FA Cup Predictions > Mar 1st - 7th

[StevieDay1983]

The FA Cup 5th Round is coming up this week with matches scheduled across the next week. Take a look at the games heading our way and tell us what bets you're backing! 

[DarrenTse]

Peterborough United vs Manchester City

Peterborough United
Peterborough United won two home games to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup this season, beating Bristol Rovers 2-1 on January 8, and then Queens Park Rangers 2-0 in early February. The club is currently at the bottom of the championship table, collecting only 21 points in 33 games.

Manchester City
The Citizens hardly need to sweat in the FA Cup this season for winning 4-1 at Swindon Town in the third round, and then beat Fulham with the same score on February 5. Manchester City are currently at the top of the Premier League table - six points higher than second-placed Liverpool. The team won the FA Cup six times, the last in 2019.

Prediction
It's hard to predict anything except an easy away victory. Even if Guardiola makes five or six changes, Manchester City will be full of strength.


Pick: Manchester City to win in -2.5 AH

[DarrenTse]

Luton Town vs Chelsea

Luton Town
The 4-0 victory over Harrogate Town in the third round contributed to Luton's best performance in the FA Cup since the 2012-13 season.The team defeated Derby County by a narrow margin of 1-0 and won their last three victories in the second level league, which was enough to see that they rank sixth in the table.

Chelsea
The Blues were saddened by Liverpool's penalty shoot out in the EFL Cup final at the weekend for ending the their six consecutive victories in all competitions. Chelsea need extra time to beat Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round. Luton and Chelsea will be locking horns for the second tournament running this week, with Tammy Abraham scoring a hat-trick for the Blues in a 3-1 fourth-round win back in January 2021

Prediction
Luton’s fans hope for the FA Cup are not groundless, but Tuchel certainly can't understand the domestic disappointment, so we still expect the Blues to return to the road of victory and occupy a place in the quarter finals.


1X2 Pick: 2
Final Result: 0-2, 1-2

[StevieDay1983]

Peterborough vs Manchester City

The FA Cup 5th Round matches get underway on Tuesday night as the bottom placed side in the Championship Peterborough host Premier League leaders Manchester City in a 7:15pm GMT kick-off at the Weston Homes Stadium. The odds are firmly stacked against the home team who have recently experienced a managerial change but can they cause one of the biggest upset in recent cup memory by defeating arguably the favourites to win this competition?

Peterborough may be staring down the face of relegation back to League One but for this week they can put their league woes aside in an attempt to pull off a giant-killing feat in the FA Cup. Grant McCann is the man given the duty of trying to save the Posh from relegation after the departure of Darren Ferguson but his reign started off in the worst way possible with a demoralising 3-0 loss at home against his former club Hull. The team had to navigate their way past Bristol Rovers and QPR in the previous rounds so this will be a huge step up in quality. Outside of those two FA Cup victories, it's no win in their last 11 league games with the team losing 9 of those games and failing to score in 7 of them.

Manchester City will be looking at this game and seeing it as a relatively straight forward route to the Quarter-Finals. Pep Guardiola is certainly likely to make some changes as his team continues to battle on three fronts with the Premier League and Champions League undoubtedly more important objectives than this one. The Citizens cruised past both Swindon and Fulham by 4-1 scorelines but the fact they have conceded in both of those games and have conceded in their last 4 matches against lower division opposition in this competition suggests a both teams to score option could be worth backing here. An interesting shout for anytime scorer could be midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. The German international has scored in the two previous rounds and looks set to be involved here as well.

I'm going to state the obvious here but I think it'll take something quite miraculous for Manchester City not to ease through this one. Peterborough are all at sea at the moment and their result on the weekend was deeply disappointing. I think it's clear they'll be playing in the third tier of English football this season and I think the quality of Manchester City will make this a one-way game.

Manchester City -2 @ 1.67 with Betfair

Anytime Scorer: Ilkay Gundogan @ 2.68 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Crystal Palace vs Stoke

The second game in the FA Cup 5th Round on Tuesday night is the 7:30pm GMT kick-off between Premier League club Crystal Palace and Championship side Stoke at Selhurst Park. It wasn't that long ago that these two teams were competing week in, week out together in the top flight of English football. Unfortunately, times have changed and the home team come into this as firm favourites.

Crystal Palace have showed signs of turning their recent poor form on its head. Patrick Vieira's side have now lost just 2 of their last 7 matches across all competitions. The Eagles are sitting in a comfortable 11th position in the Premier League so can focus more attention on the FA Cup. The team have already navigated their way past ties against Millwall and Hartlepool. The first of those saw the team having to dig deep to sneak past their opponents. However, the win over Hartlepool was the only win in their last 5 matches in all competitions at home with the team losing three of those matches. They will no doubt be brimming with confidence knowing they have only lost 1 of the last 9 meetings with Stoke.

