Football Betting Previews

FA Cup Fourth Round Preview by Matthew Chapple (24-25 January 2009) (Thursday, January 22, 2009)

FA Cup Previews 24th / 25th January 2009 Chelsea V Ipswich Saturday 15:00 Chelsea were given yet another generous tie when they drew Ipswich County in the fourth round. Once again they were given the advantage of playing at home although they were forced into playing a second round replay after they couldn't see off League Two side Southend at Stamford Bridge in the previous round. Chelsea boss Phil Scolari will be hoping his players can avoid the blushes at the first time of asking when Ipswich come to town on Saturday. The water is certainly not clam under the Stamford Bridge right now. Rumours are circulating that their Russian Billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, could be selling the club. He is obviously not impressed with matters on the pitch and while this is an off the field matter. It could have massive implications on Chelsea's on-pitch performances. Since the new year they have drawn with Southend in the FA Cup, lost 3-1 to bitter rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, unconvincingly managed to beat Southend in the replay and scraped past a poor Stoke side at the weekend. It is fairly clear to see that Chelsea are not in top gear. They have now slipped to 3rd in the league table and were close to losing yet more ground with Stoke leading at Stamford Bridge up until the 88th minute. Frank Lampard scored the winner late into injury time in a result that could give the Chelsea players the kick up the backside they so needed. The 'Chelski' have been very inconsistent at home this season and have a home record of 5-4-2. Those two defeats were to Arsenal and Liverpool but they have still showed that they are surprisingly vulnerable at home. We personally feel that this isn't the best time to be playing Chelsea but Ipswich will certainly be thinking otherwise. Ipswich probably won't be as happy as Chelsea might be with the tie as they would have liked to progressed further in the competition but that doesn't mean the result is a formality. Ipswich do play in the league below and it is fair to say that they have had a poor season in the Championship. They currently find themselves in 11th position and are already 6 points off those in the play-off spots. If the Ipswich manager was to be brutally honest, he would probably say that this fixture is a bit of a distraction although they will still have one eye on trying to progress. They are massive outsiders to make it into the draw for the next round and that is understandable when you take a look at their poor away record. 5-4-5 means they have won just just 1/3 of their away fixtures this season. They are however on a run of two straight away wins so they will look to take that away momentum into this very tricky cup tie. Match odds - Chelsea 9/50 VC Bet Draw 6/1 Centrebet Ipswich 16/1 Bet365 Prediction - Chelsea Sunderland V Blackburn Rovers Saturday 15:00 One of the few all Premiership ties sees Sam Allardyce take his rejuvenated Blackburn side to the Stadium of Light this Saturday with a place in the fourth round up for grabs. The two sides have already met twice in the league this season with Blackburn failing to win either. Sunderland beat Blackburn at Ewood Park but could only manage a 0-0 draw at home on Boxing Day. The law of averages would say that Blackburn are due a win but Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia will beg to differ. Ricky Sbragia hasn't enjoyed his start as Sunderland manager as much as he would have wanted. He has yet to experience what a win in the Premiership feels like with the 'Black Cats' failing to win none of their four games with Sbragia in charge. That win less run does include a home draw with their opponents on Boxing Day. Sunderland haven't faired too well at home this season winning just three of their opening eleven home matches. They have also won just one of their previous six home matches so returning to their beloved stadium won't be as much of an advantage as the Sunderland fans might of hoped. Their preferred striking partnership of Djibril Cisse and Kenwyne Jones has been a fairly successful one with the pair scoring 13 goals between them. They both have the talent to score goals regularly but they lack someone in the centre of the park that can carve out chances for the pair week in, week out. Big Sam notched up just his second league win at charge of Blackburn at the weekend when his team brushed a-side Newcastle with ease winning 3-0 at Ewood Park. That win did come at though and Rovers are still burdened by their run of 7 away matches without winning. It would take a brave man to bet on Blackburn ending that run this weekend with Sam's team showing very little in their recent away matches to think that they can put that unfortunate poor run to bed. They have also failed to score in 180 minutes playing away from home and with Santa Cruz consistently being linked with a move away from Lancashire, it doesn't look optimistic for the white and blues. Their away record this season is a poor one at 2-3-5 but Allardyce will be happy with the fact that none of his players came out of their weekend clash with Newcastle with any knocks so he should field a similar side in a bid to achieve a similar result. Match odds - Sunderland 13/10 VC Bet Draw 23/10 Paddypower Blackburn Rovers 23/10 Paddypower Prediction - Draw Wolves V Middlesborough Saturday 15:00 This is a hard one for the bookies to price up as Premiership side Middlesborough make the trip to Molineux this weekend with Wolves waiting in the mist. This is possibly one of the ironic ties of the fourth round as Middlesborough look a good bet for relegation in the Championship while Wolves look a sure thing for promotion to the Premiership. There is only one winner if it came down to recent from and it would appear that Middlesborough have it all to do. Wolves have enforced a five point gap on their nearest pursuers but their recent form will only please the visiting side. They have been by fat the most consistent side in the Championship this season but they have hit a flat spot as far as winning is concerned. It was five games ago when Wolves last won in the league when they beat an inconsistent Doncaster side 1-0. Since then, they have drawn three and lost their previous four league fixtures. That defeat did come at home which was a tad surprisingly considering that Wolves have been very impressive at home this season. They have an impressive record of 10-2-2 at the Molineux this season but they have failed to win their in two outings. They have only failed to score once at home this season and that came in a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Reading. