FA Cup tips: Tight quarter-finals offer big opportunity

Football betting tips: FA Cup quarter-finals

1pt Draw in Fulham vs Palace at 12/5 (Ladbrokes, Coral)

1pt Draw in Brighton vs Forest at 29/10 (bet365)

1pt Draw in Preston vs Villa at 18/5 (Coral, Sporting Index, SpreadEx)

1pt Draw in Bournemouth vs Man City at 14/5 (General)

0.5pt Draws in all four FA Cup quarter-finals at 237/1 (Ladbrokes)

0.5pt Draws in Fulham vs Palace, Brighton vs Forest, B'mouth vs City at 50/1 (Coral)

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Quite rightly there was an outpouring of emotion when Newcastle lifted the Carabao Cup to end their *70-year wait for a *domestic trophy.

Coverage of their win glossed straight over the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup because, frankly, 56 just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Nothing could ever take the shine off the achievement of Eddie Howe’s men, not even 14 measly years. Not only were they worthy winners at Wembley but they won that trophy in arguably the hardest way possible, beating all of the current top four en route.

The impact of the Magpies knocking out Arsenal over two legs in the semis before dominating Liverpool in the final cannot be overestimated as we enter the last eight of the FA Cup.

If they can do it, why can’t we?

FA Cup winner 2024/25 (odds via Sky Bet)

Each-way terms: 1/3 for first 2 places

• Manchester City - 2/1
• Aston Villa - 7/2
• Brighton - 11/2
• Fulham, Bournemouth - 8/1
• Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest
• Preston - 100/1

This weekend's four fixtures are scarcely recognisable as a quarter-final line-up.

Should anyone other than Manchester City emerge victorious, it will be an enormous moment for the club in question.

The sleeping giants

Monday marked 29 years since Aston Villa lifted the Coca-Cola Cup - their most recent major trophy.

While nothing like as seismic as Newcastle ending their drought, an FA Cup victory for Unai Emery's men - who arguably should be shorter in the betting given they are the only Premier League team to face EFL opposition - would still mean a long overdue piece of silverware was added to the Villa trophy room.

The 1982 European Cup winners have endured a largely underwhelming period since their 3-0 win over Leeds in 1996 clinched successive League Cups, but nothing in comparison to another Midlands club who were back-to-back champions of Europe a couple of years prior to the Villans’ solitary triumph.

Nottingham Forest’s fall from grace since winning the 1990 League Cup was almost immediate. After finishing bottom in the Premier League's inaugural season, the legendary Brian Clough left as manager.

Some yo-yoing campaigns followed before the club dropped into the third tier and ultimately spent 23 years outside the top division.

After Steve Cooper finally got them back, and kept them there, Nuno Espirito Santo has set about performing a miracle.

But with such focus on Forest’s exploits pushing for Champions League qualification, the fact they're edging ever closer to ending a 35-year wait for a major trophy appears to have gone unnoticed.

The founding fathers

Forget Villa or Forest's lifting of the trophy at Wembley on May 17, that achievement would pale into insignificance compared to the remaining five members of the quarter-final draw.

Sky Bet Championship side Preston have spent all of the modern era in the lower leagues, last playing top-flight football in 1961.

Should one of the Football League’s founding members win a first FA Cup since 1938 then that would be a side note in the story, with West Ham the last club to win the famous old trophy while playing outside the top division when they shocked Arsenal in 1980.

The history boys

That leaves Fulham, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Bournemouth, none of whom have ever won a major trophy.

The London duo have suffered broken hearts at Wembley on three separate occasions between them: the Cottagers in 1975 and Palace in both 1990 (losing in a replay) and 2016.

Nine years ago Palace took an early lead which allowed Alan Pardew to enter FA Cup folklore via a questionable pitch-side dad dance.

Brighton were desperately unfortunate to lose in the semi-finals to current holders Manchester United two years ago, reopening wounds from 1983 when the same club beat them in a replay in what remains Albion's only final appearance.

As for Bournemouth, this is just the second time they have even reached the last eight - the furthest they’ve ever gone. Before Eddie Howe arrived the Cherries had never progressed further than the fourth round.

So much at stake

Have I just written the most longwinded, unnecessary intro ever? Possibly. But I just bloody love the FA Cup.

The context I'm trying to get across is that footballing immortality is potentially at stake for so many of the remaining clubs.

Even the one exception are a Manchester City team, and manager, under enormous pressure to deliver a trophy after a terrible season.

I really do struggle to remember seeing a quarter-final line-up where THE DRAW was so heavily in play in every tie.

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I'm very prepared to end up with egg on my face, but I'm keeping this one simple by backing DRAWS in all four matches as singles, taking the DRAW FOURFOLD at what is currently a best price of 237/1 (generally 200/1) and then removing the only non-all Premier League tie to back a 50/1 DRAW treble.

Fulham, Bournemouth, Brighton and Forest all went to extra time in round five.

Only Palace, who hosted Championship Millwall and played against 10 men for 80 minutes, Villa, who played a listless, beaten up Tottenham and City, who went behind to the second tier's bottom club Plymouth, got the job done in 90 minutes. Even Preston were taken the distance by League One Wycombe.

A round further on we can capitalise on the high stakes at play.

Odds correct at 1445 GMT (26/03/25)

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