Tag: FA Cup

FA Cup Semi-Final Previews

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FA Cup holders Arsenal face Reading on Saturday with Liverpool playing Aston Villa on Sunday in the semi-finals at Wembley.

The Gunners are the in-form team in the Premiership and have stormed into second place. They are now going in pursuit of leaders Chelsea who have been far from convincing in recent weeks. The clash between Chelsea and Manchester United could open the door for an unlikely Premier League title for Arsene Wenger’s side who host the Blues next weekend.

In the meantime, they will look to take another step towards retaining their treasured silverware in the FA Cup against Reading. With eleven victories in their last twelve matches, confidence could not be higher at Arsenal. They have Olivier Giroud almost scoring at will with ten goals in as many matches and a fully fit squad heading into the final games of the season. This time last year, Arsenal needed penalties to get past Wigan before stumbling to a two-goal deficit in the final. The pressure of ending their long wait for a trophy seemed to be almost too much.

They are now free from such concerns and I cannot see them faltering against an out-of-form Reading. Since sneaking past Bradford in a replay, Reading have lost three of their last four matches. They have failed to score in almost six hours of football and this looks set up for the Gunners to go through to the final in style.

Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Aston Villa looks far more competitive with Tim Sherwood having led a revival in Villa’s fortunes. They are still fighting for their Premiership lives but the return to form of Christian Benteke has given them a very powerful weapon. When he is at his best, he can torment any defence in the league and Liverpool could be in for a difficult time.

Liverpool’s form has deteriorated in recent weeks and a top four spot seems to have slipped away from them. They are clinging on to the hope that Man City go into freefall and allow them to overtake them but it looks unlikely. Their extra motivation for reaching the final is to secure another trophy for departing skipper Steven Gerrard. On their best form, they should certainly beat Villa but it may be worth taking a chance on Benteke causing an upset.

Arsenal (-2.0 handicap) @15-8 Skybet

Arsenal 4 Reading 0 @12-1 Skybet

Giroud to score and Arsenal win @Evens Totesport

Christian Benteke to score and Villa win @13-1 Bwin

Benteke to score at any time @11-4 Ladbrokes

Villa to win by a single goal @7-1 Paddy Power

FA Cup Quarter-Final Preview

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The FA Cup dominates the weekend football with only one Premiership match taking place. The powers-that-be have saved the best until last with Manchester United’s clash with reigning champions Arsenal on Monday.

The action gets under way at lunchtime on Saturday with the un-inspiring game between Bradford and Reading. Bradford are still euphoric from their 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge and saw off Sunderland in the last round. Having claimed two Premiership scalps, they will be bitterly disappointed if they cannot beat Reading but this could be a tight contest. Reading have won their last three matches in the competition away from home. There have been red cards in recent meetings between these two so stand by for a stormy encounter.

Aston Villa and West Brom will be sick of the sight of each other if they cannot get a result inside 90 minutes. The two slugged it out on Tuesday night with Tim Sherwood delighting the home fans with his pitch-side antics. Quite where the FA Cup fits in with their battle to stay in the Premier League I am not so sure but this looks ominously like draw material.

Liverpool became tournament favourites after the draw gave them a home tie with Blackburn. They are not playing the same fast-flowing football that nearly won them the league last season but they are grinding out results. A 2-1 win over champions Man City was backed up by a midweek victory over Burnley to keep them in the chase for a Champions League place next season. They should have too many guns for Rovers, particularly with Daniel Sturridge gradually returning to form.

Man United have worked their way into the top four but you wouldn’t know it from the press reports. We keep reading about “long-ball football” and the miserable form of Di Maria and Falcao and yet United are fourth in the table. They have not exactly worked teams over this season but fortune seems to be on their side. Tim Krul’s brainstorm gave them a 1-0 win in midweek at Newcastle and they will be relishing the clash with Arsenal.

The Gunners are a bit of a puzzle with solid league performances either side of that horror show in the Champions League against Monaco. They are defending their precious silverware and odds of 2-1 look generous.

Bradford to beat Reading @13-8 Betfred

Aston Villa v West Brom DRAW @11-5 Matchbook

Liverpool (-1.0) to beat Blackburn Rovers @10-11 Sportingbet

Arsenal to beat Man United @2-1 Bet365

FA Cup Fifth Round Preview

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Betcirca football followers were 20 points up on Wednesday night’s Premiership games after we correctly forecast the score for the matches at Old Trafford and St Mary’s. Profits could easily have been doubled had Branislav Ivanovic broken the deadlock at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately he had one disallowed, blazed another over the bar and had a decent shot saved by Howard in the Everton goal.