Stoke come into this game knowing that with the club in 15th place in the Championship that they can afford to field a strong line-up here in the hope of pulling off a shock result. Michael O'Neill's men had been looking like potential play-off contenders but just 1 win in their last 8 league games has really hit their hopes of finishing in the top 6 now. The Potters have found a release from poor league form in the FA Cup having already knocked out Leyton Orient and Wigan both by 2-0 score-lines. Both of those wins did come on home turf though and the team have only tasted victory on the road once in 2022. It also won't help morale that their last win at Palace came back on 23rd October, 2007. So it's been a while!

I feel this is one of those games where Crystal Palace will need to make sure they don't have an off day to get the win but they should be deeply disappointed if they don't progress. I'm not really sure what is going on with Stoke after they looked so good earlier in the campaign. The team are conceding 2 goals per game over their last 4 matches so unless that leaky defence is tightened I cannot see them getting a positive result here.

Crystal Palace HT/FT @ 2.70 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.91 with Coral

[StevieDay1983]

Middlesbrough vs Tottenham

The final FA Cup 5th Round game to be played on Tuesday night is the 7:55pm GMT (such random timings for these matches!) kick-off between Championship play-off contenders Middlesbrough and Premier League high-flyers Tottenham at the Riverside Stadium. All the pressure is on the away side to avoid being shocked by the underdogs here but is this game more evenly poised than the odds suggest?

Middlesbrough are experiencing a renaissance of sorts under Chris Wilder. The former Sheffield United man took over at the helm of the Teesiders back in November and has turned them into a well-oiled machine that are making a late dash for the top six in the second tier of English football. Boro are currently in 8th place and 2 points outside the play-offs having won 10 of their last 16 matches in all competitions plus knocking out Manchester United away on penalties in the previous round. It's now 7 home games won in a row for the team as well so they will certainly pose a huge threat to their Premier League opponents here.

Tottenham continue their progress under Antonio Conte with the club sat in 7th position and 5 points outside the Champions League qualification places. It seems that Conte has finally got striker Harry Kane hitting the back of the net and the 4-0 win away to Leeds was a fantastic response after the shock 1-0 loss away to Burnley in their previous league game. This will be Tottenham's fourth away game in a row and the bad news is that they have failed to win 6 of their last 7 away matches in cup competitions. Spurs eased to 3-1 wins over Morecambe and Brighton in the previous two rounds of the FA Cup but this will be their biggest test yet on the road.

I am less confident now than I was a few weeks back in Middlesbrough delivering here after the team have suffered defeats in 2 of their last 3 league matches but they take on an equally inconsistent Tottenham who are earning a track record for stumbling in games they should win and over-performing in the games they're anticipated to lose. I understand why Tottenham are favourites but that price has to see Middlesbrough backed with a double chance. They've already knocked out a Premier League team away so why can't they do it at home?

Middlesbrough Double Chance @ 2.24 with SBK

BTTS @ 1.85 with SBK

[yossa6133]

Was thinking -4 on the Man City handicap! They have picked their strongest team and they don't relent when they are on top and 10/3 with Skybet looks a fair punt for a tonking.

[yossa6133]

City very sloppy, can't believe it took 60mins to score 

[StefanBB]

Southampton vs West Ham 

Southampton will be hoping for a repeat of their last result, following the 2:0 Premier League victory vs Norwich City. The home side has been on a hot run, failing to win just once on the last four occasions. That run saw them improving to 9th place in the Premier League. Southampton has been on a persistent run of goalscoring form, netting in one hundred percent of their last six matches. They have claimed a sum of 11 during that period while seeing the number of goals scored against them stand at 5. Regarding the availability issues, Nathan Tella (Groin Injury), Alex McCarthy (Thigh Problems), and Lyanco (Hamstring Injury) won't be able to feature for Southampton coach Ralph Hasenhüttl.

West Ham United will go into this clash following a 1:0 Premier League win versus Wolverhampton Wanderers in their last fixture. The Hammers haven’t lost four times in a row and stayed in the game for the Champions League qualification. David Moyes's West Ham United have converted seven times throughout their previous six matches. The overall goals that they have conceded during those same matches equals five. Owing to an otherwise full-strength squad, there’s only the lone fitness worry for the West Ham United boss David Moyes to contend with. Angelo Ogbonna (Cruciate Ligament Rupture) misses out on this game.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

It is going to be a very close match which can easily go either way. Both teams have played very well lately, and we wouldn’t be surprised if this clash finished in a draw in 90 minutes.

