Sizeable Double Gameweek 22 a possibility after FA Cup replays scrapped

With the number of games postponed piling up due to the latest Covid-19 outbreak, something had to give, and in an attempt to avoid increased fixture congestion, there will be no FA Cup replays in rounds three and four this season.

In a statement released on Monday evening the Football Association said:

“This exceptional decision was approved by the FA Board on Friday 17 December and has been taken in the wider interest of English football to alleviate the possibility of fixture congestion following several postponements in recent days and continued uncertainty ahead due to COVID-19.

Ties in the third and fourth rounds of this season’s competition will be played to a finish on the day, with extra-time and penalty shootouts if required.

Replays will return up to and including the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup from the 2022-23 season onwards.”

Recent weeks have seen Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City – amongst others – have fixtures postponed due to Covid outbreaks, with the current crop that need rescheduling as follows:

POSTPONED MATCHES STILL TO BE REARRANGED

• Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur (weather)
• Brighton and Hove Albion v Tottenham Hotspur (Covid)
• Brentford v Manchester United (Covid)
• Burnley v Watford (Covid)
• Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur (Covid)
• Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion (Covid)
• Everton v Leicester City (Covid)
• Southampton v Brentford (Covid)
• Watford v Crystal Palace (Covid)
• West Ham United v Norwich City (Covid)
• Aston Villa v Burnley (Covid)
• Brighton and Hove Albion v Chelsea (Club World Cup)
• Chelsea v Arsenal (Club World Cup)

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 22

For Fantasy managers, the key takeaway from this development is that it increases the likelihood of a Double Gameweek in 22, with the midweek to follow now free.

Firstly, this is educated guess work at present, but what we might see is several of those fixtures detailed above moving into Gameweek 22, which starts Friday 14th January.

Current Gameweek 22 schedule

That means the five teams listed below – who are yet to be affected by a cancellation – won’t play twice in Gameweek 22, unless they get a postponement soon that is, but everyone else, at least in theory, could.

• Leeds United
• Liverpool
• Manchester City
• Newcastle United
• Wolverhampton Wanderers

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 21?

However, it doesn’t end there.

Further to the FA Cup replays news, we may also see the EFL Cup semi-finals – which are traditionally two-legged affairs – reduced to one.

If that happens then there is a possibility that some teams could double in Gameweek 21, too, especially those with multiple postponements.

CHIP STRATEGY

So, what does this mean for Fantasy managers? Well, it makes assets from those clubs that could feature twice more appealing in the coming weeks, if they are indeed handed a Double, while Gameweek 22 may be a good time to deploy the Bench Boost chip.

However, most of us only have four free transfers to prepare for it, and a Gameweek 21 Wildcard may not be ideal, given the sizeable gap between the two Gameweeks. That’s a lot of time for things to go wrong, potentially leaving you without 15 starters.

Another option, and perhaps the more attractive, would be to Free Hit, though that chip may be best held till further down the line, when we are faced with FA Cup blanks. Alternatively, the Triple Captain chip could be used, but with Liverpool and Manchester City probably playing just once, there isn’t an obvious option as it stands, at least for now.

In all of the Double Gameweek talk, we also shouldn’t lose sight of those playing just once who have good fixtures, like Liverpool who are at home to Brentford.

What is certain, is that it is very hard to plan right now without knowing the full picture, and maybe looking too far ahead is another trap to mindful of. Perhaps the best option is to simply ensure you have two free transfers, so you can react to the fixtures when they are rescheduled.

Football Chatbox posed the ‘time for chips?’ question in a Hot Topic earlier today, with some of the replies on site included below.