FA CUP SATURDAY: The Striker previews Saturday’s FA Cup Fourth Round games between CHELSEA v PLYMOUTH ARGYLE, EVERTON v BRENTFORD and TOTTENHAM v BRIGHTON all with a recommended BETDAQ bet.


CHELSEA V PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

12.30pm We have a massive Saturday in the FA Cup Fourth Round and all football bets are 0% Commission on BETDAQ Betting Exchange! We have some very interesting markets this weekend, however we kick the day off with the shortest price of any side this weekend as Chelsea host Plymouth Argyle. The markets can’t see past an easy home win here as Chelsea are trading as short as 1.09 at the time of writing. Manchester City and Liverpool are also at home this weekend to non Premier League opposition, but Chelsea take the prize for biggest favourite! We’ll have to see some real “magic of the Cup” to see anything bar a Chelsea win here. There’s a massive gulf in class between the sides here, and Chelsea have the opportunity to rest a number of stars here. Plymouth Argyle are currently in 7th place in League One, and while they are definitely in the mix for a playoff place, it’s close to impossible to see past a Chelsea win here. I feel it will be a case of how many goals rather than will Chelsea win.

I mentioned this in my preview of Manchester United v Middlesbrough on Friday night, but do keep a keen eye on the team news from all the big games today because we can see a lot of movement when the teams come out. We all know that Premier League clubs don’t exactly “respect” the FA Cup like they used to, and we could easily see some second XI’s here but you have to factor in that while European sides didn’t have an International break, the other football federations did. As I said, it’s extremely difficult to see past a Chelsea win here given the gulf in class, but Plymouth move up to the top four on away form League One and I feel they can keep the score line respectable at least here. Any Other Home Win (Chelsea to score four or more and win) looks worth laying at around 2.4 in the Correct Score market.

The Striker Says:
Two points lay (liability) Any Other Home Win at 2.4 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQChePly


EVERTON V BRENTFORD

3pm We have a very busy afternoon with a lot of games kicking off at 3pm, but Everton v Brentford is the highlight fixture in my opinion. Both sides have been in the headlines this week, with Brentford signing Christian Eriksen and Everton appointing Frank Lampard as their new manager. I have to say, I really hope Christian Eriksen is a big success at Brentford – it’s just been around seven months since his cardiac arrest at the Euros and it’s fantastic to see him back. Meanwhile, Lampard has a lot of work to do at Everton. He takes charge with them just four points off the bottom three in the Premier League and to be honest, I’m not sure the fans are fully happy. I know Everton fans always have a moan about a manager these days, but it seems to be 50/50 on Lampard. How he starts will be massively important, and he needs to start winning games. Given their situation in the Premier League, a Cup run would be a nice boost.

It’s always interesting to see what type of performance you get from the players when a new manager comes in. The writing was on the wall for Rafa when they lost to Norwich, but then the players followed that up with a 1-0 loss with home advantage to Aston Villa. At least their performance improved a little though, and one wonders how the players will react to Lampard. Interesting times ahead for Everton. Brentford have really impressed me with their level of performance in the Premier League this season. They have played much better at home than their results suggest though, and I feel they are much more comfortable at home. That being said, Everton are too short here at 2.08. I just can’t have them as short as that given their level this season. The draw is a tempting bet in what should be a close game, but I can’t ignore the Everton lay to have the Brentford win also on our side.

The Striker Says:
Two points lay (liability) Everton to beat Brentford at 2.08 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQEveBre


TOTTENHAM V BRIGHTON

8pm We finish the day on ITV with another all Premier League clash as Spurs host Brighton. This is another game where it might pay to watch the team news closely as it will be interesting to see what side Conte names here. Although Spurs would probably benefit from a Cup run given they are out of Europe, they have an excellent chance of a Top Four finish in the Premier League and they have plenty of games to catch up on so they will have a busy schedule. Although they sit in 7th position at the time of writing, they have two games in hand on Manchester United and they are only two points behind them. The top three might seem clear from the rest, but given Spurs have four games in hand on Chelsea they might be able to actually bridge that gap – they’d have to win all four games of course but then they’d move ahead of Chelsea. Like I said, a very interesting situation Spurs find themselves in and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. Unlike Spurs, Brighton won’t have any issues bar focusing on this game – they are having a fantastic season in the Premier League and a Cup run would make it a cracking season.

I’m happy to keep stakes reasonably small here until I see the team news, but Both Teams To Score looks an appealing bet here at 1.85 or bigger. Spurs have been very impressive at home since Conte took over, but they still concede plenty of goals. Their recent clean sheets have come against the likes of Watford, Crystal Palace and Norwich but in general they have been conceding an xG of over one goal per game in the Premier League this season. Brighton like to play an attacking game, and they have scored a tonne of late goals this season to get results. They have basically created what Spurs concede in each game, and while the draw appeals to me too here, Both Teams To Score stands out as the best bet in what should be a very entertaining game. An early goal could really open this up one and we could see something like a 3-3!

The Striker Says:
One point win Both Teams To Score at 1.85 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQTotBha