Tag: FA Cup

Hammers can end Everton FA Cup hopes

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

There are some interesting FA Cup third round replays taking place this week, none more so than the clash between West Ham and Everton at Upton Park on Tuesday night.

The Hammers were robbed off a place in the fourth round by an injury-time equaliser from Romelu Lukaku at Goodison Park.  Under-fire Everton coach Roberto Martinez must have been a relieved man to see that go in and the Toffees picked up enough encouragement to hold champions Man City on Saturday.

I have been most impressed by West Ham this season and they could be doing even better with a bit more luck in recent matches. They led Swansea thanks to a superb goal from Andy Carroll at the weekend but a Mark Noble own-goal left them sharing the points. They also drew with West Brom and should have got at least a point from a pulsating London derby against Arsenal.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce could pick his strongest possible side at Upton Park on Tuesday night and that will really put the pressure on a weakened Everton line-up. Only Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate are missing from Allardyce’s regular squad and the return to form of Carroll gives them an obvious attacking threat. Stewart Downing continues to earn rave reviews in midfield and the Hammers are deservedly favourites to go through.

Martinez endured a miserable festive season with four straight defeats against Southampton, Stoke, Newcastle and Hull. The 1-1 draw against West Ham and a league point against the City have temporarily stopped the rot but he continues to struggle with an injury-hit squad. Tim Howard, Sylvain Distin and Leon Osman are among those still absent as Everton look for a first win since mid-December.  Lukaku has been working tirelessly in recent matches and he will be the most likely goal threat for the visitors.

The pick of the remaining replays on Tuesday is the clash between Wolves and Fulham at Molineux. The home team will be without top scorer Bakary Sako but should still have too much power for a team ten places below them in the Championship. The winners are rewarded with a trip to The Stadium of Light to face Premiership Sunderland in the fourth round. The winner of the West Ham/Everton game visit either Doncaster or Bristol City.

West Ham to beat Everton @7-5 William Hill

Wolves to beat Fulham @19-20 Coral

FA Cup 3rd Round Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The 3rd Round of the FA Cup has provided plenty of shocks down the years as the Premier League clubs entered the competition. Most of the big guns do not play until Sunday following a dramatic week of Premiership action.

West Brom will be desperate to avoid any embarrassment with the visit of Gateshead while the all-Premiership clash between Leicester and Newcastle is the pick of Saturday’s ties. Both teams were involved in entertaining draws on New Year’s Day, Leicester pulling back a two-goal deficit at Anfield and the Magpies being pegged back to a 3-3 draw by Burnley. Newcastle look decidedly shaky at the moment but will Leicester be keen to get involved in a Cup run with the threat of relegation hanging over them? My guess is no so I’m siding with Newcastle.

Swansea are the only other Premier League team in action on Saturday and they face a tricky encounter at Tranmere. The Swans received a late boost with the news that Wayne Routledge’s red card against QPR has been rescinded and he is free to play on Saturday. Garry Monk is expected to make wholesale changes but they can still prove too strong for a Tranmere side that languishes third from bottom of League Two.

Neil Lennon has brought about some dramatic improvement at Bolton since he took over. They have only dropped two t home in their last six matches and can see off an out-of-sorts Wigan at the Macron Stadium.

Chelsea fans will still be reeling from that 5-3 defeat at Tottenham when the Blues take on Watford at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s second XI are good enough to compete with most Premiership sides so any number of changes won’t affect the result here. Jose Mourinho will demand a response from their New Year’s Day nightmare and it may be worth chancing a big win with the likes of Remy and Schurrle keen to impress.

Man City have clawed their way back level with the Blues in the Premiership and can see off Sheffield Wednesday despite their continuing lack of a front-line striker. Jovetic can make the most of his opportunity in the absence of Aguero and Dzeko.

Man United’s all-stars travel to lowly Yeovil and can also score a decisive victory but Southampton and Arsenal look more vulnerable. The Saints have resurrected their league form but don’t have the strength in depth to afford too many changes against Ipswich while the Gunners face last year’s Cup finalists Hull. It may be worth taking a chance on the draw in both games.

