The festive Fantasy Premier League (FPL) schedule is always a busy one, with games coming thick and fast &#8211; but what do fantasy managers need to look out for over Christmas and New Year?
From midweek deadlines to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Asian Cup, we cover everything you need to know as December approaches.

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Last updated: 20/12/23 (Provisional AFCON squads announced)
<h2>Seven FPL gameweeks in a month</h2>
The first thing to note is just how busy the next few weeks will be for Premier League teams.
There are seven FPL gameweeks in December, with three midweek deadlines and quick turnarounds between some gameweeks.
Those in Europe also face the final round of group games between Gameweek 16 and 17.
And to complicate things further, the Carabao Cup quarter-finals are squeezed in between Gameweek 17 and 18. This affects Everton, Fulham, Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham, with the latter four also involved in Europe.
The FPL deadlines are as follows:
<ul>
<li>Gameweek 14: 13:30, Saturday, December 2</li>
<li>Gameweek 15: 18:00, Tuesday, December 5</li>
<li>Gameweek 16: 11:00, Saturday, December 9</li>
<li>Gameweek 17: 18:30, Friday, December 15</li>
<li>Gameweek 18: 18:30, Thursday, December 21</li>
<li>Gameweek 19: 11:00, Tuesday, December 26</li>
<li>Gameweek 20: 11:00, Saturday, December 30</li>
</ul>
Some teams&#8217; Gameweek 18-20 fixtures are closer together than others, as can be seen in this fixture grid from Hub partner <a href="https://ffstuff.co.uk/FixtureList.php?GT=FPL&amp;L=PL">FFStuff</a> below.
Brighton&#8217;s fixtures are well spread out, playing on the first day of Gameweek 18 and the last of Gameweek 20.
But others are less fortunate, with Wolves and Chelsea facing games on the Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday.
<div id="attachment_59908" style="width: 754px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59908" class="size-full wp-image-59908" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Christmas-fixture-schedule.jpg" alt="The Christmas and new year fixture FPL schedule" width="744" height="469" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Christmas-fixture-schedule.jpg 744w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Christmas-fixture-schedule-300x189.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Christmas-fixture-schedule-610x385.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px" />The festive fixture schedule. Source: FFStuff</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>How should FPL managers tackle the busy Christmas schedule?</h3>
Teams like Wolves and Chelsea may be forced into rotating their starting 11s given their schedule, although this period often throws up a few surprise lineups across the board.
One way to tackle this is having good squad depth, with bench options who are likely to play regular minutes and ready to come in when required.
Speaking about the upcoming fixtures in a recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFSz1CIbNZI">Green Arrow</a> podcast, the Hub&#8217;s <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-team-reveal-rich-clarke">Rich Clarke</a>, one of the best FPL managers of all time, said:
<blockquote>&#8220;The typical template team mainly features players from Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham and Villa and Newcastle at the moment, and all of those teams have European football. It feels like every hour, every non-Premier League match there&#8217;s a piece of news about a player being flagged or not starting.
&#8220;It&#8217;s mainly caused by the fixture congestion and the sheer amount of games that 13-15 players in our squad have every week.
&#8220;It really does suggest to me that you&#8217;ve got to have a deep bench. You&#8217;ve got to have some players in reserve that will come on and at least score you some appearance points and possibly some returns in the absence of injuries and rotations. I&#8217;m playing with a deep bench and I&#8217;m glad I&#8217;ve got one.&#8221;</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_49155" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49155" class="size-full wp-image-49155" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/isak.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="729" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/isak.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/isak-300x214.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/isak-768x547.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/isak-610x434.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/isak-400x284.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Alexander Isak and Newcastle are one of many teams facing a punishing schedule. Picture by Getty Images.</div>
&nbsp;
And Hub team revealer <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/team-reveals/bigmanbakar">BigManBakar</a> noted on last week&#8217;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkIEF_0uujg">Green Arrow</a> how saving transfers was also a helpful strategy. He said:
<blockquote>&#8220;Firstly, it becomes important to pick players who are likely to play the highest number of minutes.
