The potential FA Cup Final impact on FPL Gameweek 37
Saturday evening’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Liverpool may have given us clues about their midweek line-ups.
FA Cup Final
It was a case of deja vu at Wembley, as Saturday’s FA Cup final mirrored the Carabao Cup final of February. Both times, a goalless draw between Chelsea and Liverpool ended with the Reds winning the subsequent penalty shootout.
Yet it was an entertaining 0-0, containing 27 goal attempts and three shots that hit the woodwork. The shootout went to sudden death, where Mason Mount eventually missed and Kostas Tsimikas converted his spot-kick to seal victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Chelsea XI
Surprisingly, Thomas Tuchel made only one change from Wednesday night’s win over Leeds. It saw Thiago Silva come in for Andreas Christensen at centre-back. To compile the misery of Kai Havertz owners who watched him only play one minute of Double Gameweek 36, Tuchel says he has a hamstring issue.
“We did a last test with Kai. He did not train yesterday because of hamstring problems and we thought if he trains he would injure himself so we left him out. We tried everything medically and a last test today in the morning but it was not better and not possible.”
Chelsea haven’t yet sealed third place, so it could be a fairly strong side to face Leicester (H) on Thursday. It’s also a good habit for managers to follow a high-profile defeat with an immediate victory. In fact, the Blues have now lost three successive FA Cup finals.
FPL managers will be nervous about the game time of Mount, Reece James and Marcos Alonso. All three played the whole 120 minutes, so there could instead be some Cesar Azpilicueta, Saul or Hakim Ziyech.
Liverpool XI
The main story for FPL managers is undoubtedly the injury suffered by Mohamed Salah. He had to be withdrawn in the 33rd minute and – with the Champions League final coming up – is unlikely to face Southampton (a) on Tuesday night.
“I think Mo is a bit more [serious] than Virg. Both are really OK. I think they both will be fine but not [for Tuesday]… maybe, we have training tomorrow morning. Maybe they will tell me they are completely fine. I would be surprised.” – Jurgen Klopp
Klopp is also referring to the later removal of Virgil van Dijk, who himself said: “Hopefully not (serious). We’ll see if I can make other games.”
Overnight, it has already made Salah the most-sold player of the week, having been transferred out by over 640,000 managers. Those on a Free Hit can benefit from this without any problem but other managers will likely use this to purchase the likes of Son Heung-min, Kevin De Bruyne or even Diogo Jota.
By winning the FA Cup, Liverpool have kept their quadruple hopes alive but Klopp hinted that he believes the Premier League dream is over. This, combined with playing 120 minutes at Wembley, could see many changes against the Saints.
“I have no clue – really no clue in this moment – who I can line up on Tuesday. I think we will have to make a few changes. Robbo [Robertson] had a cramp, so that’s obviously normal and completely fine.”
Therefore, there are strong doubts over Salah and van Dijk, alongside a potential start for Kostas Tsimikas over Andrew Robertson. Perhaps it’s the turn of Trent Alexander-Arnold or Luis Diaz to get a rest, with Roberto Firmino still making the front three tough to predict.
With the deadline imminent, some big decisions will take place within the FPL community.
Elsewhere on Fantasy Football Community
With minutes to go until the Gameweek 37 deadline at 10:30 (GMT), quickly check out our look at the best Free Hit options in goal, defence, midfield and up front. Also, a round-up of what the FPL community are talking about.
