The results of domestic cup matches can help managers in Fantasy Premier League start preparing for both Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29) and Blank Gameweek 34 (BGW34).
A Blank Gameweek is a Gameweek containing fewer than the normal 10 matches, where some clubs don't play a Premier League fixture, and players from those teams score ZERO points in FPL.
EFL Cup so far
In the EFL Cup semi-final first legs in January, Newcastle United won 2-0 at Arsenal, while Tottenham Hotspur beat Liverpool 1-0.
The second legs take place this month, when Newcastle face Arsenal on Wednesday 5 February and Liverpool welcome Spurs to Anfield 24 hours later.
The winners of the semi-finals then face each other in the final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 16 March. As a result, those two clubs will be unable to play their scheduled Premier League fixture that weekend, in Gameweek 29, so both clubs would have a Blank Gameweek in Fantasy, and the same would apply to their scheduled Premier League opponents.
Two of the following four matches will be removed from Gameweek 29 due to the EFL Cup final, because two of the four clubs in bold will be playing at Wembley instead.
Which matches could blank in GW29?
Arsenal v Chelsea
Aston Villa v Liverpool
Fulham v Spurs
Newcastle v Crystal Palace
Should Liverpool overcome a 1-0 deficit in their EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur, both the Reds and Aston Villa will have a DGW25 and a BGW29.
Liverpool's DGW25 would consist of a home match against Wolves and a trip to Villa, with Unai Emery's side hosting Ipswich in their other DGW25 fixture.
But if Spurs make it through to the EFL Cup final, both they and Fulham would INSTEAD have a DGW25 and a BGW29, and Liverpool and Villa would NOT have a DGW25 and a BGW29.
Spurs' Double would see them face Manchester United at home and travel to Fulham, with Marco Silva's men welcoming Nottingham Forest in their other DGW25 fixture.
In the other EFL Cup semi-final, Arsenal currently trail Newcastle United 2-0 after the first leg. Should they turn around the tie and make it through to the final, the Gunners and Chelsea would ALSO have a DGW25 and a BGW29.
Arsenal's DGW25 would consist of a trip to Leicester City and a home fixture to Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca's side visiting Brighton & Hove Albion in their other DGW25 fixture.
If Newcastle hold onto their lead against Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final and reach the final, the Magpies' home match against Crystal Palace would be removed from Gameweek 29.
Which highly-owned players could be impacted?
The big news here would obviously be that Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) - the top-scoring and most-owned player in Fantasy – would have a DGW25, but a BGW29.
A Double Gameweek is where there are more than 10 fixtures, with at least one club playing TWICE in one Fantasy Gameweek. Players from that club get two chances to score FPL points.
Salah’s relentless form in 2024/25 Fantasy shows why many managers will plan to play their Triple Captain chip on him in a Double Gameweek.
But it's worth remembering that if you activated your Assistant Manager chip in DGW24, you are not able to play another chip until Gameweek 27.
Villa would also have a DGW25 and BGW29 if Liverpool go through, with Morgan Rogers (£5.6m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) the main players effected, currently sat in 23 and 16 per cent of squads respectively.
It’s fair to say that a semi-final win for Spurs would cause considerably less disruption to managers’ attacks in Fantasy.
There are no Spurs midfielders or forwards selected in more than 10 per cent of squads, with Pedro Porro (£5.4m) the most-popular asset, owned by 20 per cent of managers.
Fulham, meanwhile, who would also have a DGW25 and BGW29 if Spurs progress, only have one player selected by over 10 per cent of managers in Antonee Robinson (£5.1m), who boasts an ownership of 25 per cent.
If Newcastle are able to overcome Arsenal and have a BGW29, this would have a major effect in Fantasy.
Alexander Isak's (£9.5m) ownership of 60 per cent makes him the most-popular forward in Fantasy and third most-picked player overall.
His team-mates Lewis Hall (£5.1m) and Anthony Gordon (£7.6m) are also highly-owned picks.
But should Arsenal recover and make it through to the EFL Cup final and have a BGW29, David Raya (£5.6m), the most-popular goalkeeper, selected by 27 per cent, and centre-backs William Saliba (£6.2m) and Gabriel (£6.4m), the most-popular defenders in the game, would all be without a fixture, instead benefiting from a DGW25.
This scenario would also mean that Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£11.3m), the second most-popular player overall in 2024/25 Fantasy, sat in 64 per cent of squads, would have a DGW25 and a BGW29.
What does this mean for FPL chip strategy?
If you didn't choose to play the Assistant Manager chip in DGW24, you could use it on whichever Assistant Manager gets a DGW25, providing four matches to score points in across the next three Gameweeks.
How FA Cup affects Gameweek 34
The four clubs who reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup this season are expected to have a BGW34, because both of those cup ties take place on the same weekend as Premier League matches.
Seventeen of the 20 Premier League clubs progressed through the third round to reach the fourth round at the weekend. Only Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham United were knocked out.
Those three clubs are now free to play their scheduled Premier League fixtures in Gameweek 34. However, they will need their opponents to be available too, so those opponents will also need to also be knocked out of the cup in the fourth round, fifth round or quarter-finals.
At least one of the fixtures below, and up to four, will be removed from Gameweek 34 because of clubs being involved in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Which matches could blank in GW34?*
Arsenal v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v Man Utd
Brighton v West Ham
Chelsea v Everton
Liverpool v Spurs
Man City v Aston Villa
Newcastle v Ipswich
Nottingham Forest v Brentford
Southampton v Fulham
Wolves v Leicester
*Clubs in bold are still in the FA Cup
At least four more Premier League clubs will be eliminated in the fourth round because there are four all-Premier League ties.
Manchester United host Leicester City, while Brighton & Hove Albion face Chelsea. Everton entertain AFC Bournemouth, and Spurs visit Aston Villa.
The fourth round will be played on the weekend of 8-9 February.
FA Cup fourth-round ties for Premier League clubs
Man Utd v Leicester City
Brighton v Chelsea
Exeter City v Nottingham Forest
Coventry City v Ipswich Town
Blackburn Rovers v Wolves
Mansfield/Wigan v Fulham
Birmingham City v Newcastle United
Plymouth Argyle v Liverpool
Everton v AFC Bournemouth
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Leyton Orient/Derby v Man City
Doncaster Rovers v Crystal Palace
If Crystal Palace, Brighton and Nottingham Forest are eliminated from the FA Cup in the fourth round then their Premier League fixtures can go ahead as scheduled in Gameweek 34, because their opponents have already been eliminated from the cup.
Are there fewer Blank Gameweeks in FPL this season?
Historically, managers have saved their chips to navigate Blank Gameweeks or maximise points returns from Double Gameweeks.
Yet despite the impending BGW29, there are expected to be fewer, and smaller, Blank and Double Gameweeks this season, which could result in a change in managers' strategies.
In previous seasons, the FA Cup quarter-finals have also clashed with Premier League fixtures, often resulting in the biggest Blank Gameweek of the campaign. Indeed, last season there were only FOUR Premier League fixtures on that weekend.
However, a change to the football calendar in 2024/25 means that the FA Cup quarter-finals will now take place on a weekend in late March when there AREN'T any Premier League matches also taking place, so there will be no clash of fixtures.
With the Assistant Manager chip also now available, there looks to be an increasing number of tactical approaches available to managers during the second half of the campaign.