So now we know. Chelsea’s win at the Bridge this afternoon means it’s United who will have a double Gameweek 33, with the Red Devils one of five sides – along with Arsenal, Everton, Fulham and West Ham to face a pair of fixtures. Chelsea, on the other hand, will play in the FA Cup Semi-Finals in the weekend of Gameweek 33; their home game with Tottenham, scheduled for Sunday April 14, will now be postponed.
Now we can start to plan accordingly. After weeks of uncertainty, Easter Monday has afforded Fantasy managers clarity and the chance to sift through the fixture list in the knowledge that the fixtures listed below are nailed on:
Double Gameweek 33 Contenders
Arsenal – Norwich (h) Saturday April 13, Everton (h) Tuesday April 16
Everton – QPR (h) Saturday April 13, Arsenal (a) Tuesday April 16
Fulham – Villa (a) Saturday April 13, Chelsea (h) Wednesday April 17
Man United – Stoke (a)Sunday April 14, West Ham (a) Wednesday April 17
West Ham – Southampton (a) Saturday April 13, Man United (h) Wednesday April 17
Arsenal’s back-to-back home games are likely to see Theo Walcott (if fit) and Santi Cazorla as the main captaincy contenders. The Gunners have dropped just two points in their last five at the Emirates, scoring 14 times, and sit just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and four behind Spurs in third – with everything to play for, then, Arsene Wenger won’t be resting his key attacking assets, though doubts still remain over his selections at the back, with Per Mertesacker seemingly the only certainty.
Three back-to-back victories highlight Everton’s current form. The Toffees are just a couple of points behind Arsenal, giving their trip to the Emirates added spice, while David Moyes’ men will be confident of seeing off QPR at Goodison beforehand, given they have dropped just two points in their last five at home. Marouane Fellaini will be fully refreshed for the pair of fixtures once his current suspension is served – he has already served up a 10 point return against the Gunners this term, while Leighton Baines is afforded the platform to cement his place at the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings.
A trip to Villa is likely to boost Dimitar Berbatov’s chances of maintaining his scoring streak, while a home showdown with Chelsea offers the Cottagers the chance to clinch a derby victory, having picked up a point at the Bridge earlier this season. Berbatov’s owners will be desperate for Bryan Ruiz to recover from the hamstring problem which makes a major doubt for tonight’s match with QPR, though; any length of absence would see Berbatov move to a deeper role once again. The likes of Sascha Riether should also earn further investors – the right-back has picked up attacking returns in bonus in each of the last three, while Martin Jol’s side now have three clean sheets in four.
With their chances of clinching a league and cup double now gone, United can concentrate on winning the title over the next few matches. If Sir Alex Ferguson’s side triumph in next Monday’s Manchester derby, they would be 18 points clear of City with seven matches remaining – basically, double Gameweek 33 could bring the title to the red half of Manchester. Both Stoke and West Ham are obstinate at home but Ferguson can be expected to roll out the big guns, with the recent rest and rotation policy set aside with owners of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and Patrice Evra feeling a little more comfortable as United look for silverware to draw a line under today’s disappointment.
Despite a crucial home win over West Brom, the Hammers – like Fulham – currently sit just six points above the drop zone. Their pair of fixtures are hardly appetising, though; Southampton have beaten City, Liverpool and Chelsea at St Mary’s in recent matches and are looking a real handful under Mauricio Pochettino, while as mentioned above, if United win their next two, they could roll up to Upton Park knowing a draw would clinch the title. Andy Carroll has now scored in each of the last three home games, while Kevin Nolan’s return from a foot injury could be key to the Hammers’ prospects. At the back, Joey O’Brien and Jussi Jaaskelainen are also set for an upturn in ownership.
Blank Gameweek 33 for Tottenham
We’ll have the usual “Scouting the Doubles” articles on all five sides closer to the time as Fantasy managers look to navigate a scenario which now sees three sides – Swansea, West Brom and Tottenham – without a fixture in Gameweek 33. This means Gareth Bale’s owners have plenty to mull over; with the Welshman out of the picture, Walcott, Cazorla and Fellaini are likely to benefit – teams holding both Bale and Michu will be hit hard by today’s turn of events.
Tottenham’s trip to Chelsea cannot be moved to the following midweek as Rafa Benitez’s side travel to Fulham in the league. From a Fantasy perspective, this would ideally be switched to Gameweek 36, giving both clubs a double along with Swansea and Wigan – the Swans entertain City at the Liberty and Wigan travel to West Brom before both sides square up at the DW.
At present, Tottenham have a home game with Southampton and Chelsea travel to United in Gameweek 36, though if both sides progress in Europe, it’s worth noting that the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals is due to take place on May 2 – the midweek before Gameweek 36 gets underway. Fantasy managers will be happy to avoid worrying over these hypothetical scenarios, though, and concentrate on what we know for certain – after today’s result, we’ve enough to deal with.
