No matter how big the Premier League and Champions League get, the FA Cup Third Round weekend is always one to look forward to. This Saturday is one which fans across the country have been awaiting for months, with quite a few David and Goliath like fixtures ahead. For someone, this is the first step towards glory at Wembley in May. With so many cup games, there’s a lot to look forward to.
Some of the great qualities about the FA Cup are also its worst though. While we love seeing the giant killings and the upsets, this competition often throws form out of the window. That makes this weekend one which punters are sometimes wary of gambling on. However, we see this weekend as the perfect time for a both teams to score accumulator. With playing fields levelled between divisions, we can see quite a few high scoring ties. That’s why we’ve gone through the fixtures and picked out our latest BTTS tips, which you can see below.
Friday 6th January 2017
- West Ham v Man City (4/6 with Bet365) – Manchester City’s games rarely end without both sides scoring. West Ham aren’t that solid at the back, but they should find a way through City’s all too open back line.
Saturday 7th January 2017
- Bolton v Crystal Palace (10/11 with Bet365) – This clash between Sam Allardyce and his former club should be an interesting one. Palace are poor at the back, while Bolton are having a strong season in League One. That should see the hosts find the net, which is why we’re backing BTTS.
- Hull v Swansea (7/10 with Coral) – Hull are yet to keep a home clean sheet this season, while Swansea have just one shutout on their travels. BTTS here looks like a very safe bet, given how poorly both are playing.
- Birmingham v Newcastle (8/11 with Sky Bet) – Newcastle are likely to rest some of their stars in order to boost their promotion push. That gives Birmingham a chance going forward, but their awful defence won’t hold out against the Championship’s second placed side.
- Sunderland v Burnley (17/20 with Betfair) – We can’t see either of these two sides taking this one seriously. Both are likely to rotate, and neither have been that solid defensively to begin with. There should be a lot of chances at either end, so we’re backing both of these relegation strugglers to score here.
- Everton v Leicester (7/10 with BetVictor) – We expect a hugely rotated team for Leicester, but they have enough strength in depth up front to take this seriously. Meanwhile, Everton could do with a cup run, so we’re backing their big names up front to start.
- West Brom v Derby (21/20 with Betfair) – West Brom boss Tony Pulis usually makes big changes for cup games, so Derby have a great chance to cause a shock. However, we can see the top flight side getting on the scoresheet, especially if Saido Berahino gets a rare start.