&#8220;Secondly, it becomes important to carry two free transfers. Having two free transfers in a  period where random rotations or benchings can hit is going to be very important. This is the kind of period where I wouldn&#8217;t recommend making luxury transfers &#8211; say there&#8217;s a high-upside pick that appeals for just one week I won&#8217;t go for him necessarily because the transfer could be used elsewhere.&#8221;</blockquote>
<h2>Blank Gameweek 18 &#8211; and Double Gameweek 20?</h2>
Manchester City and Brentford have no fixture in Gameweek 18, creating the first blank gameweek of the season.
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This is due to City&#8217;s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, with the semi-final and final taking place on Tuesday, December 19 and Friday, December 22 in Saudi Arabia.
Coping without Erling Haaland (£13.9mm) and Bryan Mbeumo (£6.9m) was the main concern for fantasy managers but Mbeumo&#8217;s injury in Gameweek 15 may have helped some avoid the need for a <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/what-is-the-free-hit-chip-in-fpl-and-how-can-we-use-it">Free Hit</a>.
Our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/ai-team-rating">Hub AI</a> can help with planning, with <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/transfers">recommended transfers</a> and weekly best <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/ai-teams">Free Hit and Wildcard</a> squads.
Bear in mind though that these two teams will have a double gameweek as a result.
The date for this has not been confirmed and the likelihood of it coming as soon as Gameweek 20 is now remote.
<h2>New Year: Split gameweek returns</h2>
Following the conclusion of Gameweek 20, things start to settle down.
The Premier League <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/news/3616087">mid-season break</a> is back for the first time since 2019/20 and FPL Gameweek 21 will be split over two weekends.
There is a gap between the end of Gameweek 20 ending on Tuesday, January 2 and the first match of Gameweek 21 on Saturday, January 13.
The last game of the gameweek then doesn&#8217;t take place until Monday, January 22.
<div id="attachment_59919" style="width: 977px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59919" class="size-full wp-image-59919" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FPL-Gameweek-21-split.jpg" alt="FPL Gameweek 21 fixtures" width="967" height="816" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FPL-Gameweek-21-split.jpg 967w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FPL-Gameweek-21-split-300x253.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FPL-Gameweek-21-split-768x648.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FPL-Gameweek-21-split-610x515.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px" />FPL Gameweek 21 fixtures. Source: Official FPL website</div>
&nbsp;
FPL gameweeks aside, there are also two international tournaments to factor in&#8230;
<h2>Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)</h2>
<ul>
<li>Tournament dates: Saturday, January 13 &#8211; Sunday, February 11</li>
<li>Affects FPL between: Gameweek 21-24</li>
</ul>
The deadline for clubs releasing their players, as well as squads for the competition, have yet to be confirmed,
Gameweek 20 takes place between Saturday, December 30 and Monday, January 2, and an early release date could potentially affect the tail end of the week.
This would affect City and Brentford&#8217;s second fixture of a double gameweek, if confirmed.
But European clubs have previously pushed back on long release periods, so FPL managers can hopefully expect Gameweek 20 to be unaffected.
<h3>Which popular FPL players could be taking part in AFCON?</h3>
Players whose teams reach the AFCON final would miss four FPL gameweeks.
Those whose teams fail to reach the knockout stage would miss just one fixture, with Gameweek 22 beginning six days after the conclusion of the group stage.
Many of the most popular FPL picks heading to AFCON play for nations among the favourites to progress though, so multiple gameweeks should be factored into transfer plans.
These are the players with ownership above 10% who could be heading to AFCON:
<ul>
<li>Mohamed Salah &#8211; Liverpool &#8211; 48%</li>
<li>Bryan Mbeumo &#8211; Brentford &#8211; 26%</li>
<li>Andre Onana &#8211; Manchester United &#8211; 14%</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_59911" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59911" class="size-full wp-image-59911" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL.jpg 900w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-768x624.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-610x495.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Andre Onana, Mohamed Salah and Bryan Mbeumo</div>
&nbsp;
Other players of note for FPL include:
<ul>
<li>Yoane Wissa &#8211; Brentford</li>
<li>Nicolas Jackson &#8211; Chelsea</li>
<li>Issa Kabore &#8211; Luton</li>
<li>Mohammed Kudus &#8211; West Ham</li>
<li>Tariq Lamptey &#8211; Brighton</li>
<li>Simon Adingra &#8211; Brighton</li>
<li>Rayan Ait-Nouri &#8211; Wolves</li>
<li>Nayef Aguerd &#8211; West Ham</li>
<li>Said Benrahma &#8211; West Ham</li>
<li>Antoine Semenyo &#8211; Bournemouth</li>
<li>Alex Iwobi &#8211; Fulham</li>
<li>Jordan Ayew &#8211; Crystal Palace</li>
</ul>
Some of these players, like Kabore, have been common cut-price options sitting on FPL benches. Others, such as Jackson, could become more popular again in December as Chelsea&#8217;s fixtures improve.
