England’s exit to France in the FIFA World Cup 2022 quarter-finals could have an impact on the plans of managers in Fantasy Premier League.
The 2-1 defeat means that a host of popular picks in Fantasy will have over two weeks' rest before the domestic campaign gets back under way on Monday 26 December.
By contrast, they would have just over one week of rest if they had beaten France to reach the semi-finals, as the third-place playoff and the final take place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 December respectively.
England players set to be in demand
Harry Kane (£11.6m) was England’s top performer over the tournament, scoring twice and supplying three assists.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward could now pick up in popularity during the current unlimited free transfers period ahead of Gameweek 17 as a replacement for Arsenal's injured striker Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m).
There will also be increased interest in midfielders such as Leicester City's James Maddison (£8.2m), Manchester City star Phil Foden (£8.3m), Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka (£8.0m) and Manchester United's Marcus Rashford (£6.7m).
Combined with the exit of Portugal to Morocco, Saturday's results mean the most popular defenders in Fantasy, Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier (£5.9m) and Man City's Joao Cancelo (£7.4m), have been eliminated from the World Cup.
Notably, neither player has started their nation’s recent fixtures and now seem unlikely to be rotated for their clubs.
Man Utd's Portuguese pair Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m) and Diogo Dalot (£4.8m) both have the schedule to make an immediate impact on Fantasy.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR), seven of their next nine matches score just two.
Perisic heads stars still in Qatar
Spurs pair Ivan Perisic (£5.5m) and Cristian Romero (£4.9m) will go head-to-head in Tuesday’s semi-final when Croatia face Argentina.
Perisic has produced a goal and two assists while playing as a left winger for a Croatia side that has also included Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic (£4.9m).
Romero, meanwhile, was among five Premier League stars named in Argentina’s starting line-up last time out, along with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (£4.9m), Man Utd's Lisandro Martinez (£4.5m), Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister (£5.4m) and Man City forward Julian Alvarez (£6.0m).
FIFA World Cup 2022 semi-finals
12 Dec Argentina v Croatia
13 Dec France v Morocco
