What the EFL Cup semi-final draw means for FPL

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The draw for the EFL Cup semi-finals was made on Wednesday night after Newcastle United and Manchester City followed Chelsea into the last four.

And here it is:

• Chelsea v Arsenal or Crystal Palace
• Newcastle United v Manchester City

WHEN WILL THE EFL CUP SEMI-FINALS BE PLAYED?

The semi-finals are a two-legged affair, as is tradition.

The first legs will be played in between Gameweeks 21 and 22.

And the second legs will be contested between Gameweeks 24 and 25.

WILL THE EFL CUP FINAL CAUSE A BLANK GAMEWEEK?

Likely.

We’re looking way into the future here, with the final not being contested until Sunday 22 March.

That causes a clash with Gameweek 31 in FPL terms.

We say “likely” because there is a big gap between Gameweeks 31 and 32, as shown in the calendar below.

A postponed tie couldn’t be housed during the March international break that follows Gameweek 31, obviously, but should the EFL Cup finalists be both out of the FA Cup by the quarter-final stage, or both eliminated from Europe, then it’s feasible it could still be played before Gameweek 32:

2025/26 FPL SCHEDULE

WEEKEND		MIDWEEK
Sat 13 December	GW16	16 – 18 December	EFL Cup QF + Conf Lge MD6
Sat 20 December	GW17	23 December	EFL Cup QF
Fri 26 December	GW18	30 Dec – 1 January	GW19
Sat 3 January	GW20	6-8 January	GW21
Sat 10 January	FA Cup R3	13 – 14 January	EFL Cup semis (one)
Sat 17 January	GW22	20 – 22 January	Champs Lge MD7 + Europa Lge MD7
Sat 24 January	GW23	27 – 29 January	Champs Lge MD8 + Europa Lge MD8
Sat 31 January	GW24	3 – 4 February	EFL Cup semis (two)
Sat 7 February	GW25	10 – 12 February	GW26
Sat 14 February	FA Cup R4	17 – 19 February	European playoffs
Sat 21 February	GW27	24 – 26 February	European playoffs
Fri 27 February	GW28	3 – 5 March	GW29
Sat 7 March	FA Cup R5	10 – 12 March	European round of 16
Sat 14 March	GW30	17 – 19 March	European round of 16
Sat 21 March	GW31 + EFL Cup final	24 – 26 March	International break
Sat 28 March	International break	31 March – 2 April	International break
Sat 4 April	FA Cup QF	7 – 9 April	European QFs
Sat 11 April	GW32	14 – 16 April	European QFs
Sat 18 April	GW33	21 – 23 April
Sat 25 April	GW34 + FA Cup semis	28 – 30 April	European SFs
Sat 2 May	GW35	5 – 7 May	European SFs
Sat 9 May	GW36	12 – 14 May
Sat 16 May	GW37 + FA Cup final	Wed 20 May	Europa Lge final
Sun 24 May	GW38	Wed 27 May	Conf Lge final

WHEN ELSE COULD A POSTPONED GAMEWEEK 31 MATCH BE PLAYED?

We have free midweeks after Gameweek 33 and Gameweek 36, which could house a cup-dictated postponement. League fixtures impacted by the FA Cup semi-finals will also likely need to be accommodated in these weeks.

The midweek after Gameweek 37 will also be free for everyone bar the Europa League finalists.

If neither EFL Cup finalist is in a European play-off round, there are also possible slots after Gameweek 26 and Gameweek 27.

In all cases, a Double Gameweek will be created.

WHO COULD BLANK IN GAMEWEEK 31?

Crystal Palace and Arsenal will contest their quarter-final next Tuesday.

If Palace and Man City both make it to Wembley, we will only have one postponed Gameweek 31 fixture:

GW31 Premier League fixture	Status	The fixture will be postponed if the following occurs
Bournemouth v Man Utd	On
Aston Villa v West Ham	On
Brighton v Liverpool	On
Everton v Chelsea	Possible blank	If Chelsea reach the EFL Cup final
Fulham v Burnley	On
Leeds v Brentford	On
Man City v Crystal Palace	Possible blank	If Man City and/or Crystal Palace reach the EFL Cup final
Newcastle v Sunderland	Possible blank	If Newcastle reach the EFL Cup final
Spurs v Nottm Forest	On
Wolves v Arsenal	Possible blank	If Arsenal reach the EFL Cup final

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So, it’s a long way off before anything will be known re Blank/Double Gameweeks.

Nothing will be decided before Gameweek 24, after which the EFL Cup final line-up will be complete. That’ll be early February.

Even then, we might not get immediate new rearranged dates to go with the Gameweek 31 postponements.

One to be aware of longer term, rather than fret about too much for now.

Onto the Scout Notes from Wednesday…