The action continues on Monday with Burnley hosting Tottenham and Wimbledon welcoming Liverpool. On Tuesday Everton play West Ham in another all-Premiership clash. Everton are really struggling lately while West Ham have been playing well without getting the results. A combination of poor refereeing and poor finishing cost them points against Arsenal and they should have beaten West Brom on New Year’s Day.

Bolton to beat Wigan @6-4 Bet365

Newcastle to beat Leicester @2-1 Coral

Swansea (-2.0 handicap) to beat Tranmere @11-4 Skybet

Man City (-2.0 handicap) to beat Sheffield Wednesday @6-5 Bet365

Stevan Jovetic to score and Man City win @11-10 Bwin

Southampton v Ipswich DRAW @15-4 BetVictor

Man United (-2.0 handicap) to beat Yeovil @13-8 Skybet

Chelsea (-2.0 handicap) to beat Watford @6-5 Bet365

Andre Schurrle to score and Chelsea win @7-5 Bwin

Arsenal v Hull DRAW @9-2 Bet365

West Ham to beat Everton @3-1 Totesport

Football Preview May 11th and 12th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

FA Cup Final – Manchester City v Wigan

It is a sign of the times that the FA Cup final is almost a sideshow to the Premier League action this weekend. Gone are the days when the Cup final was the grand finale to the season and dominated the sports pages. This year’s final also has a one-sided look to it as Manchester City seek some consolation for losing their Premiership title to archrivals United against a Wigan side staring down the barrel of relegation.

City look assured of second place but grateful for the opportunity of pocketing a bit of silverware at the end of a slightly disappointing season. There is no doubt that they have the firepower to beat Wigan, although they only scrambled past them by a single goal in their recent league clash. Roberto Martinez approached the FA Cup in the same manor as most Premiership managers these days, using it as a platform for his youngsters to gain valuable experience. By virtue of a favourable draw and an impressive 3-0 victory at Goodison, the Latics have found themselves in the final for the first time in their history. Had they managed to perform their usual Houdini act and escaped the drop, this would be a momentous occasion. Unfortunately, a 3-2 defeat at home to Swansea in midweek has left them in deep trouble.

I would love to be able to tip Wigan here but it is looking increasingly bleak for them. The most likely scenario is defeat on Saturday, relegation and even the loss of their manager in the summer. They have simply failed to find the consistency needed this season and I don’t think City will pass up this golden opportunity for a trophy. I take City to win by 2 goals at odds of 3-1 and City to be winning at half-time and full-time at 10-11 with Skybet.

Manchester City to win by 2 goals 3-1 Paddy Power
Manchester City to be winning at half-time and full-time 10-11 Skybet

Aston Villa v Chelsea

Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off sees Chelsea going in search of the win they require to secure a top four finish and a Champions League spot. That looked to be within their grasp on Wednesday night before a late Tottenham goal forced them to settle for a 2-2 draw. Chelsea supporters will not have been at all surprised to see the agony prolonged after a hectic but, as yet, unproductive season at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea may have thumped Villa 8-0 earlier in the season but it is a very different side they are facing on Saturday. Villa dished out a 6-1 thrashing to Sunderland to put themselves within reach of Premiership survival and received a further boost when Wigan were defeated in midweek. Another complication for the Blues is the prospect of the Europa League final next Wednesday. They do not have the strength in depth of previous seasons and have suffered when fielding a weakened side. They rely heavily on Juan Mata and Eden Hazard to provide the spark in their attacking play and both have been showing signs of a long season recently. Chelsea may again be frustrated and have to settle for a draw, putting their supporters through the agony of going to the last match against Everton in the process.

Draw 14-5 Bet Victor

Stoke v Tottenham

Spurs managed to hold Chelsea to a draw on Wednesday and will be hoping that Aston Villa can do them a huge favour on Saturday. They were not at their best at Stamford Bridge but it is to their credit that they managed to get a result and they will need the same sort of determination to get all three points at Stoke on Sunday. Gareth Bale has been largely responsible for keeping them in the hunt for a Champions League spot and they will look to him again this weekend. I think they can grab a vital win and Bale to score at any time looks a fair bet at 6-5.

