Football betting tips: FA Cup
2pts Noni Madueke to score anytime at 5/4 (General)
1pt Myles Lewis-Skelly to be shown a card at 13/2 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
1pt Christian Norgaard to be shown a card at 11/2 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
0.5pt Lewis-Skelly and Norgaard to be carded at 33/1 (bet365)
*All bets settled in 90 mins
If one club deserved a plum draw in this season's FA Cup it was Mansfield.
The League One side battled their way past minnows Harrogate and Accrington to earn a tie at Championship club Sheffield United, who they promptly beat 4-3. A trip to top-flight strugglers Burnley was next - the Stags fought back from a half-time deficit to knock them out 2-1.
It will be quite an atmosphere at Field Mill come Saturday lunchtime, but the challenge posed by Premier League leaders Arsenal will be like nothing Nigel Clough's men have faced in the previous two rounds.
The Gunners have lost only three of 45 fixtures in all competitions this season, with only Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United managing to get the better of them - all three of those sides were in a prime moment, too.
One of the key reasons for such consistency has been the depth Arsenal have in their squad, allowing Mikel Arteta to fight on all fronts.
Eight players have started in both their FA Cup fixtures: Kepa, Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Jesus.
Having recently forced himself into the first-choice XI it's unlikely Eze will start again, while White has missed the past few matches through injury - captain Martin Odegaard is another player doubtful for this game.
Martinelli played 60 minutes of the win at Brighton on Wednesday with Norgaard - an 80th-minute substitute - the only other aforementioned player to be involved at all.
In a match where the bookies expect Arsenal to score at least three times, with Jesus a fair bit of odds-on and the degree of Martinelli's involvement questionable, NONI MADUEKE TO SCORE ANYTIME at 5/4 looks the most sensible way in.
The England winger has scored in two of his last three starts, breaking the deadlock after just 11 minutes in the previous round against Wigan.
Another player who should return is MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY.
After a breakout 2024/25 the teenage left-back has had to settle for an understudy role in his second campaign. If what we've seen so far this season is anything to go by he'll get stuck in when the opportunity presents itself, making him worth backing TO BE SHOWN A CARD at 13/2.
He's been booked five times in just 759 minutes of domestic action (0.59 cards per 90) including all of his last three starts, two of which were in the FA Cup.
CHRISTIAN NORGAARD is another player very likely to be in the XI.
The midfielder has a career cards per 90 average of 0.25 which makes the 11/2 for him TO BE SHOWN A CARD value - especially as that average jumps up to 0.34 this season.
Just for an extra bit of fun the pair can go in a 33/1 CARD DOUBLE too. It's available at 45s if you bet with BetMGM.
Odds correct at 14:15 GMT (5/3/26)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Home of This Week's Acca
- Football and other sports tips
- Download the Sporting Life app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
