We now have a clearer picture of the situation in Double Gameweek 33/Blank Gameweek 34, after a number of matches were provisionally rescheduled on Thursday afternoon.
The Premier League confirmed that the clubs that win their FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend will blank in Gameweek 34, as expected.
But they also revealed that the matches will move into Gameweek 33, creating ‘doubles’ for up to eight Premier League teams, with a minimum of four.
Simply put, any team that reaches the FA Cup semi-finals (and their Gameweek 34 opponent) will have a Double Gameweek 33, followed by a Blank Gameweek 34.
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33 POTENTIAL SCENARIOS
| Double Gameweek 33 for… | |
|---|---|
| If Arsenal beat Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals | Arsenal (mci + NEW) Newcastle (BOU + ars) |
| If Chelsea beat Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals | Chelsea (MUN + bha) Brighton (tot + CHE) |
| If Man City beat Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals | Man City (ARS + bur) Burnley (nfo + MCI) |
| If Liverpool beat Man City in the FA Cup quarter-finals | Liverpool (eve + CRY) C Palace (WHU + liv) |
| If West Ham beat Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-finals | West Ham (cry + EVE) Everton (LIV + whu) |
| If Leeds beat West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-finals | Leeds (WOL + bou) Bournemouth (new + LEE) |
Crucially, today’s announcement means that we’ll know exactly who will ‘blank’ and ‘double’ this weekend, well before the Gameweek 32 deadline on Friday 10 April, allowing us to plan that little bit earlier than expected.
INSTANT REACTION
Not many of us were expecting Double Gameweek 33 to be quite so big, with eight teams likely playing twice.
If Arsenal and Chelsea progress to the FA Cup semi-finals as expected, it would cause maximum chaos, with all of the Gameweek 33 ‘doublers’ set to blank the following week.
Many FPL managers have a Bench Boost burning a hole in their pocket, and after Thursday’s announcement, it’s a huge opportunity to use it in Double Gameweek 33.
Ideally, you’d set it up with a Gameweek 32 Wildcard, followed by a Gameweek 34 Free Hit.
For those without the Bench Boost chip, a Gameweek 33 Wildcard/Gameweek 34 Free Hit could make sense.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that Manchester City’s home match against Crystal Palace, which was postponed in Gameweek 31 due to the EFL Cup final, still needs to be rescheduled.
That ‘should’ result in another Double Gameweek further down the line for those clubs, which could be good for managers who still have their Triple Captain chip left.
