Manchester City and Southampton have booked their places in the FA Cup semi-finals to help add some clarity to the upcoming Blank and Double Gameweek situation.
The two sides won their respective quarter-finals on Saturday against Everton and Bournemouth, respectively; results which could potentially benefit owners of Spurs assets.
The next stage of the cup competition occurs during the same weekend as Gameweek 32 of Fantasy Premier League, although it will be considerably less affected than Blank Gameweek 29.
Semi-finalists Southampton are scheduled to host Crystal Palace on the weekend of Saturday, April 17 although this match has not yet been officially postponed.
That is because there is a free midweek slot between Gameweeks 32 and 33 which could play host to the Saints and Eagles’ Premier League clash.
Of the two sides, Crystal Palace are more likely to face a Blank Gameweek in that round, considering Southampton have an outstanding fixture against Spurs still to be rearranged, which could come into the equation.
That match could go into the aforementioned midweek slot and, if it does, that would see Roy Hodgson’s men miss out on playing in Gameweek 32, considering Southampton’s FA Cup commitments.
Meanwhile, with Manchester City barring Everton’s participation in the FA Cup semi-finals, the Toffees’ already scheduled Gameweek 32 match against Spurs can continue as planned.
Therefore, if Gameweek 32’s midweek slot is used to accommodate Southampton’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Harry Kane (£11.5m) and his colleagues would play twice in that round.
That said, such a scenario is only one potential permutation that cannot be confirmed until further match dates are announced by the Premier League.
Manchester City’s progression in the FA Cup is likely to interfere with the timing of their Gameweek 32 trip to Aston Villa.
Like Southampton’s situation, a midweek clear of Champions League action between this round and Gameweek 33 means the Citizens could travel to Villa Park on Tuesday, April 20 or Wednesday, April 21.
Manchester City remain without a fixture in Blank Gameweek 33 because of their participation in the EFL Cup final.
Their opponents Spurs will also miss out on a Premier League match that round, as well as Fulham and Sheffield United.
The Blades travel to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon to compete for a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Leicester City and Manchester United meet in the final match of the quarter-finals on Sunday evening.
Current Gameweek 32 fixtures
- Arsenal v Fulham
- Aston Villa v Manchester City
- Chelsea v Brighton and Hove Albion
- Everton v Tottenham Hotspur
- Leeds United v Liverpool
- Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion
- Manchester United v Burnley
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Southampton v Crystal Palace
- Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United
Elsewhere in Blank Gameweek 29…
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