One of the best weekends of English football in the calendar is here: the FA Cup third round weekend. After the hectic league schedule, Premier League and Championship teams are entered into the tournament and the draw has provided some absolute crackers. From big local derbies to potential banana skins, we’ve got it all to enjoy, with the fun getting underway on Friday evening.
Away from the domestic scene and there is plenty of action taking place in Italy and Spain. Both Serie A and La Liga are shaping up nicely for entertaining second halves to their respective seasons and we’ve picked out our selection of the best bets from both leagues below.
- Liverpool v Everton – Over 1.5 First Half Goals (33/20 with Coral)
- Bournemouth v Wigan – Bournemouth to Win and Both Teams to Score (11/4 with BetVictor)
- Watford v Bristol City – Over 3.5 Goals at (7/4 with Bet365)
- Shrewsbury v West Ham – West Ham to Win (Evens with Betfair)
- Nottingham Forest v Arsenal – Arsenal to Win to Nil (15/8 with Bet365)
- Valencia v Girona – Valencia to Win and Over 2.5 Goals (13/10 with Ladbrokes)
- Fiorentina v Inter Milan – Inter Milan to Win by One Goal (7/2 with Betfair)
FA Cup
Premier League managers have been especially critical of the fixture scheduling over the Christmas period. Clubs from top to bottom have struggled with the amount of football they’ve had to play and while it’s not been any easier for the Football League clubs, many of those paired against top flight sides will fancy their chances of pulling off an upset.
Liverpool v Everton – 5th January
Jurgen Klopp could hardly have been any more upset at the end of December’s Merseyside derby. The Liverpool manager was incensed with the penalty awarded to Everton, especially as he believed the Toffees did nothing but defend for 90 minutes. Sam Allardyce’s mood was very different as he believed the 1-1 draw justified his approach to the match.
Unfortunately for Allardyce, trying to sit deep and remain in games against the best teams in the Premier League is a dangerous ploy as he found out when Man United beat Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park. Klopp has to ensure that his Liverpool side do not fall foul of Allardyce’s tactics once again and the best way to do that is by taking their chances. Expect Liverpool to come out of the blocks firing and to grab at least one first half goal. That could prompt Everton into action with Allardyce much more likely to throw caution to the wind in a cup game than in the league.
Over 1.5 First Half Goals – 33/20 with Coral
Bournemouth v Wigan – 6th January
The number of games Premier League clubs have played recently coupled with the importance of remaining in the division means that we’re going to see some heavily rotated teams in the FA Cup. It may not please fans of the cup but managers have to do what they believe is in the best interests of their club.
Eddie Howe is one of those with a tough decision to make about his team selection ahead of this match. On the one hand, he is desperate not to do anything to jeopardise Bournemouth’s chances of avoiding the drop, on the other, being knocked out of the cup by Wigan would deal a severe blow to the Cherries’ morale just when results have begun to pick up.
Wigan manager, Paul Cook, has decisions of his own to make. Every Football League club wants the chance to test themselves against Premier League opposition but with Wigan holding a narrow lead at the top of League 1, he too could decide to rest some of his most important players.
Many fans will earmark this game as a potential upset. In the end, the quality in Bournemouth’s squad should see them win the game but don’t be surprised if Wigan get on the scoresheet.
Bournemouth to Win and Both Teams to Score – 11/4 with BetVictor
Watford v Bristol City – 6th January
Watford know all about Bristol City. The Robins did a number on the Hornets when they met in the League Cup at the start of the season and Lee Johnson’s men have arguably only got better since that 3-2 win. It’s not been all plain sailing for Bristol City who were well beaten 5-0 by Aston Villa last time out but they’re not the sort of team to let one battering blow them off course.
Watford are not the only Premier League team Bristol City have beaten this season. They came through ties against Stoke, Crystal Palace and Man United to reach the semi finals of the Carabao Cup and they’ll be out for another scalp at Vicarage Road. Watford should get revenge but they’re in poor form and shipping goals for fun so expect another thoroughly entertaining game.
