FA CUP SATURDAY: We preview Saturday’s FA Cup games between BRIGHTON v SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY, FULHAM v ASTON VILLA, SOUTHAMPTON v HUDDERSFIELD and WOLVES v MAN U all with a recommended BETDAQ bet and extended match stats.
BRIGHTON V SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
3.01pm The FA Cup third round kicks off on Saturday and we have some very interesting matches! We start our preview with Brighton hosting Sheffield Wednesday. Brighton have had an up-and-down season so far in the Premier League but they come into this clash in good form. They managed to hold Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at the weekend and prior to that they beat Bournemouth here and played very well when losing to Spurs. Sheffield Wednesday have lost their last three and are midtable in the Championship.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Brighton 1.92, Sheffield Wednesday 4.5 and the draw is 3.75. The FA Cup may have lost some appeal in recent years but a side like Brighton shouldn’t be resting players but that doesn’t mean they won’t! We may Brighton too big here at 1.92 coming into this game in good form. With home advantage, they can beat a Championship side who have lost three in a row coming here.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Brighton to beat Sheffield Wednesday at 1.92.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQBriShf
MATCH STATS
- Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday haven’t faced in the FA Cup since the 1982-83 semi-final, with the Seagulls winning 2-1 to reach the final.
- Sheffield Wednesday have lost their last two matches against Brighton, losing both meetings in the 2016-17 Championship season under Carlos Carvalhal.
- Brighton have lost just two of their last 18 home FA Cup matches (W10 D6 L2) and are unbeaten in five since losing 3-2 to Arsenal in January 2015.
- Sheffield Wednesday are winless in 20 FA Cup matches against Premier League opponents (D6 L14) since winning 2-1 against Sheffield United in the 1992-93 semi-final.
- This will be Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk’s seventh FA Cup match as manager – the previous six have also been away from home, winning two and losing four.
FULHAM V ASTON VILLA
3.01pm A couple of years ago this was a Premier League game! Times change fast these days. Fulham are now sitting in fifth in the Championship, ten points off the top of the table. While Aston Villa are fighting to stay in the Premier League after coming up from the Championship. It’s hard to see anything other than a very close game here between these two sides. Villa have a League Cup semi-final during the week, so could we see them rest players here?
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Fulham 2.18, Aston Villa 3.4 and the draw is 3.9. Villa managed to get a massive three points at the weekend away against Burnley. They had been struggling away from home, so that win will be a big boost to them. It is a worry with Villa having a League Cup semi-final, but we have to lay Fulham at 2.18 here. That is just too short in what should be a very close game – it’s certainly a lay from a value point of view. We expect a closer game than 2.18 suggests.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Fulham at 2.18.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQFulAsn
MATCH STATS
- Fulham and Aston Villa last met in the FA Cup in January 1999, with the Cottagers winning 2-0 at Villa Park as a third-tier side.
- This is the first meeting between Fulham and Aston Villa since the 2018 Championship play-off final, a 1-0 win for Fulham at Wembley.
- Fulham have been eliminated at the FA Cup third round stage in three of the last four seasons, having reached the fourth round in the seven seasons prior to that.
- Since reaching the 2016 FA Cup final, Aston Villa have progressed from just one of their five FA Cup ties, beating League Two side Wycombe Wanderers in January 2016.
- Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has only reached the fourth round once previously in eight previous campaigns as a manager, doing so in 2016-17 with Brentford. He has lost his last three FA Cup games by an aggregate score of 8-0.
SOUTHAMPTON V HUDDERSFIELD
3.01pm Southampton come into this clash on a total high. They have been excellent over the Christmas and New Year period, and now they sit in 12th after being in the bottom three not so long ago. They’re only two points behind Arsenal now! Huddersfield have been struggling in the Championship and it just goes to show how quickly a Premier League club can fall. They were very poor in the Premier League the season they went down, and they just haven’t really recovered from that.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Southampton 1.53, Huddersfield 7.4 and the draw is 4.5. Southampton are a confident pick at 1.53 to beat this Huddersfield side. They come into this clash in superb form and you can argue that they won’t even have to be at their best to win here. Huddersfield could easily go down from the Championship this season given their level of performance and the home win is a great value bet here.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Southampton to beat Huddersfield at 1.53.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQSthHdd
MATCH STATS
- This will be the first ever FA Cup meeting between Southampton and Huddersfield Town, both of whom are winners of the competition in the past – Saints in 1976 and the Terriers in 1922.
- Southampton are unbeaten in their last five matches against Huddersfield (W2 D3) since losing 0-2 in October 2010 in a League One meeting.
- Southampton haven’t been eliminated in the FA Cup third round in consecutive seasons since a run of three in a row between 1996-97 and 1998-99.
- Huddersfield Town are winless in 11 away FA Cup matches against top-flight opponents (D2 L9) since a 2-1 win at Chelsea in January 1964.
- In domestic cup competitions (FA/League Cup), Huddersfield have been eliminated from their last eight ties against Premier League sides since winning 2-1 against Birmingham at the John Smith’s Stadium in January 2008 in the FA Cup.
WOLVES V MANCHESTER UNITED
5.31pm We seen this fixture in the FA Cup last season at the Quarter Final stage and Wolves ran out 2-1 winners. Wolves actually have an excellent recent record against Manchester United – they are unbeaten in the last four meetings, winning two of those games. United have a League cup semi-final midweek against Manchester City, but with struggling in the Premier League there’s little reason to rest players for a tie like this.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Wolves 2.34, Manchester United 3.35 and the draw is 3.55. The bad version of United turned up against Arsenal on New Years Day – it’s hard to know what version turns up these days. One suspects even Ole doesn’t know himself! Despite that, Wolves are too short at 2.34. They have been in good form this season and although United are a long way off their best these days, 2.34 to beat them is still too short and we have to lay it. We expect a close game here and 2.34 is a value lay.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Wolves at 2.34.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQWolUtd
MATCH STATS
- This is the 10 th FA Cup match between Wolves and Man Utd – they last met in the quarter-final last season, with Wolves winning 2-1.
- Wolves are unbeaten in their last four matches against Manchester United under Nuno Espirito Santo (W2 D2).
- Wolves have won their last three home FA Cup matches in a row, last winning four consecutively between January 2003 and January 2004.
- Manchester United have been eliminated in the FA Cup third round in just one of the last nine seasons, losing to Swansea City in 2013-14 under David Moyes.
- 26 of the 27 teams to eliminate Manchester United from the FA Cup (including winning finals) have been in the top-flight that season – the exception was Leeds United in 2009-10, who were in League One.
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