Tottenham to win 10-11 William Hill
Gareth Bale to score 6-5 Bet Victor

FA Cup Semi-Finals Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Wigan v Millwall

Saturday 13th April, 5.15pm kick-off

Wigan started out in the competition determined to blood some of their younger players but have made steady progress through to the semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history. A comprehensive 3-0 win over Everton ignited the belief that they can go all the way to the final this year and only Championship side Millwall now stand in their way.

Wigan’s annual struggle with relegation is the stuff of legend and they appear to have turned the corner on another dismal season with some improved performances. Millwall have also left behind some moderate league form to book their place in the last four with Aston Villa among their victims. A home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in midweek has left them with a little work to do in order to cement their place in the Championship for next season.

The two sides have met once before at Wembley in the 1999 Football League Trophy with Wigan securing a 1-0 victory and a similar result on Saturday would do nicely for Roberto Martinez’s side. They were not at their best when scrambling a draw at 10-man QPR last weekend but they are unbeaten in their last four matches. I think they are a good bet to win in ninety minutes at 20-23 with BetVictor and the same firm offers 7-1 about a 1-0 Wigan victory.

Wigan to win 20-23 BetVictor
Wigan to win 1-0 7-1 BetVictor

Chelsea v Manchester City

Sunday 14th April 4.00pm kick-off

Chelsea have virtually made this competition their own in recent seasons and came back bravely from 2-0 down to eventually overcome Manchester United in the quarter-finals. A superb goal by Demba Ba proved decisive in the replay and he is likely to lead the attack again here. Fernando Torres scored in the away defeat in Moscow on Thursday but will almost certainly have to be content with starting on the bench.

Chelsea fans have endured a roller-coaster ride with the Blues this season so will not have been surprised to see them lose 3-2 to Rubin Kazan. They started the game without the star trio of Oscar, Mata and Hazard and all three will probably be in action on Sunday. City will go into the game in good spirits after toppling Champions-elect Manchester United on Monday. With the title race long since given up by Mancini, there will be no shortage of motivation as they go in search of a piece of silverware this season.

Previous encounters between these two sides have been closely fought with City just having the edge in recent times. Chelsea won’t want to give up their trophy without a fight and this could develop into a very cagey affair. This looks a particularly tough one to call and the 9-4 about a draw might be the safest option. BetVictor offer a top price of 13-2 about a 1-1 outcome to this one. Juan Mata has been easily Chelsea’s best player this season and he looks overpriced at 9-1 with William Hill to open the scoring.

Draw 9-4 BetVictor
1-1 scoreline 13-2 BetVictor
Juan Mata to open the scoring 9-1 William Hill

FA Cup Preview – Chelsea V Man United 1st April 2013

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After Chelsea’s phenomenal comeback at Old Trafford to earn an FA Cup Quarter Final replay, you’d have expected the Blues to come into this game in a top form, facing three opponents which should have provided easy victories. Saturday’s defeat at Southampton however has thrown a spanner in the works, whilst Man Utd earned a comfortable 1-0 victory over Sunderland.

Both teams can be expected to make a number of changes for this game, with the return of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Demba Ba expected to bolster Chelsea’s firepower, whilst Alex Ferguson has Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez fresh and ready to choose between.

With the game being played at Stamford Bridge, you’d usually expect the home advantage built into Chelsea’s price to be justified. However, if you look at this season’s results when Man Utd are playing away at the top 5 clubs, or in Europe, you see that they’ve beaten Manchester City and Chelsea, and drawn with Real Madrid and Tottenham.

They also haven’t lost in any of their past 10 away matches. Meanwhile, at home, Chelsea have beaten Arsenal, drawn with Man City and lost to today’s opponents in the Premier League 3-2. We think that they’ll be a repeat of the outcome from the league and recommend backing Manchester United to win in normal time at 2-1 with Bet365.