The Premier League have this afternoon handed Fantasy managers yet another double Gameweek to plan for after rescheduling Arsenal’s home clash with Sunderland. The fixture, which has been moved out of Gameweek 33, has been shifted to Wednesday May 20, meaning both sides will now face a double Gameweek 37.
The Gunners face a testing trip to United on the Saturday prior to welcoming the Black Cats, who entertain Leicester before making their way to the Emirates.
Looking at the schedules around those Gameweeks, then, Arsenal will therefore face three home matches (SWA, mun & SUN, WBA) in the final three rounds of fixtures and given they’ve won each of the last eight in front of their own supporters, look poised for a strong finish to the season.
In the short term, though, this means that once this week’s trip to Newcastle is out of the way, Arsenal face home clashes against Liverpool and Chelsea and also have a blank Gameweek 33 to consider in the subsequent four.
Sunderland’s end to the season is far from straightforward, with today’s news handing them three away matches ( eve, LEI & ars, che) in the final three Gameweeks, with only that home clash against the Foxes as a source of optimism.
The Black Cats now travel to West Ham and have back-to-back home encounters against Newcastle and Palace prior to their Gameweek 33 blank.
Today’s news is something of a disappointment for those Fantasy managers who had held back their wildcards in the hope of a bumper double Gameweek. So far, all the fixtures that required rescheduling due to cup postponements have been allocated new dates – leaving QPR and Villa with a double Gameweek 31, Chelsea and Leicester with a double Gameweek 34 and Arsenal and Sunderland with a double Gameweek 37.
The only twist we can hope for surrounds Liverpool’s progress in the FA Cup. If the Reds win their replay at Blackburn, their Gameweek 33 trip to Hull would need rescheduling. Given that their Ewood Park encounter doesn’t take place until April 8, any possible double Gameweek would take place in Gameweek 34 or 37 – it cannot occur in Gameweek 35 or 36 as Champions League or Europa League fixtures take place in midweek and UEFA regulations stipulate that domestic matches should not run concurrently with European matches. A win for Blackburn, though, would scupper our best-laid plans.
