Free football betting tips and odds: Huddersfield v Manchester United and more FA Cup matches
George Pitts has picked seven winners in his last eight tips. You can't miss his selections for Saturday's FA Cup action!
Recommended bets: Saturday FA Cup fifth round
2pts Brighton to beat Coventry to nil at evens
2pts West Brom to beat Southampton and under 3.5 total goals at 27/11
1pt Anthony Martial to score and Manchester United to beat Huddersfield at 13/8
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea City (1230 GMT, BT Sport 2)
This is one of the interesting draws in the fifth round, which sees Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal make his return to Hillsborough less than two months after his exit.
The Portuguese’s two-and-a-half-year spell at Sheffield Wednesday came to an end on Christmas Eve with the club 15th in the Sky Bet Championship, but he made a shock return to management in south Wales just four days later where he has since transformed Swansea's Premier League fortunes.
Now he makes a swift return to Hillsborough for a fifth-round FA Cup tie, admitting that he feels like he is "going back home".
His successor Jos Luhukay has had little impact in that time with the club in the same position, while Carvalhal has steered Swansea - five points adrift of safety when he took over - off the bottom of the top tier and into 16th.
That form gives bookies reasons to believe the Swans can get a result in South Yorkshire, with them odds on for the win.
They will be keen not to force a replay - as they have done in the previous two rounds. Carvalhal will want to keep a winning habit going, especially when you factor in his return to his former employers, but he has confirmed there will be changes with top-flight survival the ultimate priority.
Therefore, a Swansea win with both teams scoring is a tempting 4/1 while Tammy Abraham is 5/1 to open the scoring in the lunchtime kick-off.
Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Swansea (Sky Bet's odds: 17/2)
Brighton and Hove Albion v Coventry City (1500 GMT, BT Sport 2)
Brighton come up against the lowest-ranked side in the competition in Coventry City.
The Seagulls, FA Cup finalists in 1983, are 14th in the Premier League while Mark Robins’ Sky Blues are currently ninth and chasing a play-off spot in Sky Bet League Two.
They have already beaten superior opposition in the FA Cup en route to the fifth round this term, with an impressive 2-1 victory over Stoke in the third round coming before an away win over League One MK Dons.
A good performance in the cup could help City turn their form around in the league after three defeats on the spin. Rather impressively, they could name as many as eight academy graduates in their matchday squad.
Chris Hughton’s Albion, meanwhile, will be hopeful of carrying on their four-game unbeaten run in all competitions and they will give a debut to January signing Jurgen Locadia.
The Dutch forward has scored nine and assisted seven in 18 appearances for PSV Eindhoven this term and I am backing him to score against a stretched Coventry side on his Brighton bow. He is 5/4 to find the back of the net anytime while you can back Brighton to win while keeping a clean sheet at the Amex at evens.
Coventry have done brilliantly to reach this stage of the competition, but I feel this could be the end of the road for them as Brighton will look to make the last eight while trying to secure Premier League survival.
Prediction: Brighton 2-0 Coventry (Sky Bet's odds: 4/1)
West Bromwich Albion v Southampton (1500 GMT)
An all-Premier League clash between two struggling sides. A quarter-final place is up for grabs, but the chance to kick-start the rest of their campaign with a morale-boosting win is the real motivation.
Southampton edged West Brom 3-2 in a five-goal thriller in the league two weeks ago and I do not expect it to be such a goal fest this time around.
Southampton edged past Watford in the last round with a 1-0 win and Albion pulled off a shock 3-2 victory over Liverpool at Anfield. The Saints are 9/5 favourites for the Hawthorns clash, with the Baggies rooted to the bottom of the table and in a bad run of form.
But Alan Pardew’s side have not always played as badly as the results read and I am going to back them to edge it. Funnily enough, I backed West Brom to win with under 3.5 total goals in the last game and I am going to go with this option again at 27/11. With squad rotation and two sides that generally score few goals, these really do look like good odds.
With a number of factors at stake, it could also be a welcome distraction, allowing both teams to perform without the real pressure which comes with a Premier League relegation battle.
After an injury to Daniel Sturridge in Monday’s defeat at Chelsea, West Brom will at least have Jay Rodriguez as he has been given an extension to contest his ban. The former Southampton striker has scored eight goals this term and he is priced at 12/5 to find the back of the net anytime against his old employers.
Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino says the tie is ‘like a final’ and he is expected to make a number of changes, hinting at an attacking approach.
Pardew was missing some key men in their last meeting and, with the likes of Jonny Evans, Kieran Gibbs and Grzegorz Krychowiak back, I think they will get the job done quite convincingly.
Prediction: West Brom 2-1 Southampton (Sky Bet's odds: 11/1 Price Boost)
Huddersfield Town v Manchester United (1730 GMT, BT Sport 2)
Two weeks after their meeting in the Premier League, the clubs face off again for a place in the quarter finals.
Alexis Sanchez scored his first Manchester United goal as the hosts strolled to a comfortable 2-0 win at Old Trafford. But this tie is at Huddersfield, where the Terries pulled off a shock victory over the Red Devils in October.
A miserable run and a few months later, Town find themselves teetering on the edge of the Premier League’s bottom three and David Wagner's main focus will be on retaining their top-flight status.
They will be hoping to build on last week’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth and are valued as high as 7/1 with some bookies for the win.
Jose Mourinho’s side were knocked out by Chelsea in last year’s quarter-finals and it is a chance for the Portuguese boss to secure more silverware in his second season at Old Trafford.
He also has Wednesday's Champions League clash in Sevilla to consider and he already looks like he will be without a handful of players. The strength of his squad should show though, as Town could also field fringe players with key man Aaron Mooy out, and I think the Red Devils will bounce back from last weekend’s Premier League defeat at Newcastle.
Paul Pogba, who was dropped to the bench last week, has been confirmed to start and this could be the sort of tie to regain his form, after Mourinho branded rumours the two's relationship is strained as 'lies'.
Anthony Martial showed excellent form since the start of the new year but he was shifted to accommodate Alexis Sanchez. The Frenchman could start at the John Smith’s Stadium and I am backing him to score anytime at 17/11, with Man United winning by two goals (10/3) in another fairly comfortable outing for the Terriers who will miss creative spark Mooy.
Prediction: Huddersfield 0-2 Manchester United (Sky Bet's odds: 11/2)
Posted at 1640 GMT on 16/02/18.
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