FA Cup Weekend
Best Bets:
1.25 Pts on Everton to win @ Bournemouth (13/10 Coral)
1.25 Pts on West Ham to win @ Blackburn (6/5 General)
1.25 Pts on Arsenal to win (-1 Handicap) v Hull (7/4 General)
1.25 Pt on Chelsea to win v Manchester City (11/10 General)
Our first look at the FA Cup this season sees an interesting set of fifth round ties ahead.
1.25 Pts on Everton to win @ Bournemouth (13/10 Coral)
We have a sneaky suspicion that by now Martinez is quietly putting his eggs into the FA Cup basket as he seeks to prove to doubters that he can steer the Goodison ship in the right direction. Bournemouth may have their main focus on their league survival and we therefore believe that Everton will look to take advantage and progress without the need of a replay. We think Everton simply should have too much quality for Bournemouth to handle.
1.25 Pts on West Ham to win @ Blackburn (6/5 General)
West Ham ended their match at Norwich far superior and full of energy, which was interesting given their 120 minute midweek battle with Liverpool. They seem a very inspired team this season and after that Liverpool match in the previous round Mark Noble made a very bold claim that they would much rather win the FA Cup than finish in the top 4. This likely means they will play their strongest team against a Blackburn side still trying to secure their Championship safety. While 8 points from the drop, with minimal games left there’s still a lot to play for the one time Premier League Champions in the Championship. They will likely focus on ensuring their great club doesn’t follow the path of Bradford and Coventry etc. This should be enough for West Ham to take full advantage as it is sandwiched between 2 big league games for Blackburn.
1.25 Pts on Arsenal to win (-1 Handicap) v Hull (7/4 General)
Arsenal are desperate to take advantage in the Premier League as they don’t want another “this could be our year” moment to pass them by. While the Champions League and Premier League can be large distractions, their 2 consecutive FA Cup wins has seemed to cause a resurgence in their lust for trophies. This match could be as important as any other for their momentum after beating Leicester in the last minute of injury time in the league last week. Whilst they may rest a few due to their games against Barcelona, even a weakened Arsenal team should have the advantage over a Hull side that will surely have the Championship promotion race and automatic promotion as their main target.
1.25 Pt on Chelsea to win v Manchester City (11/10 General)
The recent upturn in Chelsea’s form has coincided with a couple of heart-breaking defeats for City. Though City will want to keep their dreams of a quadruple alive, they will surely be seeing a final in the League Cup, the Premier League race and the Champions League as priorities over the FA Cup Fifth Round. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them opt out of risking more injuries to their ranks. On the other side of things Chelsea only need to focus on the Champions League and this match as they look to show that their blip is finally over. They have looked far more solid in defence and are finally clicking a lot better in the attacking third as players like Pedro and Costa rediscover the form that we expect to see. City may play Kompany, but even with him in the side against Spurs they were not as secure as you’d expect, while without him they still look extremely weak. Either way, if Chelsea wanted to prove a point, this could be their week to do it.