finals.
However, Michail Antonio (£7.5m) looked understandably leggy on Sunday and was withdrawn after 55 minutes, while the goals have dried up too. Vladimir Coufal (£4.7m), meanwhile, is nursing a hernia injury, but should be available after the international break but reports suggest Jarrod Bowen (£6.6m) faces a longer spell on the sidelines.
Notably, if West Ham were to reach the final of the Europa League and Manchester City make it to the FA Cup final, the Hammers would blank in Gameweek 37 and could double in Gameweek 36.
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYING TIME AT WEST HAM UNITED 2022:
LEICESTER CITY
- Saturday 2 April: Gameweek 31 – Manchester United (a)
- Thursday 7 April: Europa Conference League quarter-finals – PSV (h)
- Sunday 10 April: Gameweek 32 – Crystal Palace (h)
- Thursday 14 April: Europa Conference League quarter-finals – PSV (a)
- Sunday 17 April: Gameweek 33 – Newcastle United (a)
- Wednesday 20 April: Gameweek 33 – Everton (a)
- Saturday 23 April: Gameweek 34 – Aston Villa (h)
- Thursday 28 April: Europa Conference League semi-finals
- Saturday 30 April: Gameweek 35 – Tottenham Hotspur (a)
- Thursday 5 May: Europa League Conference semi-finals
- Saturday 7 May: Gameweek 36 – Everton (h)
- Sunday 15 May: Gameweek 37 – Watford (a)
- Sunday 22 May: Gameweek 38 – Southampton (h)
- Wednesday 25 May: Europa Conference League final
Following Sunday’s home win over Brentford, Leicester City are into the top half of the Premier League table, while they are also through to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.
The Conference League, meanwhile, may offer the Foxes the best route back into European competition. They still have two tough rounds to go before the final though, with PSV and potentially Roma standing in their way.
Given their returning players, it’s highly likely we’ll see plenty of rotation in the coming weeks.
Both goalscorers in Gameweek 30 were fresh selections as Brendan Rodgers was able to make four changes to the team that returned from Rennes.
That meant full-backs Ricardo Pereira (£5.2m) and Luke Thomas (£4.3m) had to settle for places on the bench, with James Justin (£4.9m) and Timothy Castagne (£5.3m) preferred on the day.
There are plenty of options at centre-back, too, including Daniel Amartey (£3.9m), Caglar Soyuncu (£4.9m), Jannik Vestergaard (£4.7m), Wesley Fofana (£4.3m) and Jonny Evans (£5.4m).
There could be even more good news on the way over the next two weeks as Jamie Vardy (£10.3m) steps up his return from a hamstring injury.
It’s also worth noting that Leicester have two matches still to be rescheduled against Norwich City and Chelsea.
PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYING TIME AT LEICESTER CITY 2022:
2 years, 10 months agoThoughts on Crystal Players, thinking of Olise, Mitchell or Guehi.