FA Cup Predictions & Betting tips
Find our free FA Cup prediction on the final winner, as well as our expert predictions on the 2023-2024 matches. Lots of information for your sports betting.
FA Cup presentation and predictions
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is the oldest annual knockout competition in the world of football. The tournament was first held in the 1871/72 season, as has been held every year since (with the exception of WWI and WWII disruptions).
Since 1923 the FA Cup final has been held at Wembley Stadium in London, with the exception of a six year spell at the Millenium Stadium when renovations were taking place. Arsenal hold the record for the most FA Cup titles won by a club (13), closely followed by Manchester United (12). Manchester City are the current holders of the FA Cup, beating Manchester United in the 2022-23 final.
The thrill of the FA Cup is when teams get wins over clubs higher than them in the English football pyramid. 'Giant killing' adds so much excitement to the competition. For the smaller clubs, a good run in the FA Cup can earn them valuable revenue. They all dream of getting to the third round and perhaps drawing an away game against one of the top Premier League clubs.
See all FA Cup betting odds at Bet365!
FA Cup Prediction: who will win the 2023-24 FA Cup?
What a final it was at Wembley! Many were counting Manchester United out ahead of their FA Cup final with juggernauts Man City, but as the old adage says: form goes out the window in these high-profile derby clashes! United starlet Alejandro Garnacho grabbed the go-ahead goal after a miscommunication between backup keeper Stefan Ortega and defender Gvardiol allowed the Argentine to pounce with a wide open net. Fans of the Red Devils were on cloud nine after a brilliant no-look pass by Bruno Fernandes freed up youngster Kobbie Mainoo to slot home past Ortega for a 2-0 lead.
City made it interesting late after Jeremy Doku made it 2-1 in the 87', but the Citizens were ultimately unable to find the equalizer. The triumph sees Manchester United win the FA Cup for the first time since 2015/16 and sees them get revenge over their local rivals after losing in the final last season by a 2-1 scoreline. It also brings their all-time total in this competition to 13 titles, one behind leaders Arsenal.
The 2023/24 FA Cup winners: Manchester United!
FA Cup Winner Prediction: the odds for the final
The odds for the FA Cup are currently unavailable as the competition has come to a close. Check out Bet365 for a number of other sports and betting markets!
FA Cup Finalist Prediction: who will reach the 2023-24 FA Cup final?
Betting on the FA Cup isn't just limited to who will win the trophy. It's also possible to bet on a club to reach the final at Wembley Stadium. Who should you be betting on? Well, the two Manchester clubs contested the 2022-23 final and could well do so again. Thanks to the cup draw, an all-Manchester final is currently looking like the most likely result.
The latest odds on who will reach the final
The odds on which teams will make the final are currently unavailable. In the meantime, head over to Bet365 to check out other available betting markets.
Beginners Guide to How the FA Cup Works
The competition begins with the Extra Preliminary Round which is being played this season on August 5. Clubs such as Pickering Town, Tadcaster Albion, Goole and Whitchurch Airport will be beginning their FA Cup campaigns. Who knows, they could make it all the way to the first round proper? Win 14 games and they'll win the FA Cup final but that's for dreamers not gamblers.
The 2023/24 FA Cup sees 640 non-league sides in the qualifying rounds. They are all bidding to claim one of the 32 places available in the first round proper. That's when the 48 League One and League Two clubs joined the competition. Two rounds are played to determine the 20 clubs who will join the 20 Premier League and 24 Championship teams in the legendary third round of the FA Cup.
The FA Cup Third Round draw is one of the most anticipated events of the season, particularly if a non-League team has reached this stage.
This Third Round is always played at the start of January after which two more rounds are played. The games are played Friday to Monday at this stage. The fifth round matches are played in midweek. It's back to the weekend for the last eight and then the two semi-finals are both played at Wembley Stadium. The two winners return to that legendary stadium to play in the final. That's being held on May 25, 2024.
The winner of the cup will qualify for next season's Europa League (unless the team has qualified for that or the Champions League via the Premier League). They also go on to play the Premier League Champions in the Community Shield at Wembley, which is usually held in August the week before the start of the new Premier League season.
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Semi-final results
It was a thrilling semi-final with Cinderella team Coventry almost pulling off a shocking upset over Mancheser United. The Sky Blues were were able to come back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game at 3-3 thanks to goals in the 71', 79' and a 90+5' penalty. They were unable to keep their nerve in the penalty shootout as the Red Devils survive a massive scare to advance to the final for the second straight season. Manchester City booked their spot in the final as well after overcoming a tough performance from Chelsea. The Citizens were able to finally get the breakthrough goal in the 84' after Chelsea did so well to neutralize the City attack for most of the game. The win sets up a rematch of the 2022/23 FA Cup final in which Man City won by a score of 2-1. Will history repeat itself?
- Manchester City (1) Chelsea (0)
- Manchester United (3) vs Coventry City (3) - Manchester United advance 4-2 on penalties
Quarter-final results
There were some wild results in the quarter-final of this year's FA Cup and a few matches that have become instant classics. Coventry's prayers for a miracle were answered as they netted twice deep into stoppage time to somehow snatch the victory over what will be a distraught Wolves team. Manchester United and bitter rivals Liverpool played out a thrilling back-and-forth slugfest which is sure to be talked about for years to come, especially if the Red Devils can go on to lift the trophy. Here's how all of the results panned out, including the scores for each team in parentheses.
