The fixture announcement we had all been waiting on finally landed on Saturday morning.
We now have confirmation of the Double Gameweek 34 schedule – and it’s a big ‘double’ at that.
Seven sides will play twice, including Arsenal and Liverpool.
But it’s also a ‘blank’ Gameweek for Tottenham Hotspur, with the remaining 12 clubs playing once.
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 34 FIXTURES
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 37
Four postponed matches beyond the above remain without a date. They are:
- Brighton and Hove Albion v Chelsea
- Manchester United v Newcastle United
- Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City
- Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
Logic, and indeed Fantasy Premier League themselves, suggests that Brighton v Chelsea, Man Utd v Newcastle and Spurs v Man City will be moved to Double Gameweek 37.
That would mean that Chelsea v Spurs would slot into Gameweek 35 or Gameweek 36.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
It’s not a vintage set of Double Gameweek 34 fixtures, more quantity over quality.
Liverpool and Arsenal enjoy the best of them, although Crystal Palace’s double header at Selhurst Park may be better than it looks: both West Ham United and Newcastle United are at the wrong end of the table for expected goals conceded (xGC).
The big conundrum for Fantasy managers will be how to transition their teams between the Double Gameweeks. A completely different set of teams double in Gameweek 35/36/37 from the ones that play twice in Gameweek 34.
As far as chip strategy goes, many Fantasy managers will fall into one of two camps.
For those with a Wildcard, Bench Boost and Free Hit intact, there is an argument for Wildcarding in Gameweek 30/31, using the Free Hit in Gameweek 34 and Bench Boost in Gameweek 37.
The thinking here is that Spurs and Chelsea double twice later in the season and have some decent fixtures beforehand. Their respective Gameweek 34s are awful, though (a blank and Arsenal away respectively), so a Free Hit in that Gameweek would be one way to bypass it.
For those who used their Free Hit in Gameweek 29, a later Wildcard would seem to be the play. Deadending to Gameweek 34 is one option, as assets from Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle, Brighton and the two Manchester clubs could then be targeted on a Gameweek 35 Wildcard.
There’ll be more reaction to come over the coming week, from detailed chip strategy analysis to a fixtures frisk.
