FA Cup Betting – Third Round Fixtures

Time for FA Cup Betting coming up, with the festive Premier League schedule coming to an end. The first weekend of the new year sees the return of the FA Cup. It’s always an exciting time when the 3rd round arrives on the scene, and while there may not be as many mouth watering giant killing chances involving Premier League teams, there are still some good chances for teams from the lower leagues to progress to the fourth round, where there will be more chances to meet a team from the top flight. Here were lay out the FA Cup Betting by status of teams, to make life easier to spot potential windfalls for the punter.

NON-LEAGUE TEAMS (fixed odds match prices in brackets)
Stoke (1/4) v York (11/1) at Bet365
Sunderland (1/7) v Barrow (18/1) at SkyBet
Notts County (4/11) v Forest Green (13/2) at Totesport
Southampton (4/9) v Luton (13/2) at Boylesports

There are two Premier League v Non League FA Cup ties, with Stoke playing York, and Sunderland taking on Barrow. While these are potentially the stuff dreams are made of when it comes to the FA Cup, they Blue Square teams are both away, making an upset even more unlikely. Southampton who are mid-table from League 1 should be confident enough of progressing, while Notts County are the ones from League 2 who may be sweating a bit at the risk of an upset.

ALL PREMIER LEAGUE TIES
Aston Villa (8/15) v Blackburn (9/2) at BetFred
West Ham (15/4) v Arsenal (13/20) at SportingBet
Wigan (5/6) v Hull (10/3) at Victor Chandler

Just three top flight clashes in the Third Round this year, but none from the top half of the table playing each other. Arsenal, third in the Premier League face West Ham who are in a relegation battle, while other high flyers Aston Villa will have a somewhat tricky tie against 13th placed Blackburn. There is only one point separating Wigan and Hull, but that equates to four places, with Hull second from bottom in the league. On paper, this looks to be the tightest game of the all Premier League FA Cup Third Round clashes.

PREMIER LEAGUE v CHAMPIONSHIP
Portsmouth (4/7) v Coventry (5/1) at Blue Square
Chelsea (17/1) v Watford (16/1) at Paddy Power
Middlesbrough (4/1) v Man City (4/6) at Stan James
Nottm Forest (8/5) v Birmingham (6/4) at 888Sport
Reading (13/2) v Liverpool (5/11) at Expekt
Tottenham (1/7) v Peterborough (11) at Ladbrokes

This is where FA Cup betting can get a little interesting. The teams struggling towards the bottom of the Premier League will be approaching the FA Cup Third Round ties with a little apprehension. Premier League v Championship is a great place to look for some upsets. Portsmouth is a good target for being taken down, as they play Coventry from the Championship. The Sky Blues are just below mid table, but could pose a threat. Third placed Nottingham Forest will give Birmingham a good game, simply because Alex McLeish’s Blues are not heavy scorers, and Forest have been scoring plenty at home. Tottenham should not have too many troubles against bottom team Peterborough, but Reading, who are just above the drop zone, may fancy their chances at home against Liverpool.

PREMIER LEAGUE v LEAGUE ONE
Everton (1/4) v Carlisle (7/1) at Coral
Fulham (1/4) v Swindon (10/1) at Bet365
Tranmere (4/1) v Wolverhampton (8/11) at SkyBet
Man Utd (1/5) v Leeds United(9/1) at Totesport

The big name clash here is clearly between Manchester United and Leeds United, as the two old rivals come together. Leeds are flying at the top of League One, having suffered only one defeat all season. Depending on what side Alex Ferguson puts out, this could be a fierce contest, but the difference in class should probably win out in the end. Tranmere, languishing down near the bottom of League one, should be welcome opponents for Wolves who could do with a bit of cheer. Fulham have a tie against Swindon who chasing promotion from League One. Last year’s beaten finalists Everton, a team a lot of people lean towards when looking for an upset to happen against in the FA Cup, will be happy to be at home against Carlisle, who are in the bottom half of the league.

PREMIER LEAGUE v LEAGUE TWO
Bolton (2/9) v Lincoln City (11/1) at Boylesports

Just the one, and two teams are wide apart in the league system. Lincoln are third from bottom in League Two, just one place above the zone where they would drop out of the League system, down into the conference.

CHAMPIONSHIP v CHAMPIONSHIP
Blackpool (6/5) v Ipswich (15/8) at BetFred
Bristol City (7/5) v Cardiff (17/10) at SportingBet
Leicester (6/5) v Swansea (9/4) at Victor Chandler
Plymouth (7/2) v Newcastle (8/11) at Blue Square
Sheff Wed (6/4) v Crystal Palace (17/10) at Paddy Power
Scunthorpe (6/5) v Barnsley (8/5) at Stan James
Sheff Utd (11/10) v QPR (9/4) at 888Sport

One stand out tie here is the clash between Leicester and Swansea, who are 5th and 6th respectively in the league, and should produce a great game. League leaders Newcastle could be a great outside bet for the FA Cup, at least to get to the Quarter Finals. Sheffield United and QPR should be entertaining too, and these are the games where you really can pick up a deal. The FA Cup provides a welcome break from the stresses of the league, and where lower placed teams can turn over higher ones.

CHAMPIONSHIP v LOWER
Brentford (9/5) v Doncaster (7/5) at Expekt
Millwall (11/8) v Derby (8/5) at Ladbrokes
Preston (8/11) v Colchester (3/1) at Coral

These are interesting bets to have a look at, but not many of them. The Championship is hard to gauge sometimes in terms of quality. Often it is proved that there is big gulf in class between the teams who get promoted to the Premier League, but the teams who get relegated from the Championship, often find it hard to get back up. So, when a Championship team takes on a lower one, these are the FA Cup matches which may get overlooked, but check them out, as there could be a good  upset, especially Derby who are struggling in the bottom half.

REST OF THE REST
Accrington Stanley (7/5) v Gillingham (6/4) at William Hill
Huddersfield (21/10) v West Brom (Evens) at William Hill
MK Dons (5/2)  v Burnley (11/10) at Bet365
Torquay (7/4) v Brighton (6/4) at SkyBet

These may need a bit of studying, but do not discard lower teams playing against lower teams. You can always find decent prices floating around for these types of ties. While it is nice dreaming that a League 2 team is going to dump out a Premier League team, these are the realistic games where teams are playing others on equal levels, and becomes their best chance to progress.

Favourites to take the cup are the Big Four from the Premier League naturally…
Chelsea – 4/1 at Coral
Man Utd – 9/2 at Coral
Liverpool – 13/2 at Sporting Bet
Arsenal – 8/1 at Coral
Manchester City – 11/1 at BetFred
Tottenham – 12/1 at Bet365
Aston Villa – 22/1 at BetFred