- Wolves (2) vs Coventry City (3)
- Manchester City (2) vs Newcastle (0)
- Chelsea (4) vs Leicester City (2)
- Manchester United (4) vs Liverpool (3)
Dates for your Diary
- Qualifying rounds begin on August 5
- First Round Proper - November 3-6
- Second Round Proper - December 1-4
- Third Round Proper - January 5-8
- Fourth Round Proper - January 26-29
- Fifth Round Proper - week beginning February 28
- Quarter Finals - March 16/17
- Semi-Finals - April 20/21
- Finale - May 25
Bet on your favorite team in the FA Cup!
How to make good predictions on the FA Cup?
If you wish to be making successful FA Cup predictions, there are certain factors that need to be taken into consideration. Reading our previews will certainly help you and they're totally free. Below we list the factors that our betting experts believe are of the greatest importance:
- Check the form of each club playing during the FA Cup
- Look at the fixture list of the English clubs
- Make sure you know the team news
- How important is the match to each club?
- Be aware of the latest statistics of the FA Cup
These five factors will help you make successful FA Cup predictions. Let's now look at each of them in a little more depth.
Check the form of each club taking part during the FA Cup
It's always important to look at the form of a club before they play their next game. It's a little bit different with the FA Cup though. That's because the starting line-ups fielded won't be as strong as those played in the Premier League. It is an idea therefore to look at the teams that clubs have been fielding for their FA Cup games. How have the fringe players who will be included been getting on? Does fielding a weakened line-up still leave a club with a set of players that can win their cup tie? Struggling sides can do well in cup competitions so take not of that.
Look at the fixture list of the English clubs
A busy fixture list will decide just how strong a line-up is fielded by teams and not just for the Premier League. If there is an important midweek game coming up, then squad rotation will be even more in use. Most FA Cup games are played at the weekend. However, the fifth round is played in midweek. That means a club could be playing three games in a week. If that is the case, it'll be the FA Cup game that definitely sees plenty of team changes being made.
Make sure you know the team news
Knowing the team news is so important when it comes to the FA Cup. As we've mentioned, don't expect to see anything like full strength starting line-ups being played in this competition. That might happen in the latter stages but even then the manager may choose to be loyal to players who helped get them that far. Find out the team line-ups and then decide who to back. The clubs which have such a strong squad that they can make lots of changes are the ones to bet on.
How important is the match to each club?
Sadly, some clubs don't put the FA Cup at the top of their priority list. They are much more interested in the Premier League or the Championship. That's why so many weakened line-ups are fielded. For some teams though, the FA Cup is important. If they can't qualify for Europe via their final position in the Premier League, then qualifying by winning the FA Cup becomes an important target. Teams from lower leagues will consider the FA Cup to be very important. That was the case with League Two Grimsby Town who got to the last eight in the 2022-23 season. The FA Cup meant prestige and a big cash boost so it was more important than their league games.
Be aware of the latest statistics
Knowing the key statistics is always very helpful and can avoid costly mistakes being made. When you know who's playing for their team, look to see how they've been getting on in previous weeks. Are the strikers scoring lots of goals or going through a bad patch? Are the defenders keeping clean sheets or have forgotten what one is? Look to see how they've played in previous cup games. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to place a good bet.
What Not to Do For Your FA Cup Predictions
When you are placing your FA Cup bets, there are certain ways to bet that aren't recommended. They can seriously affect the chance of your bets being winning ones. Here are the main ones we feel you should not be doing:
- Not doing enough research
- Take into account only a club's reputation and not its form
- Not checking all the odds on offer and missing the most attractive one
- Betting on an FA Cup match without working out how important the game is to each club
- Chasing losses - never a good idea.
- Placing bets when either tired or upset
- Betting on bookmakers' boosted odds without considering why that's the case.
- Betting repeatedly on your favorite team - use your head not your heart.
- Don't forget this is a cup competition and upsets will happen.
Sometimes it is easy to fall into these behaviors. Always put a lot of thought into every bet that you place. Don't bet when you are upset or tired as this will affect your ability to make the right decisions. Bet carefully, avoid these bad habits and you should be able to do well with your FA Cup bets.
Make your FA Cup predictions here
Key Statistics for your FA Cup predictions
Knowing the most important statistics is always important when working out your football bets. Here are some of the key statistics from the 2022/23 FA Cup:
- The top scorer was Paul Mullins of Wrexham with eight goals.
- Top scoring clubs were Wrexham and Manchester City with 19.
- Manchester City won the FA Cup conceding just one goal.
- That single goal conceded came from the penalty spot in the FA Cup final.
- From the fifth round onwards, 66.66% of games had over 2.5 goals scored in them.
- Both teams scored in 33.33% of those matches.
- The final saw Ilkay Gundogan score in just 12 seconds. The quickest ever goal in an FA Cup final.
Bet on your favorite team in the FA Cup!
In Short: How to predict FA Cup matches?
Let's now take a shorter look at how to make winning FA Cup bets. Ensure you do some research into the game being played. Know the team line-ups and how important the game is to each side. Know the form of the players chosen. If you haven't got the time to do all these, read the previews of our experts as they will be packed with vital information.
Our FA Cup Predictions of the moment
There are no previews at the moment for this competition
FA Cup: best odds
Odds are not yet available for this competition.
Take a look at our FA Cup odds before placing your bets on the competition. You can also follow the matches live at our FA Cup livescore tool.