Goals Market Prediction

Southampton’s defense has been quite solid in the last two matches, but the Hammers are pretty talented in the front. Therefore, we don’t think either side will keep the clean sheet.

Draw @ 3.50

BTTS Yes @ 1.70

Correct score 1:1 @ 6.50

[StevieDay1983]

Luton vs Chelsea

The FA Cup 5th Round action goes on this Wednesday night with three games set to take place. The first of those that I'll take a look at is the clash between Championship play-off outsiders Luton and Premier League club Chelsea in a 7:15pm GMT kick-off from Kenilworth Road. How will the away side react to losing the EFL Cup Final on the weekend against a home team that have every reason to feel they can cause an upset here?

Luton are enjoying a very positive season with Nathan Jones back at the helm. The Hatters are in 6th place in the English second tier and firmly being touted as potential play-off contenders come the end of the campaign. The team have lost just 1 of their last 9 matches in all competitions including winning their last 3 games in a row. It's also 8 matches unbeaten at home across all competitions so they are turning their home patch into a bit of a fortress despite it only holding a capacity of 10,356. Scoring goals has also come easy on home territory with Luton scoring 14 goals in their last 7 home matches. Elijah Adebayo is the man leading the way with the goals this season but there is experience throughout the team including the likes of Cameron Jerome, Kal Naismith, and Pelly Mpanzu who have certainly been keeping the heads level in the dressing room. Luton are yet to concede a goal in this competition thus far having won 4-0 versus Harrogate Town and 3-0 against Cambridge United in the previous rounds.

Chelsea have already won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup but they failed to add the EFL Cup trophy to their cabinet after the 11-10 defeat to Liverpool on penalties after a 0-0 draw on Sunday. The pressure is clearly getting to Thomas Tuchel as he became more fiery over questions aimed at him over the involvement of Russian owner Roman Abramovich with the club. The Blues had been unbeaten in their last 7 matches across all competitions before the weekend's loss to Liverpool so there's every reason for Chelsea to remain in confident mood heading into this game. The team eased past non-league Chesterfield by a 5-1 score in the 3rd Round before squeezing past League One club Plymouth with a 2-1 win after extra-time in the previous round. Based on previous team selections, Tuchel has often chosen a strong side for this competition but having endured a packed schedule recently it'll be interesting to see if he gives the likes of Saul, Malang Sarr, and Romelu Lukaku starts to rest other players.

I can't tell what it is but you feel that something isn't right behind the scenes at Chelsea. Tuchel appears to be getting less patient in his press conferences, performances are becoming less consistent, the defensive line hasn't looked as secure as it was when he first joined, there is the Abramovich issue, and questions still remain over Lukaku. Luton are going to come at Chelsea with everything they've got but I just think Chelsea will still have the quality to progress. It won't be easy and may even require extra-time but there is a stark difference in quality between these two clubs that will be evident.

Chelsea to Win & BTTS @ 3.25 with William Hill

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.74 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Southampton vs West Ham

The second game from the FA Cup 5th Round on Wednesday night involves Premier League clubs Southampton and West Ham in a 7:30pm GMT kick-off from St Mary's Stadium. Both clubs are performing well this season and in decent periods of form right now. A potential FA Cup win would create history they've not experienced in years so winning this game would produce a huge opportunity.

Southampton are flying in 2022 under Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Saints have lost just 1 of their last 12 matches in all competitions. Home form has been key for Southampton this season with the team losing just 1 of their 14 matches played at home across all competitions so far including going unbeaten in their last 11 such games. It's not been overly straight forward for the club that is 9th in the Premier League in this competition so far. They have required extra-time wins against both Swansea and Coventry in the two previous rounds. There is the potential for Southampton to claim three clean sheets in a row in this game with the defence really churning out some impressive displays recently.

West Ham are flirting with the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League this season. David Moyes has led his team to 5th in the Premier League table and just 2 points off the pace of the top four. 7 wins from their last 11 matches in all competitions has seen the positive mood continue to thrive around the club. The Hammers have already knocked out Leeds and Kidderminister Harriers in the previous rounds but neither display was overly convincing so this will be a big challenge for the players. Away form is a sticking point for West Ham with the club losing 5 of their last 9 matches away against Premier League opposition.

The head-to-head record shows that Southampton have won just 1 of the last 9 meetings against West Ham but that did come in their last encounter when Southampton won 3-2 back on Boxing Day. Both teams have scored in just 2 of the last 7 matches between these two sides and I am expecting a low-scoring affair here with both teams in decent form. I wouldn't be surprised if this goes all the way to penalties to decide the winner and I wouldn't be shocked to see Southampton progress on home turf.