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has scored 16 goals while Chris Iwelumo has netted on 13 occasions so Middlesborough have their work cut out if they are to stop Wolves main goal threats. Wolves have been priced up on the short side when you take into consideration that they are in the league below but they performances throughout the season would indicate that they should push Middlesborough close this Saturday. That ever ticking clock inside Gareth Southgate's head will be ticking ever faster now that his side have stretched their win less run in the Premiership to ten games. Just two matches away from bettering Blackburn's season record of going eleven matches without a win. Judging by their recent performances, they stand a good chance of achieving that unwanted record. Their attack lacks inspiration while their defence looks fully capable of conceding any amount of goals.. They are currently sat in 18th position and are a club in real trouble. I'm glad that Southgate hasn't been given the boot like so many others in a similar situation but you can't help but fear that his exit is imminent. Their squad on the whole is far from being world beaters but they have several world class players that simply aren't pulling their weight. Alfonso Alves cost the club in the region of £12 million but he has failed to make an impression during his first season and a bit at Middlesborough. The main problem is their front line. Alves, Tuncay and Aliadere simply aren't going to score on a regular basis and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see one of more of the threesome to move on during the summer. Middlesborough have been largely very poor away from home this season, winning just two of their eleven away matches. Put that together with their poor away goal scoring tally of eight and you would assume that the Championship side have the upper hand going into this intriguing fourth round tie. Match odds - Wolves 7/5 Centrebet Draw 12/5 Paddypower Middlesborough 19/10 Bet365 Prediction - Wolves Manchester United V Tottenham Hotspur Saturday 17:15 This is certainly a tie to wet the appetite as Harry Redknapp meets a familiar foe in Sir Alex Ferguson on Saturday. The Red Devils are deservedly the clear favourites to win the match and the advantage of playing at Old Trafford should play a key part in ITV's live coverage. The two teams met earlier this season at White Hart Lane and the pair couldn't be separated. You can't help but feel that a draw on Saturday would be a terrible result for both sides with neither wanting to play a replyin what would be an extra fixture to their already busy football calendar. . Manchester United are certainly the in form side in the Premiership right now. They are haven't suffered defeat in ten games and are on a run of five successive wins. A run which has helped them regain the top spot in the table. They are now three points clear of long time leaders Liverpool and look worthy favourites to life the trophy at the end of the season. Their form at Old Trafford this season has been nothing short of sublime winning nine of their ten home matches this term. The other was a 1-1 draw with Newcastle on the opening day of the season so no side has overturned United at home all season. Their defensive record at home is also very impressive, conceding just four league goals. Funnily enough, Derby County made the trip to Old Trafford on Tuesday and scored twice in 4 minutes so maybe United's defence is breach-able after all. Sir Alex fielded an ordinary side in the last round when they comfortably saw off Championship side Southampton at ST. Mary's winning 3-0. Spurs will be a much sterner test though so 'Fergie' cannot afford to experiment and we expect him to select all the big guns for this live encounter with Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham could potentially secure a treble this season providing they see off United, twice. They beat Burnley on Wednesday to book their place in the final of the Carling Cup where they will face United for the trophy. They were far from convincing though and they had to score two goals in Extra-Time to secure progression into the final. If they were to spring a surprise this Saturday and knock out the tournament favourites, then you would have to feel that Spurs are serious FA Cup contenders this season. It is a tough ask though with United yet to taste defeat at home this season, in all competitions. Add that to the fact that Tottenham are on a terrible run of form and it doesn't bode well for their chances. They haven't won in six outings in the league with their last taste of victory coming against Burnley in the Carling Cup so they do have the ability to come good in domestic competitions. Spurs have been very poor on the road though this season winning just two of their eleven away league fixtures. They have however managed to score five more goals on the road then they have done at White Hart Lane so they don't tend to have problems finding the away net. They will be facing a side with the best home defensive record in the Premiership though and their away goal scoring tally of 13 isn't fantastic so it would take a brave punter to lump on Spurs this Saturday. Match odds - Manchester United 4/11 Skybet Draw 