What is happening in Gameweek 8?
The Premier League have now announced what is happening in Gameweek 8. The sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has meant that there have been some changes made to the Gameweek 8 fixture list. Here we explain what Gameweek 8 now looks like and what this means for FPL managers.
The Premier League statement confirms that there are some changes to the fixtures in Gameweek 8.
Seven of the 10 Premier League fixtures originally scheduled to be played in Gameweek 8 will be played as normal. However, three of the scheduled matches will be postponed as a result of the The Queen’s funeral on Monday 19th of September.
The following fixtures are postponed:
- Brighton v Crystal Palace
- Chelsea v Liverpool
- Manchester United v Leeds
There will also be changes in kick off times for some of the other scheduled fixtures.
Premier League Statement
The rest of the Premier League statement read:
Following extensive consultation with clubs, police, local Safety Advisory Groups and other relevant authorities, there was no other option but to postpone the three fixtures.
The Premier League would like to thank the UK Football Policing Unit and other police forces across the country, as well as our broadcast partners, for their support during this process, and will continue to liaise with them ahead of the weekend.
For the matches being played during the period of National Mourning, tributes will be paid to The Queen at Premier League stadiums.
New dates for the postponed matches will be announced in due course.
The Premier League statement: 12/9/2022
What does this mean for FPL?
The postponement of three matches will mean that FPL managers will have to sell or bench assets from the following clubs:
- Brighton
- Crystal Palace
- Chelsea
- Liveprool
- Leeds
- Manchester United
Managers could play their Free Hit chip if they wanted to keep their assets from these clubs.
What should Wildcarding managers do?
Those managers who are currently on a Wildcard, should consider whether they sell players without a fixture in Gameweek 8. Players such as Mo Salah (£12.9m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) and Reece James (£6.0m) now will not play until after International break. This means Wildcarding managers will have to decide whether to sell them, or place them on the bench in Gameweek 8.
Managers can hold four players without a fixture in Gameweek 8 whilst still fielding 11 players for the Gameweek. However, it maybe better for managers to redistribute the money invested in these premium assets rather than benching them.
Wildcarding managers should look beyond the Gameweek 8 postponements too. By targeting the Gameweek 9-16 fixtures they can ensure that their Wildcard has longevity.
What teams could Free Hit managers target?
With premium assets from Clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea not playing in Gameweek 9 Free Hit teams can target other expensive assets.
Torrenham’s Harry Kane (£11.m) has an excellent record against Leicester having returned in five of the last six matches against the Foxes. Kane averages 9.00 points per match against Leicester in the 14 appearances he has made against them. With the additional money managers have by not investing in Salah on a Free Hit managers can have the likes of Kane alongside Haaland.
