Meanwhile, Portsmouth look to knock out QPR while Crystal Palace welcome Tottenham in London derby
The FA Cup is the oldest knock-out tournament in club football, and the fourth round is set to kick off this coming weekend. On the Friday night (25 January) Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United go head to head, while we could well see a giant killing at Fratton Park as Portsmouth host QPR, and Crystal Palace lock horns with Tottenham in a London derby.
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the FA Cup still in its infancy this year, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
First up, that huge match up between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners comfortably saw off Blackpool 3-0 in the previous round, and are priced competitively at 13.00 to go all the way in the competition this year – that would mean Unai Emery winning silverware in his very first season as Arsenal boss.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have been in scintillating form since sacking Jose Mourinho and bringing in interim boss Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer. The Red Devils have won seven matches in a row across all competitions, including a 2-0 win over Reading in the third round of the FA Cup, and they are priced at 9.00 to win the trophy this season.
And while the betting is tight, it is Arsenal who come in as the slight favourites to win this tie. You can more than double your money by backing the Gunners to progress inside 90 minutes at 2.45, while United come in slightly higher at 2.70 – a draw would appear to be the least likely outcome and is priced accordingly at 3.50, according to Oddsshark.
And we are expecting home advantage to play a key factor in this tie. A narrow, 2-1 win for Arsenal comes in at 9.50, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$47.50 pay out, while you could more than quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of an Arsenal win, coupled with both teams to score, at a price of 4.33.
Portsmouth could cause Cup upset
The following day, Portsmouth could well cause an upset when they host QPR. Pompey are top of League One – the third tier of English club football – although they have lost their last two league outings.
QPR, by way of comparison, are sitting in 14th place in the EFL Championship – the league above Portsmouth – having also lost their last two league games. With a fierce crowd behind them this could well be the giant killing of the weekend.
Again, the betting is tight but is Portsmouth who come in as the slight favourites to win the tie. The League One side are at 2.37 to pull off the victory, with QPR further out at 2.80 – a draw comes in highest of all at 3.50.
And we like the look of an upset in this one. AA narrow, 1-0 win fir Portsmouth is priced at 8.00, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$40 pay out, while you could quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of a Portsmouth win, coupled with both teams to score, at 4.00.
Palace and Spurs meet in top tier affair
And finally, Crystal Palace and Tottenham face off on the Sunday afternoon in another all-Premier League tie. Palace looked less than convincing as they squeezed past Grimsby Town in the last round, and they could well have reached the end of the road here.
Tottenham, in stark contrast, put seven past Tranmere Rovers and are flying high in the Premier League in third place. Spurs come in at 9.00 to win the FA Cup in May.
They are also the favourites to win this fourth round tie and are priced at 2.37 to do so while Palace, despite home advantage, are out at 2.90 to do the same. A draw does not look likely and is priced at 3.40.
Tottenham’s technical superiority should see them safely through into the fifth round. A 2-1 win for the visitors comes in at 9.50, thereby offering close to a ten-fold return on any investment, while you can double your money by backing over 2.5 goals in the game at 2.00.
FA Cup round 4 fixtures:
Friday, 25 January
(1.44) Bristol City x Bolton Wanderers (7.00); draw (4.33)
(2.45) Arsenal x Manchester United (2.70); draw (3.50)
Saturday, 26 January
(4.20) Accrington Stanley x Derby County (1.85); draw (3.50)
(1.83) Brighton x West Brom (4.20); draw (3.50)
(1.75) Doncaster Rovers x Oldham Athletic (4.33); draw (3.80)
(1.10) Manchester City x Burnley (23.00); draw (9.00)
(1.33) Middlesbrough x Newport County (9.00); draw (5.00)
(3.00) Newcastle x Watford (2.37); draw (3.20)
(2.37) Portsmouth x QPR (2.80); draw (3.50)
(7.00) Shrewsbury Town x Wolverhampton Wanderers (1.50); draw (4.00)
(1.50) Swansea x Gillingham (6.00); draw (4.33)
(5.00) Millwall x Everton (1.66); draw (3.80)
(6.50) AFC Wimbledon x West Ham United (1.45); draw (4.50)
Sunday, 27 January
(2.90) Crystal Palace x Tottenham Hotspsur (2.37); draw (3.40)
(1.16) Chelsea x Sheffield Wednesday (13.00); draw (7.50)
Monday, 28 January
(6.00) Barnet x Brentford (1.53); draw (4.00)
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