Fantasy Premier League managers should expect an abnormally high number of Double Gameweeks this season.
And keeping an eye on when these might crop up is important for those looking to make the most of their chips – especially the Triple Captain.
As a result of the unprecedented coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 2020/21 campaign is the most compressed in modern memory.
Due to a later-than-usual start, there is more pressure on the clashes between league and cup commitments for top-flight teams. This has given schedulers less time to fit in the usual postponements and, of course, we have seen COVID-19 itself put paid to several additional fixtures too.
But when will these inevitable Double Gameweeks surface? And, more importantly, is there anything Fantasy managers can do to pre-empt them and take the rearrangements in their stride?
In this article, we will look at the three specific Premier League clubs involved in the EFL Cup semi-finals, considering the possible scheduling headaches in store for each of them.
Before dive in, it is worth pointing out that these scenarios are not predictions. In each case, they illustrate the fixture pile-up that would result from continued success for each team on all cup fronts in Europe, the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
This should help clarify where Double Gameweeks could feature, as things stand. Further opportunities may open up, depending on the configuration and timing of future Cup defeats though.
The most recent rearrangements involved Burnley v Manchester United and Manchester City v Aston Villa, which have gone into Blank Gameweek 18 and Double Gameweek 19 respectively.
There are currently a further four matches awaiting date reassignments, each of them postponed because of COVID-19 outbreaks.
- Aston Villa v Newcastle (Gameweek 11)
- Everton v Manchester City (Gameweek 16)
- Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham (Gameweek 16)
- Burnley v Fulham (Gameweek 17)
Barring coordinated early FA Cup exits or some scheduling wizardry, it is unlikely that any of these fixtures will be reassigned before Gameweek 23.
Manchester City
Matches to be rescheduled:
- Gameweek 16: Everton (away)
Future possible Cup-related postponements:
- Gameweek 29 (FA Cup quarter-finals): Wolves (home)
- Gameweek 32 (FA Cup semi-finals): Aston Villa (away)
- Gameweek 33 (EFL Cup final): Southampton (home)
- Gameweek 37 (FA Cup final): Brighton (away)
On the assumption Manchester City continue to progress on all fronts this season, there are currently five available midweek slots to accommodate any rescheduled matches. These are Gameweeks 24, 26, 27, 32 and 37.
Gameweeks 32 and 37 look unlikely to become a Double for Pep Guardiola’s men as both the Aston Villa and Brighton matches can drop into the immediately subsequent midweek slots if rearrangements need to happen.
We will know whether or not Manchester City are competing in Gameweek 33’s EFL Cup final a few days after Gameweek 17.
The midweek following the final is set aside for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Given the last-sixteen ties will only be completed during midweek of Gameweek 28, any postponement for Southampton’s league trip to the Etihad Stadium fixture would likely be arranged early to form either a Double Gameweek 24, 26 or 27.
Gameweek 29 is scheduled to coincide with the FA Cup quarter-finals and immediately proceeds the March international break.
As the quarter-final ties will be determined following the fifth-round matches during the midweek of Gameweek 23, any rescheduling of Manchester City’s home game against Wolves in Gameweek 29 could drop into Gameweek 26 or 27.
The postponed trip to Everton from Gameweek 16 should also feature in either Gameweek 24, 26 or 27.
As a result, continued progress on all Cup fronts could result in four Double Gameweeks for Manchester City between Gameweeks 19 and 27.
This possible scenario illustrates how little room for manoeuvre there is for schedulers. A further COVID-19 postponement for Guardiola’s men could foreseeably force a compressed midweek Double Gameweek toward the end of the campaign, or even delay the end of the season for some clubs.
Manchester United
Manchester United matches to be rescheduled:
- None (at time of writing)
Future possible Cup-related postponements:
- Gameweek 29 (FA Cup quarter-finals): Crystal Palace (away)
- Gameweek 32 (FA Cup semi-finals): Burnley (home)
- Gameweek 33 (EFL Cup final): Leeds (away)
- Gameweek 37 (FA Cup final): Fulham (home)
On the assumption Manchester United continue to progress on all cup fronts, there are just three available midweek slots to accommodate any rescheduled matches.
This reduced number compared to their City rivals is due to the extra knockout round the Europa League features over the Champions League.
The available midweek slots in question are in Gameweeks 26, 32 and 37.
Therefore, progression on all fronts for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s in-form squad will likely lead to a compressed Double Gameweek toward the end of the season, perhaps in Gameweek 37.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs matches to be rescheduled:
- Gameweek 16: Fulham (home)
Future possible Cup-related postponements:
- Gameweek 29 (FA Cup quarter-finals): Southampton (home)
- Gameweek 32 (FA Cup semi-finals): Everton (away)
- Gameweek 33 (EFL Cup final): Fulham (away)
- Gameweek 37 (FA Cup final): Aston Villa (home)
Like Manchester United, Spurs’ involvement in the Europa League could hamper their domestic scheduling.
And with their Gameweek 16 match also requiring rearranging, the result could rise to five rescheduled fixtures, with only three remaining midweek slots to accommodate them: Gameweeks 26, 32 and 37.
This is another scenario that could lead to a compressed midweek Double Gameweek toward the end of the season.
I hope these example scenarios have whetted your appetite for future Double Gameweeks.
It must be said that Premier League schedulers have their work cut out for them right now and will have even more on their hands in the coming weeks and months.
The question some Fantasy managers should be asking themselves in light of this information is: will you still be playing your Triple Captain chip in Double Gameweek 19?
It is clear that 2020/21 has the potential to feature more Double Gameweeks than any other previous season. The chances of the perfect moment to deploy the Triple Captain arising at some point between now and the end of the campaign are certainly high indeed.
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