Over 3.5 Goals at – 7/4 with Bet365
Shrewsbury v West Ham – 7th January
While Football League clubs relish the chance to host a Premier League side at home, making the trip to a lower league team is never greeted with optimism by top flight players or managers. David Moyes has had a positive impact since taking over at West Ham but like so many other managers in the Premier League, he knows that relegation remains a real possibility. The trip to play Shrewsbury will be West Ham’s third game in less than a week and Moyes has suggested that he’ll play a heavily rotated team at New Meadow.
The Shrewsbury fans will be right up for this game and will be sniffing an upset. However, West Ham have some very talented young players waiting for a chance to impress while the likes of Joe Hart, Javier Hernandez and Andre Ayew could all feature for the Irons. Whatever team Moyes picks, he’ll demand a fully committed performance which makes West Ham look good value at evens with Betfair.
West Ham to Win – Evens with Betfair
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal – 7th January
Arsene Wenger continues to break records. He recently became the manager to take charge of most Premier League games, getting past Sir Alex Ferguson’s tally of 810. He’s also won the FA Cup more than any other manager and will be hoping for yet more success this year, starting with Arsenal’s third round trip to Nottingham Forest.
While the FA Cup represents another opportunity to give Wenger and Arsenal something to celebrate, manager-less Nottingham Forest could be forgiven for thinking it is nothing more than an unwelcome distraction. Forest are struggling in the Championship and should pose little threat to Arsenal who are well priced to win to nil at 15/8 with Bet365.
Arsenal to Win to Nil – 15/8 with Bet365
La Liga
Zinedine Zidane could well find himself out of a job come the end of the season. The Real Madrid manager has overseen a very sloppy first half of the campaign and on their return from the winter break there’s a massive 14 points between themselves and table toppers Barcelona. The Catalan giants are on course for yet another league title win while Atletico Madrid and Valencia are currently battling it out for second place.
Valencia v Girona – 6th January
Ask any football fan which is the toughest club to manage in world football and it won’t be long before they mention Valencia. The club go through managers at an alarming rate thanks to a combination of very demanding fans and trigger-happy owners, but so far Marcelino is getting things very right at Mestalla. Valencia are sitting pretty in third place in the Liga table and hopes are high for a return to the Champions League.
Valencia may be playing some excellent football but they were very happy for the winter break having lost three of their last four fixtures. Those were Valencia’s first league defeats of the season and they’ll be confident of turning things around when Girona visit Mestalla on Saturday afternoon.
However, writing Girona off would be a big mistake. They’ve already secured their first ever win over Real Madrid this season and have failed to score in just two of their away games. Valencia will likely have to score several times to get the three points in what should be one of the best matches of the weekend in Spain.
Valencia to Win and Over 2.5 Goals – 13/10 with Ladbrokes
Serie A
While the title challenge looks to be all but over in the Premier League and La Liga, that could not be further from the truth in Serie A. With just one round of fixtures to go before the short winter break, Napoli sit at the top of the table with Juventus breathing down their necks and Inter Milan, Roma and Lazio not much further away. It could be even closer after this weekend’s games so Serie A is a league well worth keeping your eye on.
Fiorentina v Inter Milan – 5th January
Fiorentina are not one of the teams in with a realistic chance of winning the scudetto this season but they can be happy with their campaign to date. Stefano Pioli’s men have been quietly going about their business and have rarely disgraced themselves against Serie A’s best sides. The only time Fiorentina were really well beaten was back in their first game of the season when they took on Inter Milan. The Viola have a chance to exact revenge for that in the return game on Friday night but could well find themselves beaten again.
Luciano Spalletti has turned Inter into genuine title contenders but the side have hit the skids lately. Four league games without a win and a cup defeat against AC Milan has taken the gloss off of Inter’s season and Spalletti will be desperate for his team to head into the break on the back of a win. Fiorentina will put up a real fight on Friday night but Inter’s quality going forward and organisation at the back should ensure they do enough for a narrow win.
Inter Milan to Win by One Goal – 7/2 with Betfair