Football betting tips: FA Cup
2.5pts Sunderland to win to nil at 5/4 (Sky Bet, Betfair, Paddy Power)
*All bets settled in 90 mins
SUNDERLAND have been riding the crest of a wave since May.
They beat Coventry in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg with a goal two minutes from time. Dan Ballard took them to Wembley with a 123rd-minute header from a corner in the second leg. They then came from behind to beat Sheffield United at Wembley with goals in the 76th minute then the fifth minute of injury time to win promotion to the Premier League.
The Black Cats then invested heavily in the summer, somewhere in the region of £150m, going for a mix of proven pedigree and untapped potential, and it paid dividends.
In the top flight they went 12 games unbeaten at the Stadium of Light, beat rivals Newcastle and have picked up results against Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Looking back, it’s hard to believe they were 1/3 to go down in mid-August. After the win at Elland Road in midweek, they have moved up to the magical 40-point mark and can be backed as big as 400/1 for relegation at the time of writing.
Regis Le Bris must be delighted with the way his side's campaign is going and crucially ahead of this weekend's FA Cup fifth-round clash with Port Vale, his side can focus solely on this competition.
It’s part of the reason why backing them TO WIN TO NIL appeals at 5/4.
This bet clicked in the last round at 13/8 as Sunderland beat Championship side Oxford 1-0.
Sunday’s opponents Port Vale are bottom of League One which in theory makes them considerably worse than Oxford. Stating the obvious I know but the gulf in Sunderland’s price to win to nil doesn’t seem to have adjusted accordingly.
Then factor in that Vale had to play their fourth-round clash on Wednesday, beating Championship club Bristol City 1-0 in extra time. So, they played two hours of football and have had a day fewer than Sunderland to recover with significantly worse squad depth.
This feels like a step too far for the Valiants.
Odds correct at 16:15 GMT (05/03/26)
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