FA CUP WEDNESDAY: We preview Wednesday’s FA Cup Fifth Round games between LEICESTER v BIRMINGHAM, SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY v MAN CITY and TOTTENHAM v NORWICH all with a recommended BETDAQ bet and extended match stats.
LEICESTER V BIRMINGHAM
7.45pm We have another excellent night ahead in the FA Cup Fifth Round on Wednesday and we kick off with Leicester hosting Birmingham. Obviously this is a big drop in class for Leicester, but they haven’t been at their best lately and they must be low on confidence. They lost to Norwich last Friday night who sit bottom of the table and they have had plenty of upsets in recent weeks – losing to Aston Villa, Burnley and Southampton. Birmingham will know they’re in for a tough evening, but they’ll be hoping to continue Leicester’s poor run.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Leicester 1.26, Birmingham 14.0 and the draw is 6.6. We feel Leicester are at least ten ticks too short at 1.26 here although they should get the job done in the end. Birmingham are only 15th in the Champions and with home advantage, Leicester should really win. We don’t trust them based on current form though, and we like Birmingham to keep the scoreline respectable here. The away side look good value at 2.3 +1.5 goals in the handicap market and we’re happy to back that.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Birmingham +1.5 goals to beat Leicester at 2.3.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQLeiBir
MATCH STATS
- Leicester have progressed from all six of their FA Cup ties with Birmingham City, with this the first such meeting since the third round in 1998-99.
- In all competitions, Leicester are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Birmingham (W3 D2), with this their first meeting since a Championship match in January 2014 (2-1).
- Leicester haven’t lost a home FA Cup match against a side from a lower division since a 1-2 loss against Wycombe in March 2001. The Foxes have won 10 and drawn one of their 11 such games since.
- Birmingham are looking to reach the FA Cup quarter-final for the first time since 2010-11. The Blues have been eliminated from their last six FA Cup ties against Premier League sides since beating Wolves over two games in January 2012.
- Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho has scored 10 goals in 13 FA Cup appearances, including nine in nine starts in the competition.
- Birmingham’s Jeremy Bela has scored in two of this three FA Cup appearances this season, netting their 90th minute winner against Blackburn in round three, and their 120th minute equaliser to force penalties against Coventry in the last round.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY V MANCHESTER CITY
7.45pm This is a great occasion for Sheffield Wednesday and they will be bang up for this tie. It’s very difficult to see anything bar a Manchester City win however, but you never know when we see the ‘magic of the Cup!’ Manchester City arrive here fresh off a win in the Carabao Cup final at the weekend where they had a few nervy moments. They haven’t been at their best this season but they should easily outclass this Sheffield Wednesday side.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Sheffield Wednesday 15.5, Manchester City 1.22 and the draw is 7.6. Sheffield Wednesday are a midtable side in the Championship and City should run out easy winners here. Given City haven’t been banging in the goals for fun lately, we like Sheffield Wednesday to keep the scoreline respectable here. Home advantage is always a big factor for the smaller sides in the FA Cup and we like the Any Other Away Win (Manchester City to score four or more and win) lay which looks very good value to lay at 3.5.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Any Other Away Win at 3.5.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQSheMci
MATCH STATS
- Sheffield Wednesday are winless in their last 11 meetings with Man City in all competitions (D4 L7) since a 3-1 win at Maine Road in a Premier League match in November 1993.
- Manchester City have progressed from all four of their previous FA Cup ties against Sheffield Wednesday, most recently in January 2015 (2-1 at the Etihad).
- This is the second season in a row Sheffield Wednesday are facing the holders of the FA Cup, losing 0-3 at Chelsea last term.
- Sheffield Wednesday’s 1-0 win against Brighton in round three ended a run of 15 consecutive FA Cup eliminations at the hands of Premier League sides for the Owls.
- Man City have won their last five FA Cup games against sides from a lower division, scoring 22 goals in the process. Their last such defeat came at this stage in 2017-18, with Pep Guardiola’s side losing 0-1 at Wigan.
- Man City’s Gabriel Jesus has had a hand in 11 goals in his eight FA Cup appearances (7 goals, 4 assists), including six in his last three (5 goals, 1 assist).
TOTTENHAM V NORWICH
7.45pm It hasn’t been a good past week for Spurs. They lost a home tie in the Champions League and are in big danger of crashing out, and then lost 3-2 to Wolves at the weekend. Luckily for them, Manchester United and Chelsea only drew so they didn’t lose that much ground – but Jose Mourinho still has big problems and as we have seen before, it doesn’t take much for it all to fall apart where Mourinho is involved. Very interesting times ahead.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Tottenham 1.61, Norwich 6.0 and the draw is 4.4. Norwich still sit bottom of the Premier League table, but they got a boost last Friday night when beating Leicester. The game came at Carrow Road and Norwich are much better at home, and Spurs should really win here. It’s not the best bet in the FA Cup this week, but it’s very hard to ignore this Spurs price. 1.61 is simply too big, even allowing for their recent slip-ups and injuries. Norwich have been poor this season and their place in the Premier League reflects that. Mourinho needs a good FA Cup performance and we’re happy to back the home win here.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Tottenham to beat Norwich at 1.61.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQTotNor
MATCH STATS
- Tottenham have only progressed from one of their previous four FA Cup ties with Norwich, doing so in the most recent such encounter in January 1993.
- Norwich have won just one of their last seven away games against Spurs in all competitions (D2 L4), losing each of the last three in a row including their league game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.
- Tottenham have progressed to the quarter-final on nine of the last 10 occasions they’ve reached this stage of the FA Cup, falling only at this hurdle in 2015-16 against Crystal Palace.
- Norwich are looking to reach the FA Cup quarter-final for the first time since 1991-92. The Canaries have been eliminated at this stage four times since then, most recently in 2011-12.
- Norwich have been eliminated from 13 of their last 15 FA Cup ties against Premier League opponents, though they did beat Burnley in the last round. The last time they knocked out two top-flight sides in the same FA Cup campaign was in 1991-92.
- Tottenham’s Son Heung-min has been directly involved in 18 goals in 17 FA Cup starts, scoring 12 and assisting six.
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