The Premiership gives way to the FA Cup this weekend and the shock exit of Chelsea and Man City in the last round has left us with a rather bland set of fixtures. No doubt supporters of the sixteen remaining clubs would beg to differ so we’ll see if we can find some value bets for die-hard FA Cup enthusiasts.

The tie of the round is probably Crystal Palace versus Liverpool, Saturday’s late kick-off. The Reds survived by the skin of their teeth in the previous round against Bolton and struck late again in midweek against Spurs. That 3-2 victory has re-ignited their hopes of finishing in the top four so there must be danger of some squad rotation from Brendan Rodgers on Saturday.

If any Premiership team is going to be fully committed to the FA Cup you would expect them to be those in mid-table, not worried by relegation but too far down to be in contention for Europe. Crystal Palace fit the bill quite nicely and it may be worth taking Alan Pardew’s men to cause an upset.

The early kick-off sees West Brom host West Ham and I favour the home side to capitalise on the fact that the Hammers have endured two very tough matches in the past week. They were robbed of a victory in injury-time by Man United on Sunday but clung on with ten men against Southampton on Wednesday. They lost their goalkeeper to a red card and Andy Carroll picked up another knock so it could be a patched-up West Ham team that takes the field.

I don’t see Arsenal slipping up against Middlesbrough on Sunday and they can be backed to win comfortably and it should be a similar story for Man United at Preston on Monday. Van Gaal’s team selection is anybody’s guess so the goalscorer markets may be best avoided. It is difficult to predict the outcome of the game between managerless Aston Villa and rudderless Leicester while Stoke could struggle at Blackburn after their 4-1 home defeat by Man City.

Crystal Palace to beat Liverpool by one goal @9-2 Paddy Power

West Brom to beat West Ham @7-5 Bet365

Saido Berahino to score at any time @2-1 Betfair

Arsenal (-1.0 handicap) to beat Middlesbrough @6-5 Bet365

Man United (-1.0 handicap) to beat Preston @5-4 Bet365

Liverpool can ease past injury-hit Bolton

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Liverpool’s goalless draw against Bolton at Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round went almost unnoticed following the shock exit of Man City and Chelsea. The Reds travel to Bolton on Wednesday night as third favourites to lift the trophy behind only Arsenal and Man United.

That ought to be enough of a carrot but there are other reasons why Brendan Rodgers and his side should be setting their sights on Wembley. Last week’s stormy 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge ended their hopes in the Capital One Cup in which Steven Gerrard played 120 minutes. He suffered a mild hamstring injury in the process and was left out of last weekend’s 2-0 win over West Ham. Gerrard will end a 26-year association with the club in the summer and would dearly love one last trip to Wembley.

Rodgers has been keeping his cards close to his chest as regards Gerrard’s participation on Wednesday but it seems likely that he will play. If he does, it will be his 700th appearance for the club and provide a perfect opportunity for him to mark the occasion with a goal.

Liverpool were poor in the reverse fixture, although Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan made some crucial saves. Unfortunately for the home side, he has joined a long injury list that leaves Neil Lennon with no choice other to put out a weakened team.  His new signings are ineligible and even veteran Emile Heskey is side-lined. A fine atmosphere is guaranteed but Bolton are clear underdogs despite a decent run of form in the Championship.

Liverpool may give striker Daniel Sturridge further game time after he scored against West Ham in his first match for five months. Rodgers has made it clear that he is not yet ready to play 90 minutes but he will be a good option to have on the bench. Liverpool have the Merseyside derby with Everton this weekend and the Europa League is due to return shortly with the Reds having been eliminated from the Champions League. Even so, I believe there are enough reasons for them to make sure that they are not the latest Premiership side to slip up in the FA Cup.

Gerrard has scored three times in his last two FA Cup games and is worth supporting in the goal scorer markets. If he plays no part, bookmakers will refund your stake. Liverpool have only kept three clean sheets in their last 18 matches in the competition so I am going for a 3-1 scoreline in favour of the Reds.

Steven Gerrard to score at any time @9-4 Bet365

Gerrard to score and Liverpool win @100-30 Paddy Power

Bolton 1 Liverpool 3 @13-1 888Sport

FA Cup Fourth Round Preview

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The FA Cup Fourth Round draw did not exactly provide us with a feast of big matches and it is difficult to see where, if any, the major shocks will be.

