Five things to consider before FPL Gameweek 21

After the festive rush, we’re about to enter a quieter period in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), with domestic cup competitions set to take prominence.

It means the next FPL deadline is still eight days away.

However, leading up to Gameweek 21, there is lots to consider, which we’ll discuss below.

CARABAO CUP SEMI-FINALS

Arsenal host Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday, before Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool 24 hours later.

We won’t know exactly who will blank in Gameweek 29 until the conclusion of both ties on 5/6 February, but a commanding first leg lead could give us a pretty good idea.

Remember, Gameweek 29 fixtures will become a blank if either side reaches the Carabao Cup final.

FA CUP THIRD ROUND

• Thursday: Everton v Peterborough, Fulham v Watford
• Friday: Aston Villa v West Ham
• Saturday: Bristol City v Wolves, Liverpool v Accrington Stanley, Leicester v QPR, Norwich v Brighton, Chelsea v Morecambe, Bournemouth v West Brom, Brentford v Plymouth, Nott’m Forest v Luton, Man City v Salford
• Sunday: Tamworth v Spurs, Arsenal v Man Utd, Newcastle v Bromley, Ipswich v Bristol Rovers, Crystal Palace v Stockport, Southampton v Swansea

Unlike previous seasons, this year’s FA Cup quarter-finals will take place on a weekend when there are no Premier League games scheduled, meaning there’ll be no fixture clashes.

Fewer league matches will therefore need to be postponed due to cup ties, leading to fewer Double and Blank Gameweeks.

However, the FA Cup semi-finals are scheduled for the same weekend as Gameweek 34, so there’ll be scheduled league fixtures postponed as a result.

Here are the Gameweek 34 fixtures that could be affected, with a blank on the cards if either team reaches the last four.

Unrelated to the cup ties, Liverpool v Everton also needs to be rearranged.

That fixture could potentially be put in Gameweek 24 or 25, but it’s not a given.

JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW

It’s been a slow start to the January transfer window, with Tottenham Hotspur making the only significant move, signing Slavia Prague goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky for £12.5m.

Welington and Ben Godfrey have also joined Southampton and Ipswich Town respectively, but business should start to ramp up as we approach deadline day.

The Premier League transfer window remains open until Monday 3 February (11pm UK time), just a couple of days after the Gameweek 24 deadline.

New signings could not only become targets for our own teams but they could also impact existing assets, so it’s worth monitoring.

ASSISTANT MANAGER CHIP

The Assistant Manager chip will become available in Gameweek 24.

If you plan to use it early, getting your budget ready (£0.5m-£1.5m) or at least factoring it into your plans is probably a good idea.

We might even get manager prices confirmed before the Gameweek 21 deadline.

• READ MORE: FPL Mystery Chip revealed: What is Assistant Manager + when can it be played?
• READ MORE: Assistant Manager chip: When could be the best time to play it?

TUESDAY DEADLINE

Finally, something worth considering ahead of next Tuesday’s deadline is that Brentford v Manchester City, Chelsea v Bournemouth and West Ham United v Fulham get Gameweek 21 underway at 7.30pm GMT.

Those three matches are followed shortly after by Nottingham Forest v Liverpool at 8pm GMT.

So, there is every chance team news might start dribbling through on social media before the deadline, potentially influencing plans.

The Carabao/FA Cup fixtures could of course bring fresh injuries, too, so being patient with your transfers could be especially key at this time.

On the flip side, Ipswich Town v Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester United v Southampton don’t take place until next Thursday – so we may not get any pre-deadline team news at all from those four clubs as their press conferences could fall on Wednesday.

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