Man City, Burnley, Chelsea and Brighton will all play twice in Double Gameweek 33
Wins for Manchester City and Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday means Fantasy Premier League managers now have a clearer picture of which clubs have an upcoming Double Gameweek 33 (DGW33) and a Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34).
As a reminder, a “Double Gameweek” is when a club play TWO Premier League fixtures in a round of matches, and their players get two chances to score points.
A Blank Gameweek occurs when at least two top-flight clubs DON’T have a Premier League fixture in a particular Gameweek.
Man City’s 4-0 victory over Liverpool and Chelsea’s 7-0 win over League One’s Port Vale, ensured both clubs progressed to the FA Cup semi-finals, which will be played on the same weekend (Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April) as Gameweek 34 in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s side will have their match against Burnley removed from Gameweek 34 and play them in Gameweek 33 instead.
Man City have a tough opening Gameweek 33 match at home to Arsenal prior to their visit to Burnley, who travel to Nottingham Forest beforehand.
Elsewhere, Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion will also feature twice in Gameweek 33.
The Blues host Manchester United and the Seagulls travel to Tottenham Hotspur in their first matches, before the clubs meet at the Amex Stadium for their second fixtures.
Who has a DGW33 and BGW34?
Club
DGW33
Brighton
Spurs (A), Chelsea (H)
Burnley
Nott’m Forest (A), Man City (H)
Chelsea
Man Utd (H), Brighton (A)
Man City
Arsenal (H), Burnley (A)
As many as two more matches could be removed from the Gameweek 34 schedule, which means up to EIGHT clubs will have a DGW33 and a BGW34.
This is why many managers are planning to play their Wildcard in Gameweek 32, loading up on players who will have two matches in DGW33.
The idea is to then play your Bench Boost chip in DGW33 if you still have it, potentially earning points from up to 30 matches (15 players with two matches), as opposed to the usual 11 in a typical single Gameweek.
By then playing the Free Hit chip in BGW34 if you still have it, you can bring in a one-week squad to help you navigate that reduced round of matches.
Certainly, the appeal of investing heavily in Man City is further lifted because they still have another match to be rescheduled, at home to Crystal Palace, which is likely to lead to another Double Gameweek for both clubs later in the season.
As you can see, there is one more FA Cup quarter-final match taking place TODAY. Arsenal visit Southampton at 20:00 BST, with West Ham v Leeds following on Sunday in the final tie of the round.
Remaining FA Cup quarter-final ties
Southampton v Arsenal, Saturday 4 April 20:00 BST
West Ham v Leeds, Sunday 5 April 16:30 BST
If Arsenal reach the FA Cup semi-finals: DGW33 and BGW34 for Arsenal and Newcastle
Arsenal: Man City (A), Newcastle (H)
Newcastle: Bournemouth (H), Arsenal (A)
Should Arsenal defeat Southampton in tonight’s last match, they would have a DGW33 against Man City and Newcastle United, with the Magpies hosting AFC Bournemouth in their opening match.
But if Arsenal lose, however, their match against Newcastle in Gameweek 34 will go ahead as planned, and neither club will have a DGW33 or a BGW34.
We will know the full picture by tomorrow evening, with West Ham United’s FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds United due to finish at 18:15 BST.
If West Ham reach the FA Cup semi-finals: DGW33 and BGW34 for West Ham and Everton
West Ham: Crystal Palace (A), Everton (H)
Everton: Liverpool (H), West Ham (A)
West Ham will get a DGW33 if they beat Leeds United in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers would visit Palace and entertain Everton, who host Liverpool in their first match.
OR
If Leeds reach the FA Cup semi-finals: DGW33 and BGW34 for Leeds and Bournemouth
Leeds: Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A)
Bournemouth: Newcastle (A), Leeds (H)
Should Leeds defeat West Ham, they will be the ones with the DGW33 and BGW34.
Daniel Farke’s side are at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to visiting AFC Bournemouth, who travel to Newcastle in their first match.