Last week’s announcement that Manchester City v Bournemouth and Crystal Palace v Wolverhampton Wanderers would stay in Gameweek 37, rather than move to Gameweek 36, means that those four clubs will not get another Double Gameweek this season.
Indeed, as things stand, the remaining three Gameweeks are currently set to be standard 10-match rounds.
However, there is still the possibility that Gameweek 36 could yet become a ‘double’ for Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
If that does happen, those two sides will also blank in Gameweek 37.
WHY MIGHT THE FIXTURE MOVE?
It’s Spurs who have requested their Gameweek 37 fixture against Villa to be moved to a different time/date. It’s currently scheduled for Sunday 18 May.
The Lilywhites, however, have a very good chance of being in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday 21 May. That gives them little more than 72 hours of recovery time before that final in Bilbao.
Even worse, their potential opponents that day, Manchester United, will get an extra two days’ rest. The Red Devils’ Gameweek 37 fixture is on Friday 16 May.
WHEN COULD THE FIXTURE MOVE TO?
Reports suggest that Spurs want the fixture with Villa to be moved to Thursday 15 May.
We assume that would mean it would fall in Gameweek 36.
To look at a recent example, we had Nottingham Forest v Brentford (Thursday 1 May) falling in Gameweek 34 and Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (Friday 2 May) kicking off Gameweek 35.
It was a slightly different situation in that example, of course: Forest v Brentford was meant to be in Gameweek 34 anyway.
As for other dates, Saturday 17 May is meant to be kept Premier League-free due to the staging of the FA Cup final.
So too is Friday 16 May but Chelsea v Manchester United was allowed to be moved to that date as the two clubs’ women’s teams are in FA Cup final action on Sunday 18 May.
WHAT IS ASTON VILLA’S STANDPOINT?
Villa are understood to be opposed to the proposal of a fixture change.
The clash with Spurs is their final home match of the season. In the words of the BBC, a Sunday afternoon staging would “include a number of pre-organised family activation activities which would not be possible to complete if the match was held in the evening”.
Aston Villa can also point to the fact that the Premier League haven’t helped any of the other clubs, including Villa themselves, juggle domestic and European commitments during 2024/25.
Really, though, the primary motivation for the Villans to keep the game on Sunday 18 May is glaringly obvious. Should it go ahead as planned on that date, Ange Postecoglou would no doubt wrap his regulars up in cotton wool ahead of the UEFA Europa League final and field a ‘B’ team much like he did in Gameweek 35.
With Villa in pursuit of a Champions League qualification spot for next season and potentially needing to win all three remaining games, they’d surely welcome the visit of a weakened Spurs.
As for the other clubs in the hunt for a top-five spot, they’d of course be less keen. As might the Premier League themselves on integrity grounds.
WHAT’S THE LATEST?
As of Monday 5 May, “discussions are still ongoing” between the Premier League and the two clubs.
VILLA PLAYERS LOOKING GOOD IN FPL EITHER WAY
Whatever the FA’s decision, Aston Villa players look good in FPL either way.
If the fixture is moved, they get a Double Gameweek 36 of Bournemouth away and Spurs at home. Fantasy managers would have to navigate a way through Gameweek 37, of course, when Villa and the Lilywhites would blank.
If the match stays in Gameweek 37, Morgan Rogers (£5.7m) and co will likely be facing a rotated Spurs side.
