FA Cup Predictions > Feb 9th - 11th

[StevieDay1983]

The FA Cup 5th Round is coming up this week and I'm sure the traditionalists will be up in arms over the fact it's being played in midweek. These are extraordinary times though and the fixtures need to be fitted in as and when it's possible. Here are the odds so give us your predictions for these matches down below! 

[StefanBB]

Manchester United vs West Ham

The home side missed the chance to beat Everton last weekend and keep up the pace in the title race. However, Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalized in the stoppage time and brought the Toffees a point. Manchester United is now five points behind Manchester City, and they need another winning streak to reach the top. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side needs to show its character now, as West Ham will search for a surprise. The Red Devils were perfect against Southampton, and they need to continue in the same fashion. United managed to eliminate Liverpool in the previous round, and they will attack the trophy this season. However, Marcus Rashford and the lads should be consistent if they want to remain in the race to win both competitions.

West Ham enjoys a great run in the Premier League, which launched them to the 6^th spot. They were in relegation trouble recently, but five wins in seven rounds brought them to the continental battle. Tomas Soucek and the lads improved their finishing significantly while their defense tightened up. The Hammers are playing very well on the road, where they haven’t lost five times in a row. David Moyes’s side celebrated six times in 11 outings, and they want to keep up the pace. In the current FA Cup campaign, West Ham didn’t have a tough job. They eliminated Stockport and Doncaster, but this will be their biggest challenge so far.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

It is going to be a very exciting clash, as both sides have the chance to progress to the quarter-finals. However, we believe Manchester United will celebrate in this game and continue their FA Cup campaign.

Goals Market Prediction

Both sides have been pretty efficient lately, and we expect them to continue in the same fashion. Therefore, the nets won’t remain still in this clash.

Manchester United to win @ 1.65

BTTS Yes @ 1.60

Correct score 2:1 @ 8.50

[StevieDay1983]

Burnley vs Bournemouth

The FA Cup 5th Round matches begin today with two fixtures taking place. @StefanBB has done a decent preview of the second match being played tonight between Manchester United and West Ham so I'll take a look at the less high profile encounter that kicks off at 5:30pm GMT between Premier League side Burnley and Championship club Bournemouth at Turf Moor.

Burnley are going through a bit of a slump again after seemingly rectifying the poor form from earlier in the season. Sean Dyche has been diverting attention away from his players with some comedy press conferences but this distraction technique won't last for long if they lose here. The Clarets have already disposed of MK Dons and Fulham in this competition but Dyche has already confirmed he'll rest players for this game with the likes of Chris Wood, Josh Brownhill, Charlie Taylor, and Robbie Brady unlikely to feature. It's a shame because this is a big opportunity for Burnley with the club having not qualified for the FA Cup Quarter-Finals since 2002/03. Interestingly, Jay Rodriguez has scored 10 goals in his last 12 starts in this competition.

Bournemouth recently parted ways with head coach Jason Tindall. It was an experiment worth trying but, once again, it's been proven that the number two cannot step up and fulfil the role of being number one. The Cherries have reached this stage of the competition by knocking out Oldham and Crawley Town. Former Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate is in caretaker charge and he's said there'll be few changes to the team for this game. Bournemouth come into this game knowing they have only won 1 of their last 17 visits to Turf Moor. This is a big chance for the Championship club to spring a surprise on what will be a weakened Burnley but I just don't rate Woodgate as a manager after his awful tenure with Middlesbrough.

These two clubs have already met four times in the FA Cup down the years and Burnley have progressed as the winners in each of those matches. Bournemouth really should be looking to win this with the players at their disposal. Easy to forget they kept a large chunk of their Premier League squad but they're all at sea at the moment. The 3-2 win over Birmingham on the weekend could be a spark to re-ignite their season but I have a feeling Burnley will grind out a passage to the next round which could even require extra time.

Burnley to Qualify @ 1.70 with SBK

Anytime Scorer: Jay Rodriguez @ 3.20 with Unibet

[StefanBB]

Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur

Everton goes into this game after a thrilling comeback against Manchester United last weekend. Although Carlo Ancelotti’s side was trailing 2:0 at half time, they managed to equalize in the final moments of the match. The hosts sit in 7^th place in the Premier League, but they are only three points behind Liverpool. The Toffees also have two games in hand, and they can potentially go into the top four. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the lads are doing a very good job in front of the oppositions’ net. However, Everton struggles when playing at Goodison Park, as they picked up just a point from the last three home games. The home side managed to eliminate Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday from the competition, but this will be the toughest challenge so far.

