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IT MAY have lost some of its sheen, partly as a result of being spread over three days instead of one gloriously unpredictable Saturday afternoon, but the FA Cup third round has retained a sizeable quota of magic.

This weekend, Stourbridge, Barrow, Sutton United, Eastleigh and Lincoln each have an opportunity to create an upset by knocking out ‘bigger’ teams.

From a punters’ perspective, however, the FA Cup has become rewardingly predictable: four teams have won 21 of the 25 finals contested since 1992 – a success ratio of 84 percent.

Backing Chelsea (11/2, bet365) or Arsenal (8/1, Unibet) over this period would have provided punters with a better-than-evens chance of success. Add Manchester United (8/1, BetVictor.com) and Liverpool (13/2, Skybet) into the mix and almost all bases are covered.

Only one of the four Midlands giants (West Brom) start a Cup tie as favourites this weekend and even the Baggies’ even money odds (Marathonbet) to overhaul Derby County (7/2, Matchbook. com) are not as short as many punters may have expected.

Elsewhere, the draw (13/5, William Hill) has found favour amongst those not expecting to see full-strength line-ups, a view which adds appeal to bet365’s 13/2 on it finishing 1-1.

Birmingham City welcome Newcastle to St Andrew’s for a tie the home side kick off as Paddy Power’s 10/3 underdogs – surprisingly long considering Newcastle’s propensity to slip up away from home. Rafa Benitez’s men were 4/6 favourites at one point, but according to the match stats team at bettingexpert.com those odds have lengthened (to 10/11, Betway) following a series of indifferent away performances. Blues can be backed at 13/2 (Bwin) to win 1-0.

Wolves journey up the M6 to Stoke where they open as 10bet’s massive 5/1 underdogs. It’s difficult to argue with that price as Wolves’ attention is more likely to focus on Championship survival. Stoke are 4/6 (188bet) to win in 90 minutes and at 40/1 (Ladbrokes) to lift the Cup look a decent each-way shout.

On Sunday, Villa travel for a meeting with in-form Spurs. Not surprisingly, Steve Bruce’s men are quoted at 11/1 (Unibet) to win, with the Londoners offered at 3/10 by Coral. The likelihood of an upset appears remote and while the draw is available at an attractive 5/1 (Skybet), few Villa fans would be disappointed if their side lost on Sunday but secured a play-off berth instead.

Odds courtesy of customisable odds comparison site www. smartbets.com – make sure you’re getting the best free tips at www.bettingexpert.com