The draw for the EFL Cup semi-finals took place on Wednesday evening after Newcastle United and Manchester City followed Chelsea into the last four.
And here it is:
- Chelsea against Arsenal or Crystal Palace
- Newcastle United-Manchester City
When will the EFL CUP semi-finals be played?
The semi-finals are, as is tradition, a two-legged affair.
The first matches are played in between Game weeks 21 and 22.
And between the second legs there is a battle Game weeks 24 and 25.
WILL THE EFL CUP FINAL CAUSE AN EMPTY GAME WEEK?
Probably.
We are looking far into the future here, with the final not being contested until Sunday, March 22.
That causes a collision with Game week 31 in FPL terms.
We say “probably” because there is a big gap between Game Week 31 and 32, as shown in the calendar below.
A postponed draw could of course not be honored during the March international break following Gameweek 31, but if the EFL Cup finalists were to both out of the FA Cup in the quarter-final, or both eliminated from Europe, then it is possible that it can still be played before Gameweek 32:
FPL SCHEDULE 2025/26
| WEEKEND | MIDWEEK | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat December 13th | GW16 | December 16 – 18 | EFL Cup QF +Con Lge MD6 |
| Sat December 20th | GW17 | December 23 | EFL Cup QF |
| Fri Dec 26 | GW18 | December 30 – January 1 | GW19 |
| Sat January 3 | GW20 | January 6-8 | GW21 |
| Sat January 10th | FA Cup R3 | January 13 – 14 | EFL Cup semi-finals (one) |
| Sat January 17 | GW22 | January 20 – 22 | Champs Lge MD7 + Europe Lge MD7 |
| Sat January 24th | GW23 | January 27 – 29 | Champs Lge MD8 + Europe Lge MD8 |
| Sat January 31st | GW24 | February 3 – 4 | EFL Cup semi-finals (two) |
| Sat February 7 | GW25 | February 10 – 12 | GW26 |
| Sat February 14th | FA Cup R4 | February 17 – 19 | European play-offs |
| Sat February 21st | GW27 | February 24 – 26 | European play-offs |
| Fri Feb 27 | GW28 | March 3 – 5 | GW29 |
| Sat March 7 | FA cup R5 | March 10 – 12 | European round of 16 |
| Sat March 14 | GW30 | March 17 – 19 | European round of 16 |
| Sat March 21 | GW31 + EFL Cup Final | March 24 – 26 | International break |
| Sat March 28 | International break | March 31 – April 2 | International break |
| Sat April 4 | FA Cup QF | April 7 – 9 | European QFs |
| Sat April 11 | GW32 | April 14 – 16 | European QFs |
| Sat April 18 | GW33 | April 21 – 23 | |
| Sat April 25 | GW34 + FA Cup semi-finals | April 28 – 30 | European SFs |
| Sat May 2 | GW35 | May 5 – 7 | European SFs |
| Sat May 9 | GW36 | May 12 – 14 | |
| Sat May 16 | GW37 + FA Cup Final | Wed May 20 | Europe Lge final |
| Sun May 24 | GW38 | Wed May 27 | Conf Lge final |
WHEN ELSE CAN A POSTPONED GAMEWEEK 31 MATCH BE PLAYED?
Then we have free midweeks Game week 33 And Game week 36which could accommodate a cup-dictated postponement. League fixtures affected by the FA Cup semi-finals are also likely to need to be adjusted in these weeks.
The following midweek Game week 37 will also be free for everyone except the Europa League finalists.
If neither EFL Cup finalists are in a European play-off round, slots are also available afterwards Game week 26 And Game week 27.
In all cases a Double Game Week is created.
WHO CAN BLANK IN GAMEWEEK 31?
Crystal Palace and Arsenal will play their quarter-final next Tuesday.
If Palace and Man City both make it to Wembley, we’ll only have one postponed Gameweek 31 match:
| GW31 Premier League match | Status | If the following happens, the match will be postponed |
| Bournemouth v Man Utd | On | |
| Aston Villa vs West Ham | On | |
| Brighton vs Liverpool | On | |
| Everton at Chelsea | Possibly blank | If Chelsea reaching the final of the EFL Cup |
| Fulham vs Burnley | On | |
| Leeds v Brentford | On | |
| Man City vs Crystal Palace | Possibly blank | If Man City and/or Crystal Palace reaching the final of the EFL Cup |
| Newcastle vs Sunderland | Possibly blank | If Newcastle reaching the final of the EFL Cup |
| Spurs v Nottm Forest | On | |
| Wolves vs Arsenal | Possibly blank | If Arsenal reaching the final of the EFL Cup |
So it is still a long way before anything will be known about Blank/Double Gameweeks.
Nothing will be decided before Gameweek 24, at which point the final EFL Cup line-up will be complete. That will be early February.
Even then, we may not immediately get new rescheduled dates to match the Gameweek 31 postponement.
One to be aware of the longer term, instead of worrying too much for the time being.
On to Wednesday’s Scout Notes…
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