After three straight defeats, Tottenham Hotspur managed to get back on the winning track. The Spurs celebrated against West Brom last weekend and remained in the race for the continental spots. Their bad run matched Harry Kane’s absence, and Tottenham’s best player made an immediate impact upon his return. Jose Mourinho’s side suffered in those three games without him since the visitors scored only once. The away side needs to stabilize its form to stay competitive in the battle for the top four. Tottenham booked only one victory in the last five outings, and they need to do much better in this one. They were better than minnows Marine and Wycombe Wanderers so far in the FA Cup.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

Both sides have been in a variable form lately and have equal chances of going through. We wouldn’t be surprised if the game goes into the extra time.

Goals Market Prediction

Everton has been involved in some efficient matches lately. Both teams are capable of scoring, and we don’t think the nets will remain still.

Draw @ 3.20

BTTS Yes @ 1.80

Correct score 1:1 @ 6.00

[ALEXXXXXXXX]

Wolves

Wolves made a 0-0 draw with Leicester City at home in the last round. The last 5 games have 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. The state is not very good. They are currently ranked 14th, 12 points ahead of the relegation zone, and there is not much pressure to relegation. Under this circumstance, they can put more energy into the FA Cup.

 

Southampton

Southampton lost to Newcastle 2-3 in the last round of away games, and recently suffered a 4-game losing streak, conceding 16 goals during the period, defensive performance is extremely poor. Fortunately, they don't have to worry about relegation, and they can naturally put more energy into the FA Cup. It's just that they have lost 5 consecutive away games recently, and the team's away ability has declined a lot compared to before.

 

Verdict:

The difference in strength between the two sides is not big, and the outcome of this game is difficult to predict. The Asian handicap live odd is Wolves-0.25, seems no clearly support to both side. This game probally end of draw.

 

Wolves VS Southampton

Pick: Southampton+0.25

[allthethings]

Would just like to point out that five of the past eight home dogs in this round in the range of 8.00 to 15.00 have managed draws in 90 minutes. That was, of course, with people in the stands and all that. Two years ago City visited Swans in the quarterfinal round and the match was in the balance until an Aguero strike at 89' for the 3-2 City win.

Swans and Barnsley both fit this angle at the moment.

[StevieDay1983]

Barnsley vs Chelsea

The final night of FA Cup 5th Round action is coming up on Thursday night. @ALEXXXXXXXX has covered the Wolves versus Southampton well so I'll turn my attention to the clash between Championship club Barnsley playing Premier League side Chelsea in an 8pm GMT start at Oakwell. Is this game already written or is there a shock in store in Yorkshire?

Barnsley had been progressing well under Valerien Ismael this season but a run of 5 games without a win in the league in a row has stunted their form. The Tykes are down to 13th in the table but that's still exceeding the limited expectations the fans held at the beginning of the campaign. It's been two wins with clean sheets in this competition so far after a 2-0 win over League Two side Tranmere followed by a 1-0 victory over the Championship leaders Norwich. History does leave an echo on this fixture though. It was Chelsea whom the club defeated by a 1-0 score-line at Oakwell back in 2008 when they reached the FA Cup Semi-Finals. Unfortunately, the last time these sides met was in this season's EFL Cup when Chelsea prevailed as 6-0 victors.

Chelsea have started life well under new head coach Thomas Tuchel. The Blues are now unbeaten in 5 league matches across all competitions. A win here would guide Chelsea to the FA Cup Quarter-Finals for the 15th time since the year 2000. No team has reached that stage of the competition more times during that period. The West London club have also only lost 2 of their last 17 matches in this competition. The club have also won 4 of the past 5 meetings between these two clubs in all competitions. If you want an anytime scorer bet then Olivier Giroud has bagged 16 goals in 33 appearances in the FA Cup.

It's hard to see this game ending in anything other than a Chelsea win. The Premier League side cruised past Barnsley in the EFL Cup earlier this season and it's difficult to anticipate any other outcome here. Chelsea look a far more competent and organised side under Tuchel than they did under Frank Lampard. Credit has to go to the Tykes for their displays this season but this is likely a bridge too far.

Chelsea to Win to Nil @ 1.91 with SpreadEx

Chelsea HT/FT @ 1.84 with SBK