You may be having to move early to beat the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price rises, putting together a Wildcard or activating a Free Hit. Or, quite simply, you can’t wait to ‘kneejerk’ out a certain dud.
But if you’re one of those FPL managers who like to eliminate the risks associated with an early transfer, it’s worth mentioning that 12 Premier League teams are in action before we get to Gameweek 4.
Injuries can and often do crop up whenever there’s midweek action, while UEFA Champions League or EFL Cup teamsheets may give us a few clues as to a Premier League manager’s intentions for the weekend.
With that in mind, here’s when the domestic and European fixtures take place this week.
TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER
- 17:45 – Club Brugge v ASTON VILLA (Champions League)
- 19:45 – BOURNEMOUTH v Lincoln City (EFL Cup)
- 19:45 – CRYSTAL PALACE v Middlesbrough (EFL Cup)
- 19:45 – SUNDERLAND v HULL CITY (EFL Cup)
- 20:00 – Porto v MANCHESTER CITY (Champions League)
- 20:00 – Millwall v NEWCASTLE UNITED (EFL Cup)
WEDNESDAY 9 SEPTEMBER
- 20:00 – CHELSEA v LEEDS UNITED (EFL Cup)
- 20:00 – LIVERPOOL v Atletico Madrid (Champions League)
- 20:00 – Napoli v ARSENAL (Champions League)
THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER
- 20:00 – MANCHESTER UNITED v Sabah (Champions League)
MIDWEEK OFF
- BRENTFORD
- BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
- COVENTRY CITY
- EVERTON
- FULHAM
- IPSWICH TOWN
- NOTTINGHAM FOREST
- TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
TURNAROUND TIMES
Thanks to the wonderful Legomane, we can see how the turnaround times from these midweek fixtures to Gameweek 4. We’ve also included up to Gameweek 5, which is the final round of Premier League matches before the first international break.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea have the dreaded Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday turnaround ahead of Gameweek 4. In the Blues’ case, they’re only in EFL Cup action, although it’s worth pointing out that Xabi Alonso went strong in the last round. He handed 90 minutes to Cole Palmer (£9.6m), while Reece James (£5.4m) and Morgan Rogers (£7.6m) both got starts. James was subsequently benched in Gameweek 2.
Liverpool have a quick turnaround from Atletico to Fulham: there are only 65 hours between full-time in one and kick-off in the other. Still, they’ve had a nice long run-up to their Champions League tie, having been in action on Friday.
At the other end of the scale, Manchester City (Tuesday-Sunday), Newcastle United (Tuesday-Monday) and Leeds United (Wednesday-Monday) have favourable turnarounds from midweek to Gameweek 4.
Stay tuned for team news today and tomorrow from the pre-match press conferences ahead of these midweek fixtures.
