Following Friday's provisional fixture announcement, there is a confirmed Double Gameweek 25 (DGW25) in Fantasy Premier League.
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.
Consequently, both sides will be without a fixture in Gameweek 29, making it a Blank Gameweek 29 (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.
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 Blank Gameweek 29.
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.
But if Newcastle progress to the final, they will have a BGW29, while Arsenal and Chelsea will NOT have a DGW25.
Clubs' potential DGW25 fixtures
| Club | Matches |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | LEI (A), CHE (H) |
| Aston Villa | IPS (H), LIV (H) |
| Chelsea | BHA (A), ARS (A) |
| Fulham | NFO (H), TOT (H) |
| Liverpool | WOL (H), AVL (A) |
| Spurs | MUN (H), FUL (A) |
The news could radically alter plans in FPL, especially chip strategies for the weeks ahead.
Use Assistant Manager chip on Slot?
There will be even more interest in the Assistant Manager chip following Friday's announcement.
By activating the chip ahead of DGW24, Fantasy managers COULD now get up to FIVE fixtures over the next three Gameweeks if Liverpool make it through to the EFL Cup final.
FPL managers can change their nominated Assistant Manager with free transfers, even if the Reds fail to progress, meaning Spurs and Fulham have a DGW25 instead.
For example, you could select Arne Slot (£1.5m) or David Moyes (£0.5m) as your Assistant Manager for DGW24, switching to Marco Silva or Ange Postecoglou (both £1.1m) in DGW25 if Spurs make it through to the final.
Save Triple Captain chip for potential DGW25?
If FPL managers aren't using their Assistant Manager chip over the next two Gameweeks, then DGW25 could present another opportunity to use the Triple Captain chip.
Should Liverpool make it through to the EFL Cup final, for instance, then Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) would face Wolves and Villa in DGW25.
The Egyptian hit double-digit scores against both clubs earlier in the reverse fixtures.
Fantasy managers will be eagerly awaiting the results of the EFL Cup semi-final second legs then, with Newcastle against Arsenal on Wednesday 5 February before Liverpool host Spurs a day later.