9/2 Paddypower Tottenham Hotspur 9/1 Blue Square Prediction - Manchester United Liverpool V Everton Sunday 16:00 Setanta Sports 1 Part three of the Merseyside trilogy and once again it is Everton who make the short trip across to Anfield. The two teams have met twice already this season with Liverpool winning at Goodison Park 2-0, but the pair met last Monday in the league whenTim Cahill scored late on to take a share of the spoils back to Everton. The law of averages would say that Everton are now due a win over their bitter derby rivals but the Anfield faithful will certainly be thinking otherwise. Rafeal Benitez will be fully aware that their 1-1 draw with the Toffee's on Monday was a huge setback as far as their hopes for securing their first league title in 18 years . Steven Gerrard scored a wonderful goal just after the hour mark but it was that little Australian who had the last say when he scored a scrappy goal in the 87th minute to take home a massive point, as far as Everton are concerned. The goal was a scrappy one but it was just one of many poor goals that Liverpool have conceded at home and it was yet another game they failed to win at Anfield. Liverpool are one of just two sides who have yet to lose at home this season but their home form is very poor in the league. They have dropped points in five matches at home and they were all to sides that on paper, they should have beaten. Hull City, Fulham, West Ham, Stoke City and Everton have all taken something away from Anfield with them and it is clear that Anfield is not the fortress it once was. At least in their Premiership games. No side has scored more then once at Anfield this season so for Everton to progress you would think that they would have to score at least twice which is somewhat unlikely. Xabi Alonso has returned from his injury while Fernando Torres is still gaining match fitness but he should be primed and fit for Sundays live clash with Everton and we fancy him to make it onto the score sheet and help his side progress into the fifth round draw. Everton's mid-week result against Liverpool will be just what they needed going into the same match but with different expectations. If you was to offer David Moyes a point before they played Liverpool on Monday. I'm sure he would have taken it with glee. Give him the same offer on Sunday and I'm pretty sure you would get a different answer. No top flight manager wants to play an extra fixture so Everton will have no choice but to play attacking football and this could lead to their downfall. Everton are one of several sides this season to have a better away record then their home. Their form away from home is impressive at 7-2-2 but they haven't won at Anfield in sometime and with them lacking quality up front. It is hard to predict an Everton win. They are undefeated in six league matches though so they do have some momentum going into this crucial away fixture. We just doubt it will be enough for them to progress. Match odds - Liverpool 7/10 VC Bet Draw 5/2 Bet365 Everton 11/2 Skybet Prediction - Liverpool Cardiff City V Arsenal Sunday 13:00 Setanta Sports 1 An intriguing tie in prospect here as Arsenal make the trip to Wales where they take on Champions ship side Cardiff City at Ninian Park. Both sides are in decent form but only one can make it into the draw for the fifth round which will take place straight after this game. Cardiff made it all the way to the final last season but they have it all to do if they are to repeat that feat this time around. Cardiff manager Dave Jones will only have promotion on his mind throughout the course of this season but Cardiff did enjoy their time in the FA Cup last season so they will want to at least try and repeat the success they enjoyed during 2008. They have been dealt one of the hardest draws possible though but will have the advantage of playing at home. 8-3-2 is their record at Ninian Park this season with Wolves and Birmingham being the only two sides to have beaten Cardiff at home in the league. They are undefeated at home in five matches and are on a run of 9 matches without defeat so confidence will be high within the Cardiff camp. They are also well in touch with the main pack as far as achieving a play-off spot goes. They are currently sixth in the Championship table but they are already nine points adrift of those occupying the automatic promotion positions. Cardiff have won their previous three home matches in the league and have failed to score in just one of their thirteen home matches this season so Cardiff do have the statistics behind them, but they will have to perform to their full potential if they are to cause an upset on Sunday. Arsene Wenger also takes his side into this fourth round match on an unbeaten run. The Gunners haven't lost in eight league matches. A run that includes a respectable draw away at Villa and a fantastic 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They have however done better at home and their away record of 5-3-3 will hardly strike fear into the oppositions eyes. Their last victory did come on the road though when they beat Hull City 3-1 at The KC stadium and we all know that Arsenal are capable of getting a result at any venue so playing at Ninian Park won't be a major issue. Arsenal have already seen off a Championship side in this competition when they beat Plymouth Argyle in the previous round, 3-1. This is a generous draw for them despite Cardiff being undefeated in nine matches. The likes of Van Persie and Adebayor should find the back of the Cardiff net fairly easy providing they get the opportunities. The absence of Cesc Fabregas is a huge loss still but they have proved that they can cope without him. Samir Nasri will be a key player on Sunday and he is our one player to watch in this match. Match odds - Cardiff City 11/2 Paddypower Draw 3/1 Boylesports Arsenal 4/6 VC Bet Prediction - Arsenal Labels: FA Cup, FA Cup Betting, FA Cup fourth round, FA Cup preview Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 9:14 AM << Home