Crystal Palace upset the bookmakers’ odds to reach the FA Cup final on Saturday.
The Eagles ran out deserved 3-0 winners over Aston Villa to set up a May 17 showdown with either Manchester City or Nottingham Forest.
City and Forest square off in the other semi-final on Sunday.
So, what does Palace’s win mean for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers?
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 36 FOR PALACE + WOLVES – OR JUST A NORMAL GAMEWEEK 37?
First things first, the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers now can’t go ahead on the weekend of Gameweek 37. Palace are at Wembley then.
So, where does the ‘postponed’ fixture go?
To cut short the upcoming waffle: no one is sure yet.
That’s in stark contrast to if Aston Villa had reached the final, as they (and Tottenham Hotspur) would have almost certainly doubled in Gameweek 36 and blanked in Gameweek 37.
There are two options for Palace v Wolves. It could be:
a) pushed back to the midweek after Gameweek 37, meaning no blanks or doubles for either club; or
b) brought forward to the midweek after Gameweek 36, meaning a Double Gameweek 36 and Blank Gameweek 37 for both sides.
Legomane’s graphic below illustrates the two possibilities:
WHEN WILL WE FIND OUT?
It’s likely we’ll find out a new date for Palace v Wolves ahead of the Gameweek 35 deadline this Friday.
The Premier League schedulers will need to give both clubs, travelling fans, the police and others advance notice of the rearranged fixture.
Given how close Gameweeks 36 and 37 are already (ie the midweek after Gameweek 36 will only be 11/12 days away come this Friday), we can surely expect an announcement this week.
WHAT NOW FOR VILLA?
For Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, there should now be no more Blank/Double Gameweeks.
The twist in the tale could be Spurs’ appeal to get their Gameweek 37 fixture against Aston Villa moved forward. The Lilywhites may be in the UEFA Europa League final three days after this game, so clearly they’re eyeing up some extra preparation time.
Thursday 15 May is the supposed new date proposed – so it could fall in Gameweek 36 after all. However, the Villans are reportedly against the idea.
Villa were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League earlier this month, so the full focus is now on finishing in the top five of the Premier League and ensuring qualification to European football’s top table in 2025/26.
Here are both sides’ league run-ins:
No more cup involvement might make Unai Emery’s Premier League starting XIs slightly easier to second-guess, although the Villa boss has such a bloated squad at his disposal that you’re still probably going to get the weekly headaches in some positions.
