Liverpool again with problems against the underdogs from Shrewsbury?
The oldest cup tournament in the world is entering its third round, in which the representatives from the top flight of British football and the Championship are now also getting into the action. Once again, various underdogs such as the fourth-rate team from Swindon are looking forward to a prominent visit from the Premier League.
In their case, however, it will be a particularly challenging visit as top of the table and champions Manchester City drop in to kick off the third round of the FA Cup.
Fans can also look forward to pure duels between first division teams, such as the showdown between defending champions Leicester and Watford on 8 January or West Ham against Leeds on 9 January 2022! There is also a London derby with Millwall against Crystal Palace.
Swindon Town v Manchester City – 07 January, 21:00
Swindon get a high visit from the Premier League leaders, as mentioned at the start. The home side, for their part, are now only playing in the fourth-tier League Two after last year’s relegation. However, the chances are quite good that they will be promoted again. Currently, at least one place in the play-offs for promotion is occupied by the “Robins”.
In the dress rehearsal last Saturday, a 5:2 victory over the second-placed team from Northampton was achieved. The visitors will also naturally give some regulars a breather, given the easy task.
They also travel to this fixture on a run of six straight wins, although the last meeting was almost exactly 20 years ago.
For the match at the County Ground between Swindon Town and Manchester City, the tip is for goals on both sides. The last home win showed a clear upward trend in the fourth division club’s attack.
Furthermore, Guardiola’s side will probably let the reins slip a little in defence after an expected clear lead in the course of the game, which suggests at least a consolation goal from Town.
Burnley vs Huddersfield – 08 January, 13:30
The Clarets have not lost any of their last seven duels with Huddersfield (4-3-0). The encounters have been in the Premier League and Championship over the past seven years. The latter is where the visitors are currently based, while the home side are in the British top flight.
However, Town have improved significantly this season compared to last year, when they could only manage 20th place in the 24-team Championship at the final reckoning. In contrast, the “Terriers” are now in sixth place and thus occupy a position for the promotion relegation.
For the clash at Turf Moor between Burnley and Huddersfield, the forecast includes the double chance in favour of the visitors. The home side suffered a defeat at Leeds last weekend and are in a relegation spot in the Premier League. A real difference in class is therefore not currently apparent in this pairing.
Millwall v Crystal Palace – 08 January, 13:45
The Eagles and Millwall meet for the London derby: The home side were eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Cup last year and do not want to suffer the same fate one round earlier. In the Championship, however, the “Lions” from the south-east of the capital are doing well, finishing in mid-table.
The Glaziers are also in this area, although one level higher. Due to the home advantage, the home side have not lost in front of their own crowd since mid-October and, among other things, held league leaders Bournemouth to a draw, the difference in class is somewhat negated.
Against this background, an even match between Millwall and Crystal Palace can be expected, which is why value can be found in the odds on a draw. The prediction is backed up by the statistics: six of the last ten duels in the past two decades have ended in a draw!
West Brom vs. Brighton – 08 January, 16:00
The “Baggies” had to say goodbye to the top flight last season and are aiming for an immediate sporting U-turn. With regard to this endeavour, West Brom are quite hopeful, as they currently occupy fourth place in the Championship. This good position was achieved mainly in the home games:
They are still the only team in the British lower house not to have lost any of their twelve home games in league play (7-5-0). In view of this, the match at the Hawthorns between West Brom and Brighton offers double odds in favour of the hosts.
This is also supported by the fact that the first division side from the south coast has not won in regulation time for five comparisons in this pairing (0-4-1). While the Seagulls travel with a win over Everton from the weekend, the Toffees are also currently in a very weak patch.
Port Vale vs Brentford – 08 January, 16:00
The home side from Stoke-on-Trent only kick about in League Two and have not won against their forthcoming opponents for five comparisons in the last almost 14 years within League One and Two. Last weekend’s dress rehearsal also ended in defeat at NewPort County.
For their part, the Bees are playing in the British top flight for the first time in 75 years this season. For the match between Port Vale and Brentford, the tip is for an away win, including an interval lead for the visitors.
Not only do the Londoners have the better squad, they also boosted their confidence with a win against Aston Villa last Sunday. The win halted a run of three defeats in the league and EFL Cup.
