The FA Cup fourth round is the big show in town in English football this weekend, but our betting tips have a strong Welsh flavour with both Newport and Wrexham expected to do well against higher division opposition.
FA Cup fourth round tips
Man City to beat Tottenham & both teams to score @ 7/4
Aston Villa to beat Chelsea (draw no bet) @ 6/4
Newport (+3) to beat Man Utd @ 6/5
Wrexham double chance (win or draw) vs Blackburn @ 7/5
Bet on the latest English football odds at Betzone
Sonless Spurs’ won’t be up to frustrating City this time around
Tottenham’s status as Manchester City’s bogey team is well earned – they’ve claimed three wins and a draw from their last five meetings with the best club team in the business and beaten them at least once every season since 2018/2019.
This time around though they face a City side that will have been buzzing throughout the 13 days since Kevin De Bruyne returned to inspire them to a 3-2 comeback win away to Newcastle. By contrast Spurs are without their own leading light with Son Heung-min away at the Asian Cup.
City are a prohibitive 4/7 to win through to round five in normal time, but the 7/4 about the away win and both teams to score holds lots of appeal. Pep Guardiola’s men have kept just two clean sheets in 15 away games in all competitions this season.
Tip: Man City to beat Tottenham & both teams to score @ 7/4
Villans a bet to nick a second Stamford Bridge win this season
Aston Villa have lost just twice in their last 21 matches across all competitions so there’s every chance they can outrun odds of 23/10 about them beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The 6/4 about the visitors with the draw-no-bet insurance particularly appeals.
The Blues have looked unconvincing in winning four of their last five – beating their three top-flight foes during that sequence by a single goal and losing to a Middlesbrough side Villa had beaten at the Riverside three days earlier to reach this stage.
Unai Emery’s men have already overcome Chelsea in West London in the Premier League this term and sit 12 points ahead of them in the table. They look a nice bet to book their round six ticket.
Tip: Aston Villa to beat Chelsea (draw no bet) @ 6/4
Newport can keep Reds honest at a rocking Rodney Parade
Random-stinker-prone Manchester United are priced up at 1/16 to away to League Two Newport – a dose of handicap-betting catnip if ever there was one.
The Welsh side can be backed at 6/5 to win with a three-goal head start (+3) against their perma-crisis-afflicted visitors. United’s results this season and County’s home form over the last couple of campaigns suggest it could be a far from fanciful wager.
Erik Ten Haag’s troops have won by more than two goals just once in 30 games across all competitions this term and only won 2-0 against League Two Wigan in the previous round.
Newport, meanwhile, have lost by more than two goals at Rodney Parade just twice in the last three seasons. Admittedly they don’t play Premier League sides every week, but the feeling remains this United side are very susceptible to creating problems for themselves.
Tip: Newport (+3) to beat Man Utd @ 6/5
Off-colour Blackburn perfect patsies for Wrexham giant killing
There’s a strong whiff of upset fodder about Blackburn Rovers despite them being X/X favourites to beat a Wrexham outfit plying their trade two divisions lower in the football pyramid.
Rovers have won just twice in their last 11 games (losing seven of the other nine) and were behind twice to League Two Cambridge at Ewood Park in the third round before running out 5-2 victors.
Two points off the top of League Two, Wrexham are in far better form than the East Anglians, having won 16 and lost just three of their last 24 outings (not including their extra time Football League Trophy loss to Burton).
Phil Parkinson’s men have claimed numerous higher-division scalps in the past couple of seasons – League One Shrewsbury were KO’d on their own patch in round three this term while Championship Coventry were ejected at the same stage a year earlier. They can add another here.
