If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that we tend to break down the Premier League schedule into mini-segments. During the first half of the season, that happens around international breaks and the condensed holiday fixtures. In spring, it happens because of The FA Cup and League Cup (currently called the Carabao Cup).
Clubs who advance through those knockout tournaments are unable to also play their previously scheduled Premier League matches. It creates a need for rescheduled fixtures, which leads to “blank gameweeks” and “double gameweeks.”
Double gameweeks are like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) owners. The siren song of 180 minutes, as opposed to the usual 90, for players to score FPL points is hard to resist. As we saw with Manchester City this past week, however, they rarely lead to a payoff in the end.
One thing is certain, though. If your player is guaranteed to play 0 minutes during a blank gameweek, you don’t want him in your FPL lineup. That’s why you have to pay attention to the spring schedule to stay ahead of your competitors and keep getting those green arrows.
To help you, here’s a brief primer on the next month of gameweeks in the Premier League:
Gameweek 26 - From 2/9-2/11 (Saturday-Monday), we will be treated to a regular gameweek, complete with a City-Chelsea matchup on Sunday afternoon.
Gameweek 27 - After a weekend off, we get 8 matches from 2/22-2/24 (Friday-Sunday), thanks to the Carabao Cup final between City and Chelsea. Those two clubs, along with their scheduled PL opponents — Brighton and Everton, will not have a match during GW27. Be prepared.
Gameweek 28 - All 20 clubs will play in this gameweek, but it’s being held on 2/26-2/27 (Tuesday-Wednesday) — another midweek gameweek. Those are often hard to predict, due to the short layoff between GW27 and GW28.
Gameweek 29 - We are back to normal, with all 20 clubs playing on the weekend, 3/2-3/3 (Saturday-Sunday). However, this will mark a third Premier League match for all clubs in one 7-9 days. Predictability may be low once again.
Somehow, the challenges of these spring schedules just makes the game that much more fun, doesn’t it? Enjoy!