Leicester vs Watford – 08 January, 16:00
The Foxes picked up a win against Liverpool in their last completed game. However, they have yet to bounce back this year due to a match cancellation. For their part, the visitors started 2022 as they left off last year, losing 1-0 at home to Tottenham on New Year’s Day.
This was the sixth defeat in a row! For the upcoming match in the FA Cup on 08.01.2022 between Leicester and Watford, predictions on a home win with at least two goals difference are therefore worth a recommendation.
The prediction is supported by the statistics from the recent past: The 2016 champions have always won the last five home matches against Watford with at least a two-goal difference!
Newcastle vs Cambridge United – 08 January, 16:00
The Magpies have not faced the ball since Boxing Day due to fixture cancellations in the Premier League. Newcastle have also failed to win for four matchdays and, in second-last place, the home side find themselves in the thick of the relegation battle.
Cambridge have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup twice in their history, but those best finishes date back some 30 years. Last year, however, they at least made it into League One after the Amber Army had failed to gain promotion for over seven years.
For the clash between Newcastle and Cambridge United, bets on a home win with at least a two-goal difference are worth considering. Despite all the playing problems of the hosts, there is still a clear difference in class.
In addition, the visitors have not played a match for three weeks, which means they have even less competitive experience than their opponents.
Chelsea vs Chesterfield – 08 January, 18:30
The Blues are in a difficult phase of the season. In the championship race, the home side have crashed badly recently and the Romelu Lukaku personnel has brought a lot of unrest into the team.
Most recently, “Big Rome”, who publicly professed his apparently still enduring love for his former employer Inter Milan, was even kicked out of the squad.
The “Spireites” from Chesterfield, for their part, are only at home in the National League and thus no more than fifth-class. Nothing more needs to be said about the David versus Goliath factor of the clash at Stamford Bridge.
For the Chelsea-Chesterfield clash, however, betting tips on a home win with a maximum difference of three goals are a good idea. Given the tight situation of the Londoners, a goal festival is not to be expected, especially since Lukaku, a powerful striker as described, is currently not involved.
Hull City v Everton – 08 January, 18:30
Second division side Hull City host a representative from the top flight in the form of the “Toffees”. It is the first meeting in almost five years. Back then, the home side were still in the Premier League, but lost 4-0 at Goodison Park. At the moment, City can only manage a lower mid-table position, even in the lower league.
The visitors from the Mersey are also struggling: Last weekend, they lost at home to Brighton, and even the long-awaited return of top striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who also missed a penalty, did nothing to change that.
Benitez’s side have won just one of their last twelve league games and are now facing relegation. For the match at MKM Stadium between Hull and Everton, double chance bets in favour of the hosts are worth considering.
Liverpool, as mentioned, are in poor form and, given their increasingly precarious position in the Premier League, have surely long since turned their mental focus solely to league action.
Swansea v Southampton – 08 January, 18:30
The Welsh “Swans” get a visit from the south coast from Southampton. The “Saints” last picked up a draw against Tottenham in league action and remained without defeat for the third time in a row (1-2-0). The home side, on the other hand, are in a crisis of form.
For three matchdays, they have only lost in the Championship and have not been convincing at home. The most recent two games at the Swansea.com Stadium were against Reading and Nottingham Forest.
Southampton also won the last direct encounter away from home in May 2018 and it was already the fourth win in the past five away games at the Swans. For the match between Swansea and Southampton, tips on an away win are therefore worth considering.
This is also supported by the fact that the hosts have not played since mid-December, which is why they are severely lacking in competitive practice.
Wolverhampton vs. Sheffield United – 09 January, 15:00
The Wanderers take on second division side Sheffield United on 9 January from 15:00. In the dress rehearsal last Monday night, the hosts scored a 1-0 away win at Manchester United.
The “Blades”, however, are in equally good form: They recently defeated the Cottagers, a top team in the Championship, and have been winning consistently for four rounds of matches. However, a look at the last two direct duels with Wolves last year does not give the visitors much hope.
At that time, they were still competing in the Premier League, but they lost to the Portuguese side from Wolverhampton in both matches. However, predictions for a draw in the clash between Wolverhampton and Sheffield United are of interest as an even match is on the cards.