With bench options likely to be more important during the busy schedule, it&#8217;s worth FPL managers assessing the whole of their squads for players who may spend time away from the Premier League in the new year.
Provisional squads were announced on Wednesday, December 20 and can be viewed in full <a href="https://www.cafonline.com/media/szzh20fx/afcon-2023-provisional-squads-list.pdf">here</a>. They are due to be finalised on January 3, 2024.
<div id="attachment_59913" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59913" class="wp-image-59913 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options.jpg" alt="" width="1282" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options.jpg 1282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options-300x171.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options-1024x584.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options-768x438.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options-610x348.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options-1080x616.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AFCON-FPL-options-1280x731.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px" />Yoane Wissa, Issa Kabore, Mohammed Kudus, Simon Adingra and Nicolas Jackson </div>
&nbsp;
<h3>Which teams are most and least affected by AFCON?</h3>
Nottingham Forest could lose up to seven players to AFCON, which could make them a team to target. They play Brentford, Arsenal, Bournemouth and Newcastle between Gameweek 21 and 24.
City and Newcastle meanwhile have no players taking part.
Manchester United will lose up to three players, with Onana the main concern. His absence would open the door for Altay Bayindir (£4.0m) to make his debut.
Cameroon are fifth favourites to go all the way, so Bayindir could be a short-term option in the unlikely event FPL managers have no other fires to fight in their teams.
Onana is not definitely heading to AFCON, with the goalkeeper reportedly <a href="https://theathletic.com/5083033/2023/11/22/andre-onana-cameroon-afcon-manchester-united/">undecided about taking part</a>. He has however been included in Cameroon&#8217;s provisional squad.
Tottenham Hotspur&#8217;s central midfield could look a little threadbare given the call-ups of Pape Sarr (£4.5m) and Yves Bissouma (£5.0m).
Otherwise, the loss of Salah and Mbeumo will pose challenges to their respective clubs and fantasy owners alike.
<h2>Asian Cup</h2>
<ul>
<li>Tournament dates: Friday, January 12 &#8211; Saturday, February 10</li>
<li>Affects FPL between: Gameweek 21-24</li>
</ul>
The timeline for the AFC Asian Cup is similar to AFCON, with the same FPL gameweeks affected for those going all the way to the final.
The group stages end on Thursday, January 25, so again those knocked out at this stage should be back for Gameweek 22.
But much like AFCON, those key FPl players heading to Qatar are likely to reach the knockout stage.
<h3>Which popular FPL players could be taking part in the Asian Cup?</h3>
It is less of a concern from a fantasy perspective, with three players of note set to be affected:
<ul>
<li>Son Heung-min &#8211; Tottenham Hotspur &#8211; 39%</li>
<li>Kaoru Mitoma &#8211; Brighton &#8211; 24%</li>
<li>Hwang Hee-chan &#8211; Wolves &#8211; 5%</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_59914" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59914" class="size-full wp-image-59914" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Asian-Cup.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Asian-Cup.jpg 900w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Asian-Cup-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Asian-Cup-768x624.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Asian-Cup-610x495.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Kaoru Mitoma, Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>How should FPL managers navigate the Asian Cup?</h3>
Son in particular adds to the list of highly owned players set for international duty in the new year.
Many will own Son and Salah, as well as the likes of Mitoma and Mbeumo.
Selling one or more of these players ahead of Gameweek 21 is likely to be required in order to field a full starting 11.
This is a team-specific issue, and FPL managers should make a note of how many players could be affected and plan accordingly.
&nbsp;
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How to tackle the FPL Christmas schedule, AFCON and Asian Cup

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