FA Cup quarter-finals create unusual double Gameweek 29 but Dream Team bosses can take advantage
AS the international break draws to a close, Dream Team demands the spotlight once again.
And gaffers will need their wits about them as Gameweek 29 is a unique one to navigate.
For starters, Dream Team managers should be aware that the deadline falls at the unusual time of 10:45pm on Saturday morning.
This weekend plays host to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a full round of Premier League games to follow in midweek.
Consequently, the seven top-flight sides in action this weekend are the only teams with TWO fixtures to fulfil in Gameweek 29.
And since more games generally equals more points, Dream Team bosses should be focused on these double headers.
GAMEWEEK 29 DOUBLE HEADERS
- MANCHESTER CITY vs Bournemouth (a) & Leicester (h)
- ASTON VILLA vs Preston (a) & Brighton (a)
- CRYSTAL PALACE vs Fulham (a) & Southampton (a)
- BOURNEMOUTH vs Man City (h) & Ipswich (h)
- FULHAM vs Crystal Palace (h) & Arsenal (a)
- BRIGHTON vs Nottingham Forest (h) & Aston Villa (h)
- NOTTINGHAM FOREST vs Brighton (a) & Man Utd (h)
Pep Guardiola’s side have dropped several levels this season and a trip to the Vitality Stadium is certainly no easy task – the Cherries won the same match-up in the league earlier this season.
However, City’s second fixture is one of the most favourable the top flight has to offer as the Foxes have conceded more goals on the road than any other team in 2024/25.
Forwards Erling Haaland (£7.8m) and Omar Marmoush (£4.3m) have to be considered strong options.
The Villains are the only team due to face lower-league opposition in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Unai Emery’s troops travel to Deepdale to face a Preston side currently in the bottom half of the Championship.
Predicting Villa’s starting line-up on Sunday isn’t all that easy but the likes of Morgan Rogers (£3.9m), Ollie Watkins (£5.2m) and Marco Asensio (£4.1m) could feast if given the opportunity.
Looking further ahead, Villa are the only team still active in the FA Cup with a European quarter-final in the diary for April.
Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are in the same position as Man City in that their midweek league match-up looks very appealing on paper.
The Eagles will visit relegation-bound Southampton next Wednesday.
Daniel Munoz (£5.4m), Eberechi Eze (£4.5m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£4.5m) are all viable selections – the latter is expected to be available following his ear injury.
As for the Cherries, they will host 18th-placed Ipswich in midweek.
Justin Kluivert (£4m), Antoine Semenyo (£4.2m) and Milos Kerkez (£3.7m) are Bournemouth’s top performers this season and all three could take advantage of the Tractor Boys’ increasingly poor form.
Gaffers hoping to benefit from the Magic of the Cup have several tempting options to mull over before the Gameweek 29 deadline.
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