EPL GW-19 FPL & Fantrax Live Chat

Due to the Omicron variant, there have now been a total of 13 matches called off in the past two weeks with the UK suffering from record high numbers of COVID cases.

Boxing Day has been hit with the virus, the GW-19 schedule losing three fixtures. Liverpool v Leeds, Wolves v Watford and Burnley v Everton are postponed, and pessimists expect a couple of more to follow teams’ positive ratio of the virus on game-day.

On December 20, the English top-flight confirmed over 90 new positive tests among players and staff, the highest weekly tally since the release of test results began in May last year.

Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Ralf Rangnick are among the managers who want to immediately be allowed to use two extra substitutes again, which is why the Premier League might as well switch to the five-sub / three interruptions rule implemented during the previous season. With the increase of the Omicron variant, there is a chance that rules and regulations will be changed once again.

Squad depth looks to be the key factor of competing for the title, in which case Man City has a clear advantage as injuries and Covid positive rate is making the 2021-22 season yet another unusual one.

However, this Covid variant is not impacting only the Premier League but also our fantasy managers. The uncertainty of matches, the injuries to over-worked players, and the positive tests disrupt our strategies and just make life difficult. Here’s what’s left of our GW-19 schedule:

Boxing Day (Sunday)

• Man City - Leicester
• Norwich - Arsenal
• Tottenham - Crystal Palace
• West Ham - Southampton
• Aston Villa - Chelsea
• Brighton - Brentford

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Monday

• Newcastle - Man United

Time shall tell if there are any more match postponements to arrive. Still, from a fan’s perspective, it’s a great time to watch and enjoy the games from the comfort of our homes on Boxing Day, but health and safety is always the number one priority as well. NMA wishes everybody a healthy and wholesome festive season, a happy ending to the year, and cheers to new beginnings! Also, all the best for GW-19 too.

Now, let’s step into the FPL & Fantrax Pub to discuss the games live with the NMA community in the comments below!

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What are your thoughts on the recent Premier League decision to carry on with the fixtures as much as possible? How are you managing your team(s) through all these postponements? What players do you think can shine during this festive yet hectic schedule? Also, how was your Christmas Day?

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