Southampton to Qualify @ 1.75 with Unibet

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 2.00 with Bet365

[StevieDay1983]

Liverpool vs Norwich

The final game in the Wednesday night previews in the FA Cup 5th Round offers us a feeling of deja vu as Premier League title challengers Liverpool entertain top flight relegation battlers Norwich in an 8:15pm GMT start from Anfield. These two sides only met a couple of weeks back in league action and it's fair to say that it was about as one-sided as many people predicted.

Liverpool will be buzzing after winning the EFL Cup for the first time since 2012. Jurgen Klopp's side will now be determined to give themselves the best chance of a quadruple as they continue to fight on the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup fronts. Is it on? Well, the Reds are unbeaten in 13 matches played across all competitions during 2022. That run has included 10 victories within 90 minutes and 8 clean sheets. That robust and resilient Liverpool back-line is back. Liverpool have also scored at least 3 goals in 7 of their last 9 home matches in all competitions. However, they have conceded in both of their wins in this competition so far against Shrewsbury and Cardiff. The team has also conceded in 10 of their last 12 FA Cup matches.

Norwich may well be staring down the barrel of a return to the Championship with the club bottom of the Premier League and 5 points adrift of safety but this offers sweet escape from the pressures and stress of league action. The Canaries have squeezed into the last 16 of this competition with two 1-0 wins over Charlton and Wolves away from home. Dean Smith knows that Liverpool not only beat his team in the league 3-1 a couple of weeks back but also knocked Norwich out of the EFL Cup by a 3-0 result. It was also 3-0 to Liverpool when the teams met on the opening weekend. Norwich have conceded 22 goals in the 5 games they have played against the teams currently in the top three of the Premier League. I wouldn't be surprised to see another 3 goal haul for the home team here.

OK, so it might be best that if you're an optimistic Norwich fan then you don't take a look at the head-to-head record. Not only have Liverpool already stuck 9 goals past Norwich in the last 3 meetings this season but Liverpool are unbeaten against Norwich in the last 17 meetings by an aggregate score of 53-15. The last time Norwich tasted victory was a 1-0 win away to Liverpool back on 30th April, 1994. Welsh international Jeremy Goss scored the winner and I couldn't stop getting swaps of Rob Ullathorne in my 1993/94 Premier League sticker album. Sadly, I can't see a repeat of that score here and it'll just be more torture for the Norfolk club.

Liverpool HT/FT @ 1.70 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 3.5 @ 1.83 with Bet365

[StevieDay1983]

Everton vs Boreham Wood

The FA Cup 5th Round continues into Thursday night this week with a single game of Premier League strugglers Everton hosting shock performers and National League promotion-chasing side Boreham Wood in an 8:15pm GMT kick-off at Goodison Park. These two teams are separated by a number of tiers in the English football league pyramid and anything other than a commanding home win seems unrealistic... right?

Everton have had a season to forget so far but there is an amazing opportunity for the club to progress to the FA Cup Quarter-Finals here and give their fans something to cheer about. The Toffees may well be down in 17th position and just 1 point above the relegation zone but there is hope that under new head coach Frank Lampard the club can move in the right direction again. The only problem with that is that the team have lost 3 of the 4 league games under Lampard's management but they did cruise to a 4-1 win at home over Brentford in the previous round of the FA Cup having navigated their way past Hull away by a 3-2 score after extra-time back in the days under he who shall not be named (Rafa Benitez!).

Boreham Wood are the massive underdogs coming into this game. The Wood (please pronounce in the same way disgraced DJ Tim Westwood says his own name!) are in 4th place and vying for the play-offs this season. Manager Luke Garrard has guided his team to this incredible stage of the competition after previously knocking out Bournemouth, AFC Wimbledon, St Albans City, Eastleigh, and Barnet. One fascinating statistic is that Boreham Wood are yet to concede a single goal in the FA Cup so far this season keeping 5 clean sheets already. The team have also kept 4 clean sheets in their last 5 matches across all competitions. It's also just 1 loss from their last 19 matches played in all competitions.

It is obviously clear to see that the odds are stacked against Boreham Wood here. Everton may well be out of form and experiencing a torrid campaign but they're still a side packed with international experience. I think Lampard is going to want to use this game to send a message. I can see Boreham Wood putting in a stubborn display and they may not get turned over but backing a win could well be equivalent to throwing money away. That said, you know I love backing the underdogs... and backing Boreham Wood at a double chance just over 90 minutes is what romantic FA Cup bets are all about!

Boreham Wood Double Chance @ 6.70 with VBet

Boreham Wood +3 @ 1.70 with Coral

[Darran]

I’ve been told that Boreham Wood have only 14 fit players for tonight and 3 of them are keepers. Because of that most of the bench will be made up of unfit players so my feeling is Everton might have an easier time of it tonight than they could have done.