FA Cup Predictions & Betting Tips
2023-24 FA Cup Picks & Predictions – Who Will Win the FA Cup?
The FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world, first played in the 1871-72 season. Over the years, football (or soccer) has changed a lot, but the FA Cup remains one of the most prestigious and sought after trophies.
What makes the FA Cup so special is that every club within the first nine levels of English football is eligible to take part. That means that there are over 700 clubs entering the competition and smaller clubs have an opportunity to play against some of the biggest teams in the country.
The winner of the FA Cup qualifies to play in the next season of the Europa League. They’ll also play in the Community Shield match against the league winners before the start of the new season. In this article, you’ll learn more about the 2023-24 FA Cup including top picks and predictions for upcoming games.
2023-24 FA Cup Schedule, Key Dates & Overview
As it contains more than 700 teams, the FA Cup features a huge number of fixtures. The Premier League teams don’t enter the competition until the third round in January. However, the competition begins in August each season.
Here’s the full schedule of the 2023-24 FA Cup:
Extra Preliminary Round – Saturday 5th of August 2023
Preliminary Round – Saturday 19th of August 2023
First Round Qualifying – Saturday 2nd of September 2023
Second Round Qualifying - Saturday 16 September 2023
Third Round Qualifying - Saturday 30 September 2023
Fourth Round Qualifying - Saturday 14 October 2023
First Round Proper - Saturday 4 November 2023
Second Round Proper - Saturday 2 December 2023
Third Round Proper - Saturday 6 January 2024
Fourth Round Proper - Saturday 27 January 2024
Fifth Round Proper - Wednesday 28 February 2024
Quarter-finals - Saturday 16 March 2024
Semi-finals - Saturday 20 April 2024
The Final - Saturday 25 May 2024
Where & When is the FA Cup Final?
The FA Cup Final is traditionally held in Wembley Stadium. This season, the final will take place at Wembley on Saturday, the 25th of May 2024. Tickets are already on sale, although fans won’t know which teams will be in with a chance to lift the trophy until the results of the semi-finals in April.
Favorites & Picks to Win
Typically, bigger teams win the Cup. However, underdogs can cause surprises from time to time. Wigan shocked Manchester City in the FA Cup final back in 2013. Although there are clear favorites, it can be fun to bet on the outsiders too.
Here are the current favorites to win the FA Cup in 2024:
Manchester City
The current holders of the Cup and the clear favorites. Manchester City have won the competition seven times, with their win over Stoke City in 2011 ending a 35 year trophy drought. They beat Tottenham in the fourth round and comfortably dismantled Luton thanks to an incredible quintuple from Haaland. With Haaland and De Bruyne hitting peak form, they’ll be very difficult to stop. In the quarter finals they’ll face Newcastle United.
Liverpool
Liverpool took over as second-favorites to win the competition when they beat Arsenal in the third round. They have one of the best squads in English football right now, and when their forward line is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the world. An injury crisis has done little to hold them back as they comfortably beat Norwich and Southhampton. They’ll face Manchester United in the quarter finals and fans will be confident about their chances after already lifting the league cup.
Manchester United
Manchester United haven’t looked great this season, but they’re still getting results when it matters and have managed to get favorable draws so far, beating Newport County and Nottingham Forest in the previous rounds. Next though, they’ll have to get past a surging Liverpool team to stay in with a chance of winning silverware. United’s record against their rivals has been dismal in recent seasons, but they can’t be ruled out.
Chelsea
Chelseas are having a very strange season. They’re struggling for form in the league and have dropped to mid table despite the significant investment to their squad. It would be a shock if they won the FA Cup but this is a club that always seems to thrive when things are going wrong. They pulled off a big win over Aston Villa and narrowly got past Leeds United. They’ll need to beat Leicester in the quarter finals to advance.
Who Will Win the FA Cup Final in 2024?
The previous rounds of the competition have been full of action, drama and upsets. Many of the big teams have been knocked out, although there’s now only one non-Premier league team left with a chance of winning the cup.
