With FA Cup and EFL Cup ties taking place over the next week, The Scout explains how these matches can cause postponements in the Premier League which have implications for Fantasy Premier League, and why FPL managers should keep an eye on the results.
What are Blank and Double Gameweeks?
A Blank Gameweek contains fewer than the normal 10 matches, with at least one club having no Premier League fixture, and players from such a club having no chance of scoring Fantasy points.
A Double Gameweek contains more than the normal 10 fixtures, with at least one club playing two Premier League fixtures in one Gameweek, and players from that club getting two chances to score Fantasy points.
The four FPL chips - Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost - can be very useful for solving the problems caused by Blank Gameweeks and capitalising on the opportunities presented by Double Gameweeks.
What causes Blank and Double Gameweeks?
Typically in Fantasy, Blank and Double Gameweeks occur when they coincide with the latter stages of domestic cup matches.
This season, for example, the first anticipated Blank Gameweek is Gameweek 31, which is scheduled to take place on the same weekend as the EFL Cup final on 22 March.
The two Wembley finalists and their current Gameweek 31 opponents will need to have their Premier League matches rescheduled and moved to another date, meaning they will have a “Blank Gameweek 31” (BGW31).
If those matches are given a new date in a Gameweek when the clubs also have another league match, this would give them two fixtures in a Gameweek, which is known as a “Double Gameweek”.
However, as we saw only last season, adverse weather conditions can also lead to unexpected Blank and Double Gameweeks and force managers to revise their strategies.
The derby clash between Everton and Liverpool was originally scheduled for Gameweek 16 but had to be postponed because of Storm Darragh, so both clubs ended up having a Double Gameweek 24.
Who could have a Blank Gameweek 31?
At present, the EFL Cup is currently at the semi-final stage, with four Premier League clubs still involved – Newcastle United face Manchester City in the first leg next week, while Chelsea face Arsenal.
The second legs will be played in early February.
EFL Cup semi-final dates
Tue 13 Jan: Newcastle v Man City (first leg)
Wed 14 Jan: Chelsea v Arsenal (first leg)
Tue 3 Feb: Arsenal v Chelsea (second leg)
Wed 4 Feb: Man City v Newcastle (second leg)
The Gameweek 31 schedule below shows there are four matches (with an asterisk) currently under threat of a postponement: Chelsea’s visit to Everton, Man City’s home clash with Crystal Palace, Newcastle’s derby encounter with Sunderland and Arsenal’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Gameweek 31 schedule
Aston Villa v West Ham
Bournemouth v Man Utd
Brighton v Liverpool
*Everton v Chelsea
Fulham v Burnley
Leeds v Brentford
*Man City v Crystal Palace
*Newcastle v Sunderland
Spurs v Nott’m Forest
*Wolves v Arsenal
From an FPL perspective, managers will essentially know the two finalists – and the four clubs with a BGW31 - two days before the Gameweek 25 deadline of 18:30 GMT on Friday 6 February.
However, due to logistical reasons, we may not also know when those matches will be rescheduled - or when they will have a Double Gameweek confirmed - prior to that Gameweek 25 deadline.
Who could have a Blank Gameweek 34?
The latter stages of the FA Cup will also cause a Blank Gameweek towards the end of the season.
As you can see from the dates below, the semi-finals are on the weekend beginning Saturday 25 April, which coincides with Gameweek 34.
This means that any Premier League clubs who reach this stage – along with their respective Gameweek 34 opponents – would have a Blank Gameweek 34.
FA Cup round dates
Third round: Friday 9 January
Fourth round: Saturday 14 February
Fifth round: Saturday 7 March
Quarter-final: Saturday 4 April
Semi-final: Saturday 25 April
Final: Saturday 16 May
The competition’s third-round stage got under way on Friday 9 January when Nottingham Forest visit Wrexham, losing on penalties.
Notably, there are four all-Premier League match-ups over the third round.
Everton v Sunderland, Newcastle v AFC Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa all take place on Saturday 10 January, with Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion coming the following day.
At present, ALL of the Gameweek 34 Premier League matches remain under threat of postponement at this early point, but managers will get a clearer picture of the schedule as the competition progresses, so it will be worth keeping an eye on the results.
FA Cup third-round matches involving Premier League clubs
Friday 9 January
Wrexham 3-3 Nottingham Forest (4-3 on penalties)
Saturday 10 January
Macclesfield v Crystal Palace
Everton v Sunderland
Wolves v Shrewsbury
Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford
Newcastle v Bournemouth
Fulham v Middlesbrough
Man City v Exeter City
Burnley v Millwall
Spurs v Aston Villa
Charlton v Chelsea
Sunday 11 January
Derby v Leeds
Portsmouth v Arsenal
West Ham v Queens Park Rangers
Man Utd v Brighton
Monday 12 January
Liverpool v Barnsley