FA Cup Betting Preview – 1/8 Finals (Part I)

Get ready because this weekend the FA Cup comes to life with the 1/8 finals of the competition offering great football entertainment.

Many football fans may be disappointed to hear that this upcoming weekend the Premier League won’t take place as the next round will be held the week after. But there is no need to worry as the void will be filled with great encounter from the 1/8 finals of the FA Cup, which will surely deliver a great deal of exciting football plays.

UK gambling news reports that West Brom will play against West Ham United where the former will try to take advantage of the fact that they’ll be playing on their own ground. Blackburn Rovers will host Stoke City, while Reading will face a test against Derby County. And finally, we’ll look at Crystal Palace play Liverpool at home. Although cup games are different from the league, as a reference points we’ll use the results achieved in the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion vs West Ham United and Blackburn vs Stoke City

West Brom currently sit in 14th spot in the league and have so far only managed to win 4 times at home, whereas the rest of the encounters results in 3 draws and 6 losses. Some sporting experts have indicated that it is surprising that they reached this far in the FA Cup considering their status as a less successful club. Bet365 has decided to give them favorite odds 2.40 (7/5) due the fact that they’ll be playing on their own ground.

West Ham have shown several times this season what they are capable of when they pull themselves together as they currently occupy 8th position in the league. Their home record is pretty great, however they weren’t as impressive while on the road (3 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses). During the last 5 games they lost and won both once, while the other matches ended in 3 draws. Bet365 has therefore assigned them odds of 3.00 (2/1), while a draw stands at 3.40 (12/5).

• Derby County favorite against Reading
• West Ham and West Brom will go head to head
• Liverpool will visit Crystal Palace on Saturday evening

Blackburn are currently playing in the Championship, which is the second tier of English football. They occupy the 9th position in the league and maintain a home record of 8 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, whoever they will go up against a side that plies its trade in the Premier League, one division above them.

Stoke City will visit Blackburn where they will aim to clinch a victory so that they can proceed to the next round. While playing away from home they have won on 4 occasions, while the rest of the times the games ended in 4 draws and 5 losses. Their stats are not very impressive, but since they are the team that are playing in the more competitive league, mobile betting sites have decided to award them preferential odds 2.40 (7/5). Stoke City have been dealt odds of 3.00 (2/1)

Derby vs Reading and Crystal Palace vs Liverpool

Derby County will come up against a side that they are familiar with, as they will host Reading on Saturday afternoon. Both of the sides play in the Championship so this game will provide them with a chance to win bragging rights over one another if they manage to win this encounter. While playing on their own ground, Derby has clinched 9 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses, which has granted them 3rd place and is why they have been dealt decent odds to win 1.75 (3/4).

Reading on the other hand are lying in 14th position and their record away from home stands at 3 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. Their form over the last 5 games has seen them clinch 2 losses, 1 draw and 2 win, however that is not good enough to get the preferential chances. Bet365 has made them the underdogs 4.75 (15/4) for their upcoming encounter with Derby. A draw stands at 3.80 (14/5), an event that may also happen judging by the recent results.

The last game on Saturday will take place between Crystal Palace and Liverpool, so betting enthusiast will have a chance to wager on one more match before Sunday’s games come into play. The Reds have underperformed this season (6 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses away) so hopefully they will have the right strategy in the FA Cup to beat Crystal Palace and make it to the next round. Bet365 has set their odds at 2.05 (12/11) for a win.

The Eagles currently find themselves in 13th position with their home record being 3 wins, 3 draws and 6 losses. Due to their ambiguous stats at home, online sportsbooks in UK do not have them in high regards. Bet365 has given them odds of 3.60 (13/5), while a draw between the two has been set at 3.50 (5/2), which is very probable given the recent performances.