The second legs of the EFL Cup semi-finals take place in midweek – and, if you weren’t aware already, the results of these ties will have big ramifications for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
Both Double Gameweek 25 and Blank Gameweek 29 will effectively be finalised after Wednesday and Thursday’s fixtures.
As for the FA Cup, very little – if anything – will be decided by the upcoming fourth-round ties. They take place from Friday to Tuesday.
The FA Cup and the Premier League don’t bissect until late-April, when the semi-finals of the cup competition and Gameweek 34 collide. Up to eight Premier League teams (across four fixtures) will blank then.
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 25
| Provisional GW25 Premier League fixture | Fixture will be confirmed in GW25 if: |
| Arsenal v Chelsea | If Arsenal progress to the EFL Cup final |
| Aston Villa v Liverpool | If Liverpool progress to the EFL Cup final |
| Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur | If Tottenham Hotspur progress to the EFL Cup final |
So, Aston Villa and Liverpool **or** Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur will double in Gameweek 25. Arsenal and Chelsea will also double if the Gunners make it to Wembley.
BLANK GAMEWEEK 29
| GW29 Premier League fixture | Status | A blank will happen in the following situation: |
| Arsenal v Chelsea | Possible blank | If Arsenal progress to the EFL Cup final |
| Aston Villa v Liverpool | Possible blank | If Liverpool progress to the EFL Cup final |
| Bournemouth v Brentford | On | |
| Everton v West Ham United | On | |
| Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur | Possible blank | If Tottenham Hotspur progress to the EFL Cup final |
| Ipswich Town v Nottingham Forest | On | |
| Leicester City v Manchester United | On | |
| Manchester City v Brighton and Hove Albion | On | |
| Newcastle United v Crystal Palace | Possible blank | If Newcastle United progress to the EFL Cup final (see below) |
| Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers | On |
To reiterate, any Gameweek 29 fixture getting postponed because of an EFL Cup final clash, apart from Newcastle United v Crystal Palace, will slot into Gameweek 25.
There’s no new provisional date for that meeting between the Magpies and the Eagles.
There is the outside chance that it could even stay in Gameweek 29 (shout out to Planet FPL for floating this theory) – but that would first hinge on both Palace and Newcastle being knocked out of the FA Cup by the quarter-final stage.
If they are eliminated, the outstanding Premier League fixture between the two sides could feasibly then be played on FA Cup weekend (two weeks after Gameweek 29 begins!) if the schedulers require it to.
BLANK GAMEWEEK 34
| GW34 Premier League fixture | Status | A blank will happen in the following situation: |
| Arsenal v Crystal Palace | Possible blank | If Crystal Palace progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Bournemouth v Manchester United | Possible blank | If Bournemouth and/or Manchester United progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Brighton and Hove Albion v West Ham United | Possible blank | If Brighton and Hove Albion progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Chelsea v Everton | Possible blank | If Chelsea and/or Everton progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur | Possible blank | If Liverpool and/or Tottenham Hotspur progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Manchester City v Aston Villa | Possible blank | If Manchester City and/or Aston Villa progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Newcastle United v Ipswich Town | Possible blank | If Newcastle United and/or Ipswich Town progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Nottingham Forest v Brentford | Possible blank | If Nottingham Forest progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Southampton v Fulham | Possible blank | If Southampton and/or Fulham progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City | Possible blank | If Wolverhampton Wanderers/Leicester City progress to the FA Cup semi-finals |
There are 17 Premier League clubs still remaining in the FA Cup. At least four will be eliminated in round four, as we’ve got the following all-top-flight cup ties:
- Manchester United v Leicester City
- Everton v Bournemouth
- Brighton and Hove Albion v Chelsea
- Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur
So, it’s very possible that we get our first Gameweek 34 fixture(s) confirmed as ‘on’ this weekend.
Really, though, it’ll still be far too early to have any real ideal of the extent of Blank Gameweek 34 and which teams will be without a fixture.
Even after this week, competing clubs still have two more ties to get through before they’re confirmed as blanking in Gameweek 34. The FA Cup quarter-finals take place in between Gameweeks 29 and 30.
Any fixtures being postponed in Gameweek 34 will go into Double Gameweek 33/36.
2 months, 18 days agoSels
TAA, Timber, Robinson
Salah, Palmer, Mbeumo, Gordon
Isak, Gakpo, Wood
(Fabianski, Rogers, Hall, HB)
1FT + 0 itb
A) Timber > Kerkez
B) Hall > Kerkez
C) Gordon > Kluivert