Betting Picks, Tips and Odds for 2018 FA Cup Quarter Final
The FA Cup takes centre stage in the football betting calendar this weekend as the eight remaining teams battle it out for a place in the semi-finals at Wembley. There have been plenty of upsets and dramatic moments in this season’s competition, leaving seven Premier League sides and one from League One.
Manchester City have already bagged the EFL Trophy and have all but wrapped up the Premier League title, so the FA Cup represents a last chance for the remaining top-flight sides to get their hands on some domestic silverware this season. Let’s take a look at the four ties and the best bets to consider for each one.
Best Bets of Swansea vs Tottenham
Swansea and Tottenham were both taken to replays by lower-league clubs in the last two rounds but they made it through and now face each other for the third time this season. Spurs have never lost at the Liberty Stadium, winning on five of their six previous visits, and are the clear favourites to progress to the semis at best odds of 1/2 with William Hill. However, Swansea’s form has improved dramatically since Carlos Carvalhal took the reins at the end of 2017.
In fact, their 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in January is one of only two the Swans have suffered in 16 games in all competitions under Carvalhal. What’s more, they’ve won their last seven games at home, scoring 21 goals and conceding just four. Add into the mix the fact that the visitors will be without star striker Harry Kane, who suffered an injury last weekend, and Swansea look pretty appealing at odds of 7/1 with Betfair.
Best Bets of Man Utd vs Brighton
Jose Mourinho has won the FA Cup just once during his three spells as a manager in England. He seems determined to change that this season. The Manchester United boss has a strong line-up which has seen his side into the quarter-finals with comfortable wins over Derby, Yeovil and Huddersfield.
United boast the second-best defensive record in the Premier League and are yet to concede a goal in the FA Cup, so Ladbrokes offering odds of 19/20 on Mourinho’s men to win to nil are certainly worth considering, especially given that Brighton have failed to hit the target in seven of their last ten away matches. Having said that, the Seagulls are in decent form having lost just one of their last eight games in all competitions.
Best Bets of Wigan vs Southampton
The only lower-league outfit left in the competition, Wigan have already knocked out three Premier League sides, including Manchester City, and now have their sights set on struggling Southampton. Despite the clubs being two divisions apart they are closely matched in the betting, with the Saints only rated as slight favourites at 6/5 with 10Bet.
Wigan can be backed at 12/5 with a number of football betting sites. The League One side have only lost three times at home this season and have kept a clean sheet in 16 of their 26 games at the DW Stadium. Southampton, who sacked manager Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday, have struggled for goals all season, so the win to nil market (Wigan at 9/2 with BetBright) could be worth a punt.
Best Bets of Leicester vs Chelsea
The last of the quarter-final ties brings together Leicester City and Chelsea, the Premier League champions of the last two years. Chelsea are seen as favourites, with most sites pricing them at 11/10, but the Blues are not on great form having lost five of their last ten games in all competitions and losing their star defender.
Before this one, they have the more important matter of a Champions League leg at Barcelona, so boss Antonio Conte is likely to rest some of his key players. Leicester are sitting comfortably in eighth place in the Premier League so they can afford to place more emphasis on this game. The Foxes are unbeaten in their last eight at the King Power Stadium and look good value at 13/5 with Paddy Power to win.
Claude Puel’s men have only failed to score twice at home this season, but also only kept one clean sheet in their last eight games, so both teams to score at 14/19 with 10Bet is another bet to consider. These are just a small selection of the bets available, so check out our recommended bookmakers for a full range of markets on this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals.