Chelsea and Man City both have relatively easy home matches against Bradford City and Middlesbrough respectively. The Blues have the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final with Liverpool on Tuesday night and then Man City in the Premiership on Sunday. Fortunately for Mourinho, he has a fully-fit squad and afford the luxury of some squad rotation.

Bradford are priced at 28-1 but a more likely outcome is a repeat of Chelsea’s 3-0 third round victory over Watford. There has been speculation that the Blues were willing to part with Andre Schurrle but he is in the line-up on Saturday and can score in a comfortable home win.

City had an unusual prep for the home tie with Middlesbrough by playing in Dubai. They are likely to field a strong enough team to see off Boro with Sergio Aguero looking to recover his goal scoring form. Predicting the line-up is almost as difficult as forecasting the result but I’d expect Aguero to score in another home win for the champions.

There are two all-Premiership games with Southampton at home to Crystal Palace and Tottenham facing Leicester. Spurs were poor against Sheffield United on Wednesday and grateful to escape with a 1-0 advantage to take to the second leg. Leicester have been battling away but you have to wonder about the merits of a Cup run whilst they struggle to avoid relegation.

Crystal Palace seem to have been revitalised by the arrival of Alan Pardew and their clash with Southampton is a tricky one. The Saints needed a replay to get past Ipswich in round 3 and they could face a similar scenario here. The late kick-off sees Liverpool host Bolton, another side buoyed by a new coach in the shape of Neil Lennon. The former Celtic boss has only lost one in twelve since joining the Trotters but Liverpool may just edge this one.

Sunday should see Arsenal and West Ham go through safely, at Brighton and Bristol City respectively. Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil could make their return for the Gunners as Arsene Wenger’s squad gradually approaches full fitness. Arsenal could be worth a bet on the handicap in this one while the Hammers deserve to go further in the competition after their epic battle with Everton.

Andre Schurrle scores and Chelsea win @5-4 Paddy Power

Sergio Aguero scores and Man City win @8-11 Ladbrokes

Southampton v Crystal Palace DRAW @3-1 Bet365

Tottenham to win by one goal @11-4 Sky Bet

Liverpool to win by one goal @3-1 Ladbrokes

West Ham to beat Bristol City @21-20 BetVictor

Arsenal (-1.0 handicap) to win @7-5 Paddy Power

Cash in on Super Saints at 6-1

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Southampton stunned Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and now head to Ipswich in search of a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The incredible first season in charge for Ronald Koeman came off the back of a summer that appeared to see a mass exodus of star players from St Mary’s. The forecasters of doom were in their element and even Morgan Schneiderlin sought reassurances about the clubs ambitions.

Those predictions look pretty silly now with Saints sitting in third position and as short as 7-4 to finish in the top four for an unprecedented Champions League spot. The wheels appeared to have come off in November with five straight defeats but they are firmly back on an even keel now.

A hard-fought draw against Chelsea and a win over Arsenal preceded Sunday’s victory. Koeman has admitted that he hates the squad rotation methods used by other Premiership sides and will always try to use the best side available to him. Understandably, he was not pleased to be taken to a replay by Ipswich but he is unlikely to change his approach now.

Ipswich are now slouches and are third in the Championship but they are reported to be struggling with a virus that force three midfield players home earlier this week. Mick McCarthy has tried to play it down but there must be a real danger that Ipswich struggle to put a fit team out on Wednesday night. If that is the case, the Saints must be great value in the win and goal markets.

32Red and Paddy Power are offering 6-1 about a Southampton win to new customers up to a maximum of ten pounds. That looks very tempting if you do not already have an account with them. I also like the chances of Pelle getting on the score-sheet here. It was his shot that cannoned back to Tadic on Sunday and he was always a threat in the 1-1 draw at St Mary’s.

Wednesday’s other big tie sees an all-Premiership clash between Spurs and Burnley. Tottenham fans are well used to the roller-coaster ride and had hardly returned to earth after beating Chelsea before suffering a defeat at Crystal Palace. Reports suggest that Harry Kane will not be in the squad on Wednesday while Sean Dyche likes consistency as much as Koeman does at Southampton.

Burnley are a good, honest team and have shown great determination to get points against Man City and Newcastle recently. They thoroughly deserved their win over QPR on Saturday and could be over-priced if Pochettino is too casual about his team selection.

Southampton to win @6-1 32Red & Paddy Power*

*special offer new customers up to a maximum £10

Southampton (-1.0 handicap) @9-4 Coral

Pelle to score and Southampton win @9-4 Ladbrokes

Burnley to beat Tottenham @13-2 Bet365