FA Cup Betting Preview
Soccer fans having been enjoying a feast of football, as the battles at both ends of the Premiership have provided some classic domestic encounters, while the Champions League has added some continental spice to the action-packed menu.
The excitement continues this weekend with quarter-finals of the oldest Cup competition in the World - the English FA Cup.
The Riverside - Graveyard of Premiership's Elite
Middlesbrough are arguably the most enigmatic side in the Premiership. The Teessiders currently float in mid-table and are set to conclude another league season of mediocrity, despite having beaten Chelsea and Bolton at the Riverside and taking a point from both Liverpool and Arsenal. It was a similar story last season, with convincing home wins over Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, who they face in an FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday evening. The Red Devils left Teesside with their tails between their legs after a 4-1 drubbing, reinforcing the venue's reputation as the graveyard of the Premiership's elite.
United were also losers when the sides met in the FA Cup in 2002 at Boro's ground, when current coach, Gareth Southgate, captained the side. Southgate is looking to go one better than last season's FA Cup semi-final, and take advantage of treble-chasing United's congested fixture schedule. This will be Manchester United's seventh game in three weeks, and without doubt Ferguson will shuffle the pack, as he did in the previous round. Everything has been running Fergie's way so far, but football is a fickle business and he must travel to one of his bogey grounds, short of strikers; Larsson, Saha and Solskjaer are all unavailable. Nevertheless Pinnacle Sports rate the visitors marginal favourites 1.794 (+0.5) and Middlesbrough 2.16 (+0.5).
Citizens Looking for Distraction from Premiership Plummet
Man City is one of the best supported clubs in the country with a fiercely loyal fan base, but their supporters' patience has been severely tested of late. The Citizens have lost four straight Premiership fixtures and have found the net in just one of their last five. That form has seen them drawn ever closer to the relegation struggle, from which the FA Cup is a welcome distraction. City defeated Championship' sides in the previous two rounds, but now visit Ewood Park to face a Blackburn side who thrashed them 3-0 at the City of Manchester stadium toward the end of January.
In contrast to Man City's demise, Rovers are riding the crest of a mini-wave having beaten Arsenal in the previous round (on a replay), recording back-to-back league wins, and conceding just one goal in their previous five games. South African forward, Benni McCarthy, is on a roll, with three goals in two games. He will be eager for silverware in his first season in England. Pinnacle Sports rate Blackburn 1.943 (-0.5) and Manchester City 1.980 (+0.5).
Chelsea Still in the Hunt for Four Trophies
Having already bagged the League Cup with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal, another North London club stand in the way of Chelsea's bid for four pieces of silverware this weekend. The FA Cup is the only domestic competition Jose Mourinho is yet to win during his short tenure of the Blues, and the hugely competitive coach will want to rectify that soon. He will have to do without the services of battered captain, John Terry, who isn't expected to return to action until next week.
Spurs' season seemed to be going downhill after recent defeats in high-profile games against Arsenal and Man Utd suggested the club were nowhere nearer closing the gap with the country's elite. Some pundits even suggested Martin Jol might be sacked if the club failed to beat Fulham at Craven Cottage in the previous round of this competition. In the event Tottenham ran out 4-0 winners and have scored another ten goals in winning three further games, two on the road. In November at White Hart Lane Spurs recorded their first win over Chelsea since 1990. They must now attempt the near impossible and do what only Barcelona have achieved in the previous three seasons - win at Stamford Bridge. Pinnacle Sports favour the home side, with Chelsea 1.962 (-1) and Spurs 1.962 (+1).
Plymouth Flying Flag for Championship
Plymouth Argyle are the only remaining non-Premiership side in the FA Cup, but their quarter-final tie against Watford is highly likely to be a Championship fixture next season. Despite their best efforts, the Hornets are odds-on for relegation after a season struggling in the top flight. On that basis there is very little between the sides who Pinnacle Sports cannot separate offering them off a level Asian Handicap with Plymouth marginally favoured, 1.952 (0/scratch) and Watford 1.971 (0/scratch).
Argyle are managed by the eccentric Ian Holloway, who is never short of an opinion. He has wheeled and dealed on the transfer market, brining in poacher, Kevin Gallen, from his old club QPR, whilst adding Hungarian flair to the football at Home Park with three Magyars currently in the squad.
