On Thursday, Aston Villa overturned a first-leg deficit to defeat Nottingham Forest and reach the Europa League final.
At the same time, Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk to make the Conference League equivalent.
Let’s check how these developments will affect the final three weeks of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
1. Sixth place may reach the Champions League
If Villa win the Europa League and, domestically, finish exactly fifth, then the team below them will also qualify for the Champions League.
That place is currently occupied by Bournemouth. But Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion are close behind. It’s an intriguing thought that one of these clubs might be rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite next season.
It means that there’s an extra incentive for the chasing pack to aim for sixth place, and should ensure strong line-ups from their respective clubs’ managers while it’s mathematically possible to do so.
However, if Villa win the trophy and finish fourth, that extra Champions League place will be allocated abroad.
2. Crystal Palace’s Conference League final takes place after Gameweek 38
Meanwhile, at Palace, Oliver Glasner is already rotating his attackers and hinted at more over the coming days. It greatly reduces the appeal of their players for this Double Gameweek 36.
- READ MORE: Best Crystal Palace players for FPL Double Gameweek 36
- READ MORE: Are Palace players really worth buying? Saka or Gyokeres? FPL Q&A
Expect this to continue until the final day, as Gameweek 38’s hosting of Arsenal happens three days before meeting Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
That might annoy Manchester City fans.
“Again, I don’t know right now how we will plan this because it’s also the first time for me playing the last league game on Sunday and then [the final] on Wednesday. When we had this with Frankfurt, we played the last league game on Saturday and we… played the same team that we played in the [Europa League] final as the last test.
“But I don’t know if this makes sense if you play Sunday and Wednesday. Fortunately, I have a bit of time to think about it and do my research and talk with my staff, and then we will plan the last week, but now it’s really getting the win against Everton to be really safe in the league and then making the second step.
“To be honest, if somebody criticises… for me, sorry, if I can say this, it would be nonsense. It’s just the last game but there were 37 games played before. That means if another team on Matchday 25 rotated against City or Arsenal, they affected the title race as well. I’m not responsible for Arsenal, I’m not responsible for Manchester City; I’m responsible for Crystal Palace and I get paid for doing the best things for Crystal Palace and not for City and not for Arsenal.
“Again, I don’t know what we’re doing [in Gameweek 38]. Maybe we’ll be playing with the same line-up that we’ll play against Vallecano but again, maybe it feels like the league title is decided on the last day but at the end, it’s a result of 38 Matchdays and at the end, everybody gets what he deserves.” – Oliver Glasner, speaking on Thursday, about his Gameweek 38 plans
3. Aston Villa’s Europa League final takes place between Gameweeks 37 and 38
Then again, Pep Guardiola’s lot will be against another distracted side at the same time.
That’s because the Freiburg v Aston Villa showcase is on Wednesday 20 May, between Gameweeks 37 and 38.
Should this weekend’s top-flight action help Villa secure Champions League qualification, Unai Emery may deem it necessary to rest the likes of Morgan Rogers (£7.5m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) in the build-up to Istanbul.
4. The Gameweek 37 deadline has moved
Speaking of European finals in the dual-continent Turkish city, Liverpool is Villa’s Gameweek 37 opponent.
Originally scheduled for Sunday 17 May, that match between the two clubs has been shifted to two days earlier (20:00 BST kick-off).
It means FPL’s Gameweek 37 deadline is now 18:30 on Friday 15 May.
Don’t get caught out!
