Clubs confirmed for Double Gameweek 25 and Blank Gameweek 29 ...

The results of this midweek’s EFL Cup semi-final second legs will shape the plans of millions of managers in Fantasy Premier League across the crucial next few Gameweeks, after Newcastle United and Liverpool made it through to the final on Sunday 16 March.

Newcastle United are through to the final following their 4-0 aggregate win over Arsenal at St James’ Park on Wednesday.

Liverpool joined them on Thursday night after overturning a 1-0 first-leg defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, winning the second leg 4-0 at Anfield.

What does the EFL Cup final mean for FPL managers?

The EFL Cup final coincides with the weekend of Gameweek 29 in FPL, which means that the two finalists will have their matches removed from that round of fixtures and therefore have a Blank Gameweek 29 (BGW29).

Newcastle's home encounter with Crystal Palace, which was scheduled for Gameweek 29, will therefore require a new date, which leaves both clubs with a BGW29.

However, it's only Liverpool and Aston Villa who have confirmed their Gameweek 29 match will be moved into Gameweek 25 if they reach the final, creating a Double Gameweek 25 (DGW25).

Essentially, this means they have a DGW25 but ALSO a BGW29.

After Liverpool got the better of Spurs, they now have back-to-back Double Gameweeks, following their current Double Gameweek 24 (DGW24).

The Reds will host Wolverhampton Wanderers and visit Aston Villa, who have a favourable home encounter with Ipswich Town prior to facing the league leaders. 

While Fantasy managers are already heavily invested in Liverpool due to their current DGW24, those who still have their Triple Captain chip remaining should look to play it on Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) for DGW25. Arne Slot (£1.5m) could be a popular alternative using the new Assistant Manager chip. 

Remember, you can only play ONE chip in any Gameweek, so Fantasy managers who played the Assistant Manager chip in DGW24, for example, would not be able to Triple-Captain Salah in DGW25.

Villa's budget midfielder Morgan Rogers (£5.6m) is already found in over 23 per cent of squads, making Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) the big differential here – if he overcomes a knock, that match against Ipswich looks particularly appealing for the 16 per-cent owned forward.

What does the EFL Cup final mean for BGW29?

Newcastle's progress to Wembley essentially means managers will be without the services of Alexander Isak (£9.5m), the most-popular forward in Fantasy, in BGW29.

The Swede is owned by a massive 60 per cent, while his team-mates Lewis Hall (£5.1m) and Anthony Gordon (£7.6m) are also both highly-owned, found in 25 and 22 per cent of squads respectively.

A look at the Magpies' upcoming schedule suggests managers who are tripled-up on their assets should now reconsider their plans.

Newcastle have just FOUR matches in the next five Gameweeks and three of those are against opponents who are currently in the top five - Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. 

That helps to highlight why managers must also now factor BGW29 into their transfer strategy.

Fantasy managers who still have the Free Hit chip to play could use it in BGW29, although the possible repercussions of the FA Cup semi-finals on Gameweek 34 could make that the best time to Free-Hit, as there could be up to EIGHT teams without out a fixture, whereas only two matches, or a maximum of four clubs, will be without a match in BGW29.

It’s therefore vital to find a balance with your moves to successfully navigate the upcoming period, particularly if you plan to bench big-hitters such as Isak and Salah, should the latter also suffer a BGW29.

A good idea is to target those clubs who have a kind schedule over Gameweeks 25-29, which includes one match in both DGW25 and BGW29. 

Target Bournemouth, Brentford and Wolves players

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), AFC Bournemouth are among the best sides to invest in.

Four of the Cherries’ next six matches score just two, including a visit to Southampton next weekend. Milos Kerkez (£4.9m) and Justin Kluivert (£5.9m) are the standout picks here and look great long-term investments. 

Brentford and Wolves each have three matches which score two in the FDR over the next six Gameweeks.

Bees forward Yoane Wissa (£6.3m) could be a great option to pick alongside Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m) against West Ham United, Leicester City and Everton across the next three Gameweeks.

Wolves pair Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.7m) and Matheus Cunha (£6.8m) offer strong options at both ends of the pitch by Gameweek 27, with a trip to Southampton in BGW29 the big draw for Cunha, in particular.