Blank Gameweek 12 confirmed: Arsenal v Man City postponed

Gameweek 12 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) will be a ‘blank’ for both Arsenal and Manchester City, the Premier League confirmed this morning.

The two sides were due to meet at the Emirates on October 19 but the Gunners’ outstanding UEFA Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven, originally scheduled for this Thursday but postponed due to policing resources being needed elsewhere in London, will now take place in that midweek.

“The Premier League has agreed with UEFA to postpone Arsenal’s Premier League match with Manchester City, originally due to be played on 19 October, to allow for Arsenal’s re-arranged UEFA Europa League match with PSV Eindhoven.

“Arsenal v PSV Eindhoven, originally scheduled to be played on Thursday 15 September, will now be played on Thursday 20 October, 18:00.

“A new date for the Arsenal v Manchester City fixture will be announced in due course.” – Premier League statement

WHEN WILL ARSENAL v MAN CITY NOW TAKE PLACE?

As mentioned above, a new date has not been announced for the postponed game in north London.

It won’t take place before we break for the World Cup in mid-November, however, with no free midweeks for either Arsenal or Manchester City over that period.

It’ll likely be early 2023 before we see any rearrangements for this or the 13 other postponed games that remain without a date.

From Gameweeks 19-23, there are only EFL Cup and FA Cup rounds in between the top-flight fixtures, so any Premier League club eliminated from those competitions could see one of their cancelled matches slot into place then.

Another possibility would be the abolishment of FA Cup replays (making room for a Double Gameweek 20 and/or 22) or the EFL Cup semi-finals being reduced to a one-legged affair (allowing for a Double Gameweek 21).

FIXTURE OUTLOOK: ARSENAL AND MAN CITY

The postponement of Arsenal v Man City does present something of an extra headache for FPL managers, with players from both clubs well owned.

There will likely have been a gradual lowering of interest in Arsenal assets, anyway, with four of the ‘big six’ originally pencilled in for Gameweeks 9-15 – although meetings with Leeds, Southampton and Forest are more appealing either side of the new blank.

Owners of City players could potentially jettison one or two of their assets in Gameweek 11, meanwhile, with Liverpool away and then a blank to follow. More favourable fixtures await from Gameweek 13 onwards, however, so huge numbers will likely hold onto Erling Haaland (£12.0m) and Joao Cancelo (£7.1m) regardless.

Anyone still uncertain of when to play their Wildcard may now have a bit of added incentive to hold for Gameweek 13, with a ‘dead-ending to Gameweek 12’ approach and a gradual, short-term offloading of City/Arsenal players one potential chip strategy. Assets from these two clubs can then, if desired, be brought back into play with the click of a button on a Gameweek 13 Wildcard.

WHICH PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES ARE OUTSTANDING?

• Fulham v Chelsea (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Bournemouth v Brighton (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Leicester v Aston Villa (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Liverpool v Wolves (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Southampton v Brentford (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Man City v Spurs (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Arsenal v Everton (originally in Gameweek 7)
• West Ham v Newcastle (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Crystal Palace v Man Utd (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Leeds v Nottm Forest (originally in Gameweek 7)
• Brighton v Crystal Palace (originally in Gameweek 8)
• Man Utd v Leeds (originally in Gameweek 8)
• Chelsea v Liverpool (originally in Gameweek 8)
• Arsenal v Man City (originally in Gameweek 12)

MOST FIXTURES OUTSTANDING

• 2 – Arsenal, Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Leeds, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd
• 1 – Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Everton, Fulham, Leicester, Newcastle, Nottm Forest, Southampton, Spurs, West Ham, Wolves