As we approach the quarter finals, the remaining teams left in the competition are:
Wolverhampton Wanders v Coventry City
Manchester United v Liverpool
Chelsea v Leicester City
Manchester City v Newcastle United
Based on the strength of the remaining teams, the final could easily be between Liverpool and Manchester City. City are the favorites, but it’s hard to rule out Jurgen Klopp’s team. This is Klopp’s last season in charge of Liverpool, and despite the injury crisis they’re going through, they have a huge amount of talent and experience in winning trophies.
Surprise Contenders
Two clubs that shouldn’t be overlooked are Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Newcastle have been steadily getting stronger since their change in ownership. While their league form hasn’t been as good this season as the last, they still have an outside chance of lifting the FA Cup for the first time since 1955. Of course, they’ll have to beat a dominant Manchester City in their next fixture if they’re going to stand a chance.
Meanwhile, Wolves have had their ups and downs in recent seasons. While they’ve had some quality players, results have rarely ever been consistent enough to break out of midtable. Not many fans will remember their last trophy, which was lifted in 1980 but this season they have a real opportunity after making the quarter finals. Wolves have a winnable fixture against Coventry City, could they upset the odds this season?
Football & Soccer Betting Tips, Odds & Preview
Before you start betting on soccer, it’s important to understand how it works and how to read the odds. You should also know a few things about how to get the most out of your bets. Read up on our betting tips below, or explore our soccer betting guide for more information.
FA Cup Betting Tips
Draws - Don’t forget about draws in the FA Cup. Before the fifth round, a draw will trigger a replay between the teams at a later date. The winner of the replay is then determined by extra time and then penalties if it ends in a draw. In some cases, the smaller club will play for a draw, as the replay can mean a big revenue boost for them.
Home advantage - The home team generally has the advantage, as they’ll be playing in front of their support. This is especially true for games between big clubs and lower league sides. Smaller stadiums can be really hard to play in, and the fans will always be up for it, making as much noise as possible and willing their team to win.
Team selection – The FA Cup team selections can vary a lot depending on the size of the club and how seriously they take the cup. Bigger teams generally take the competition very seriously, but will often still rest key players for the league. This can often lead to upsets, which is why it’s always important to check the team news before you bet.
Responsible betting - Make sure you’re always betting responsibly . This means not betting more than you can afford to lose, and not getting carried away. Keep your bet sizes reasonable and don’t chase losses. Take breaks if you’re no longer enjoying betting.
FA Cup Odds
The FA Cup odds tell you the likelihood of a team winning, and also how much you can win by betting on them.
Take the match between Bristol City and West Ham:
Bristol City are +300 while West Ham are -110.
This tells you that West Ham are the clear favorites, as they’re a Premier League team playing against a team in the Championship. It also reveals how much you’d potentially win betting on either side. You could win $300 if you bet $100 on Bristol City and they win. Meanwhile, you’d need to bet $110 on West Ham to potentially win $100.
Types of Bets & How to Bet on Football & Soccer
Betting on football is fairly easy but there are many different ways to bet. Here are some of the most popular bet types:
Match Odds
The simplest and most popular football betting option. This is a prediction of how you think the match will finish within the time limits. Think the home team will win? Then you bet on them. You can also choose to bet on the away team or a draw.
Over/Under Goals
For every game you can also bet on how many goals you think will be scored. Rather than betting on the exact number, it’s possible to bet on the over/under total . For example, if you bet on under 2.5 goals between Aston Villa and Chelsea, you’d be hoping that fewer than three goals are scored in the game.
Correct Score
The correct score betting market lets you predict what the score will be when the match ends. As there’s a lot of variance in results, this one is difficult to get right, but the odds are much higher than other markets. For example, you could predict that Manchester City vs Tottenham will finish 3-1 to Manchester City.
Both Teams to Score
Both teams to score is a fun betting option that lets you choose either yes or no. If you choose yes, you’ll be hoping both teams will score during the regulation time. If only one team or neither team scores, your bet will lose.
End of Season Bets/Futures
Aside from betting on individual FA Cup games, it’s also possible to bet on which team you think will win the competition. At any point during the season, you can find odds for most teams. Also known as outright bets , you simply choose the club you think has the best chance. As the rounds go by and teams get knocked out, the odds will shorten for the remaining clubs in the tournament.
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