Football Betting – City Slickers Could Be The Answer

Already this week the FA have been pleading with the Premier League‘s big boys not to devalue the FA Cup in the same way that the League Cup has suffered in recent years. Whether those pleas will fall on deaf ears is open to conjecture, however, with Sir Alex Ferguson stating in the last few days that thoughts of  a quadruple is "not realistic"  for Manchester United (remember the European and Premier League champions are already in the last four of the Carling Cup) so on that score the Reds’ odds of 5-1 (Ladbrokes) aren’t that enticing. A busy few months also beckons for England’s other representatives in the last 16 of the Champions League and they, too, can be excused not being able to concentrate on the FA Cup while fully committed on other fronts. Chelsea and Arsenal do both have a solid recent record in the country’s premier cup competition but it must be remembered that the Blues (9-2 with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes) last year rested key players when exiting at the quarter-final stage against Barnsley and Arsenal‘s youngsters are still to collect any silverware. The Gunners (a best 8-1 again with Ladbrokes) are also likely to be missing hugely influential skipper Cesc Fabregas for much of the remainder of the season and Arsene Wenger will need to be prudent in utilising the remainder of his squad.

Aston Villa (a general 16-1) are looking likely gate-crashers among the big four in the Premier League this season but they, too, have European ambitions this term and, considering Martin O’Neill has a relatively small first-team squad, it’s unlikely the FA Cup rates high on Villa’s wish list at present which leaves us looking for value elsewhere. Fulham (a general 66-1) may be overpriced considering they are much improved this season now Andy Johnson has settlled back in London and Everton are another side capable of going a long way, despite their shortcomings in the striker department – they can be backed at a general 20-1. But I’d like to think you’ll get a run for your (and their) money out of Manchester City. 

I get the impression City’s new owners won’t wait for ever for Mark Hughes to get it right at Eastlands but ‘Sparky’, who has a tremendous record in the FA Cup as both a player and manager (he has four winners’ medals and guided Blackburn to two FA Cup semi-finals), has the ideal opportunity here to target a competition which is eminently winnable with his talented squad. Victor Chandler, extrabet and Skybet all have City at 14-1 ahead of their third-round tie with Nottingham Forest - that will shrink dramatically if they turn it on against the Championship strugglers.