This weekend we get both the FA Cup quarter finals, and more action from the Premier League to savour. With only a few top flight sides still in the cup, the league gets back to close to a normal service, with a few gaps. The FA Cup offering should be more than enough for us to fill up any spare time, and with the weekend’s big games spread across four days, we are set for a bumper feast of football.
Friday night sees the first of the cup quarter finals, as Crystal Palace take on Reading for a place at Wembley. Saturday night sees the tie of the round, as Chelsea head to take on Everton. Manchester United host West Ham on Sunday, while our Monday night game is the clash between Premier League leaders Leicester and Newcastle United. Here we’re previewing each of those games, and we’ve picked out a betting tip for each.
Friday 11th March 2016
Reading v Crystal Palace (19:55) – Palace to win (29/20 with Coral)
The Friday night game is the weakest-looking of the quarter finals on paper, but it is going to be an interesting tie. Reading have just moved into the top half of the Championship after a good spell of form, and they made the cup semis last season. While they’ll be eying up a return to Wembley, Crystal Palace are also desperate for a win. The cup has been their saving grace in the last few weeks, they’d be lost without it. Their form is so bad that it will give the Royals a lot of confidence, but it could well inspire from the position of desperation from Alan Pardew’s men.
Their poor run in the league saw them drop from fifth all the way down to 15th. They’ve gone from Champions League fight to trying to avoid the Championship. If they’re not careful, they’ll be facing Reading again next season. The Eagles have been beating Premier League teams, but only in the cup. They won at Southampton and Spurs, plus at home to Stoke. After that cup run, they can’t go out to Reading. We’re backing a Palace win here, as Pardew leads his side to Wembley.
Saturday 12th March 2016
Everton v Chelsea (17:30) – Over 1.5 Chelsea goals (5/4 with Betfair)
This game is set up to be the most exciting tie of the weekend, as Chelsea are desperate for any success after their awful campaign. Everton have been boosted by their recent takeover, and they need success to keep their top stars at the club. The problem for the Toffees is their awful home record, which saw them drop a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 against West Ham on Saturday. With just four home wins all season, Goodison Park isn’t the same as it was years ago, when the top sides would face a punishing test.
Roberto Martinez will be hoping that Chelsea are put through a punishing test on Wednesday night, as they face PSG in the Champions League. Extra time there would certainly make things difficult here, but the Blues should be back ready for this clash. Given Everton’s poor defensive record at home this season, we’re going with Chelsea to score over 1.5 goals in this huge game. They’ve rediscovered their scoring touch under Hiddink, and they’ve been scoring for fun in the FA Cup so far.
Sunday 13th March 2016
Manchester United v West Ham (16:00) – Draw (13/5 with Sky Bet)
This clash sees sixth placed United taking on fifth placed West Ham. Both are hoping for cup glory, but United’s eyes might be elsewhere. Louis van Gaal has already said that he’s targeting the Europa League, despite his preference for the FA Cup. They face a trip to Liverpool on Thursday night before this game, and that will certainly take its toll ahead of their cup quarter final. Can they recover in time from their first leg to book a trip to Wembley?
With the second leg of that Europa League game coming just a few days after this tie, plus United’s injury list, West Ham won’t be facing a full strength United side. There’s going to be at least some rotation and changes made, which West Ham can take advantage of. They’ve been fantastic this season, and Slaven Bilic has already said that the cup is their priority. While the Hammers could pull off a win at Old Trafford, we’re backing them to draw this one, taking it back for a replay at Upton Park. That would be the last ever cup fixture at that ground if it were to happen, which would be a fantastic night of football.
Monday 14th March 2016
Leicester v Newcastle (20:00) – Leicester -1 handicap (8/5 with Coral)
After the weekend packed with cup action, Leicester take the spotlight on Monday, as they host Newcastle at the King Power Stadium. The Magpies are second from bottom, with rumours swelling about their manager being shown the door. After a 3-1 home defeat to Bournemouth, things are looking bleak at St James’ Park. Their vocal support seems to have been let down, and it’s going to take an incredible turnaround to give them any chance of playing Premier League football next season and beyond.
Of course, that should remind you of Leicester, who were even worse off about a year ago. They went on a great run to stay in the top flight, and now they lead the way. They’ll know exactly how their title rivals got on over the weekend when this one kicks off, and they are widely expected to win here. It’s hard to make any case for Newcastle causing a shock, they’ve got nothing going for them right now. Leicester are playing so well right now that they should just tear their struggling opponents to pieces, and that’s why we’re backing them to win with a -1 handicap.