The draw for the EFL Cup semi-finals was made on Wednesday night after Newcastle United and Manchester City followed Chelsea into the last four.
And here it is:
- Chelsea v Arsenal or Crystal Palace
- Newcastle United v Manchester City
WHEN WILL THE EFL CUP SEMI-FINALS BE PLAYED?
The semi-finals are a two-legged affair, as is tradition.
The first legs will be played in between Gameweeks 21 and 22.
And the second legs will be contested between Gameweeks 24 and 25.
WILL THE EFL CUP FINAL CAUSE A BLANK GAMEWEEK?
Likely.
We’re looking way into the future here, with the final not being contested until Sunday 22 March.
That causes a clash with Gameweek 31 in FPL terms.
We say “likely” because there is a big gap between Gameweeks 31 and 32, as shown in the calendar below.
A postponed tie couldn’t be housed during the March international break that follows Gameweek 31, obviously, but should the EFL Cup finalists be both out of the FA Cup by the quarter-final stage, or both eliminated from Europe, then it’s feasible it could still be played before Gameweek 32:
2025/26 FPL SCHEDULE
| WEEKEND | MIDWEEK | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 13 December | GW16 | 16 – 18 December | EFL Cup QF + Conf Lge MD6 |
| Sat 20 December | GW17 | 23 December | EFL Cup QF |
| Fri 26 December | GW18 | 30 Dec – 1 January | GW19 |
| Sat 3 January | GW20 | 6-8 January | GW21 |
| Sat 10 January | FA Cup R3 | 13 – 14 January | EFL Cup semis (one) |
| Sat 17 January | GW22 | 20 – 22 January | Champs Lge MD7 + Europa Lge MD7 |
| Sat 24 January | GW23 | 27 – 29 January | Champs Lge MD8 + Europa Lge MD8 |
| Sat 31 January | GW24 | 3 – 4 February | EFL Cup semis (two) |
| Sat 7 February | GW25 | 10 – 12 February | GW26 |
| Sat 14 February | FA Cup R4 | 17 – 19 February | European playoffs |
| Sat 21 February | GW27 | 24 – 26 February | European playoffs |
| Fri 27 February | GW28 | 3 – 5 March | GW29 |
| Sat 7 March | FA Cup R5 | 10 – 12 March | European round of 16 |
| Sat 14 March | GW30 | 17 – 19 March | European round of 16 |
| Sat 21 March | GW31 + EFL Cup final | 24 – 26 March | International break |
| Sat 28 March | International break | 31 March – 2 April | International break |
| Sat 4 April | FA Cup QF | 7 – 9 April | European QFs |
| Sat 11 April | GW32 | 14 – 16 April | European QFs |
| Sat 18 April | GW33 | 21 – 23 April | |
| Sat 25 April | GW34 + FA Cup semis | 28 – 30 April | European SFs |
| Sat 2 May | GW35 | 5 – 7 May | European SFs |
| Sat 9 May | GW36 | 12 – 14 May | |
| Sat 16 May | GW37 + FA Cup final | Wed 20 May | Europa Lge final |
| Sun 24 May | GW38 | Wed 27 May | Conf Lge final |
WHEN ELSE COULD A POSTPONED GAMEWEEK 31 MATCH BE PLAYED?
We have free midweeks after Gameweek 33 and Gameweek 36, which could house a cup-dictated postponement. League fixtures impacted by the FA Cup semi-finals will also likely need to be accommodated in these weeks.
The midweek after Gameweek 37 will also be free for everyone bar the Europa League finalists.
If neither EFL Cup finalist is in a European play-off round, there are also possible slots after Gameweek 26 and Gameweek 27.
In all cases, a Double Gameweek will be created.
WHO COULD BLANK IN GAMEWEEK 31?
Crystal Palace and Arsenal will contest their quarter-final next Tuesday.
If Palace and Man City both make it to Wembley, we will only have one postponed Gameweek 31 fixture:
| GW31 Premier League fixture | Status | The fixture will be postponed if the following occurs |
| Bournemouth v Man Utd | On | |
| Aston Villa v West Ham | On | |
| Brighton v Liverpool | On | |
| Everton v Chelsea | Possible blank | If Chelsea reach the EFL Cup final |
| Fulham v Burnley | On | |
| Leeds v Brentford | On | |
| Man City v Crystal Palace | Possible blank | If Man City and/or Crystal Palace reach the EFL Cup final |
| Newcastle v Sunderland | Possible blank | If Newcastle reach the EFL Cup final |
| Spurs v Nottm Forest | On | |
| Wolves v Arsenal | Possible blank | If Arsenal reach the EFL Cup final |
So, it’s a long way off before anything will be known re Blank/Double Gameweeks.
Nothing will be decided before Gameweek 24, after which the EFL Cup final line-up will be complete. That’ll be early February.
Even then, we might not get immediate new rearranged dates to go with the Gameweek 31 postponements.
One to be aware of longer term, rather than fret about too much for now.
Onto the Scout Notes from Wednesday…