Tottenham vs Morecambe – 09 January, 15:00
The Lilywhites started the new year with a 1-0 win at Watford last Saturday. This confirmed their steady form of recent weeks. Since the change of coach, in which Antonio Conte took over the sporting direction on the sidelines, the Spurs have stabilised noticeably.
The Italian has recorded five wins and three draws with his club in the Premier League so far! The visitors also only play in League One and only occupy 19th place in the 24-team division. They also concede the most goals in the league!
For the FA Cup match between Tottenham and Morecambe, betting tips on more than three goals by the hosts are therefore recommended.
Liverpool vs. Shrewsbury Town – 09 January, 15:00
The Reds against Shrewsbury Town from League One already existed as a pairing two years ago in the FA Cup. On that occasion, the Mersey side were unable to go beyond a 2-2 draw at Town in their first meeting, which meant a replay for coach Jürgen Klopp’s men.
This was again narrowly won 1-0 at Anfield Road and was thus once again only unconvincing from LFC’s point of view. Especially in view of the fact that the decisive goal for Liverpool came solely thanks to an own goal by the “Shrews”.
For the next edition of Liverpool against Shrewsbury Town, the betting odds on a maximum of three goals by the home side are interesting. The home side will only be fielding a B eleven, especially as players such as Mo Salah and Sadio Mane are at the Africa Cup, so there is no sign of any offensive fireworks.
On top of that, the Reds obviously don’t like their opponents and the visitors’ form is quite stable. The dress rehearsal last weekend against Sheffield Wednesday was won and they haven’t lost since mid-November (3-1-0).
The goal in the latest victory was scored by Matthew Pennington, who will be particularly motivated against LFC. After all, the 27-year-old was under contract at arch-enemy Everton before joining Shrewsbury.
West Ham vs. Leeds United – 09 January, 15:15
The Hammers and Leeds meet for a United clash in the FA Cup. The home side have recently bounced back in league action: They recently defeated Watford and Crystal Palace. This ended a run of five competitive games without a win (0-1-4).
The visitors also celebrated a success last weekend with a three-point win over Burnley. A further parallel is the respective but still shaky defence. Both teams have been waiting five games for the next clean sheet.
In view of this, the betting odds on a goal celebration on both sides in the FA Cup match on 09.01.2022 between West Ham and Leeds are interesting. The prediction is supported by the recent duels between the teams: Only in one of the past seven meetings would the bet not have been crowned with success!
Nottingham vs. Arsenal – 09 January, 18:10
Nottingham are playing in the Championship and have been in decline recently: After a series of nine unbeaten games in the British lower house, the “Tricky Trees” were beaten by Middlesbrough away and then Huddersfield on their own ground.
The two defeats have put the relegation places for promotion to the Premier League somewhat out of sight. The Gunners are also still licking their wounds: Last weekend they suffered a painful home defeat against the champions from Manchester despite an appealing performance.
For the match at the City Ground between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal, however, the predictions are for an away win. Before the defeat to the Citizens, the Londoners were on a run of five straight wins, which means they are clearly on the rise.
Manchester United vs. Aston Villa – 10 January, 20:55
Steven Gerrard has been in the manager’s chair at the Villans for eight Premier League fixtures. His record on paper is mixed, with four wins and four defeats. However, the Liverpool icon can certainly be credited with a positive effect in his first coaching job in the country’s top division.
Three of the four defeats came against the Premier League’s top three teams. Only the last defeat against promoted Brentford stands out from this list. However, the away record from Birmingham’s point of view in this pairing is not very encouraging: only two wins have been achieved in the past 32 years (2-6-23)!
The home side, in turn, played another league game against Wolverhampton last Monday. The game at Old Trafford ended in a 1-0 defeat, handing Ralf Rangnick his first loss in his sixth game in charge of the Red Devils (3-2-1).
For the final match in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday night from 20:55 between Manchester United and Aston Villa, value can be discovered in the betting odds on a goal from the visitors.
Under Gerrard, the attack has stabilised considerably: The fact that his team has failed to score at least once in only one of the eight games with him as manager. On top of that, the home side have already waited three games for their next clean sheet.
