Everton can spring a surprise by ending City’s dreams of quadruple
► Ancelotti expected to field strong side in pursuit of trophy ► Bournemouth good value to upset struggling Southampton
There is a decent mix of action in multiple competitions this weekend, with a couple of Premier League matches sharing top billing with the FA Cup sixth round.
Manchester City are 5/4 favourites to win the FA Cup and that is a little surprising considering they have won just one FA Cup since Pep Guardiola took the helm. I would not be rushing to take that price given that they face a difficult assignment today.
City travel to Merseyside to take on Everton and are 1/3 to come out on top in 90 minutes. The teams met at Goodison Park just over a month ago and City ran out easy 3-1 winners but, as ever with the Cup, it is difficult to predict the two line-ups.
City are chasing an unprecedented quadruple, so it would make sense for Guardiola to rotate his squad, while Everton’s attempt to qualify for Europe has suffered a recent setback with two defeats in a row. Carlo Ancelotti’s best hope of delivering success this season could well lie in this competition, which means he is probably likely to select his best XI, but even that may not be enough to cause a shock.
The tie between Leicester and Manchester United also looks too close to call, but it could be worth betting on a potential upset in today’s early kick-off when Bournemouth host Southampton.
Relegated from the Premier League last season, Bournemouth, now managed by Jonathan Woodgate, are struggling to bounce back and the best they can hope for is a place in the play-offs.
The Championship can be a difficult league to negotiate and Bournemouth’s
style is undoubtedly more suited to playing against Premier League opposition, so they could provide some value at 13/5.
Bournemouth knocked out Burnley in the last round and can take another Premier League scalp in Southampton, who have been in a downward spiral, winning just two of their past 12 matches.
There are a couple of interesting matches in the Premier League and there are a couple of bets to be made. West Ham were incredibly disappointing at Old Trafford last weekend and manager David Moyes must take his share of the blame as a negative tactical switch allowed a disjointed Manchester United to wrestle the advantage before Moyes made any substitutions,
Moyes can be expected to revert to the tactics and side that have earned a Champions League qualification chance when they face Arsenal tomorrow and the return of Jesse Lingard, who missed the game against his parent club, is a huge bonus.
Lingard has made a big impact since joining West Ham on loan in January and was given a recall to the England squad thanks to the quality he has shown since moving south.
Arsenal were in action on Thursday night, so West Ham should be fresher and the 6/4 about a home win looks solid.
There were some huge performances at the Cheltenham Festival this week. Those punters who won money could well find their attention turning to a decent card at Kempton. This meeting is often billed as the Cheltenham consolation meeting and there will be the rare sight of a walkover in the first race of the card.
Only one horse, Marracudja, has qualified and he will be made to turn up to the track and walk past the line in order to claim the first prize of £15,500.
Thankfully, the following races promise to be more competitive and the best bet on the card could well be Smarty Wild in the 2m4f Handicap Chase (3.15).
He has decent course form having won at the track on his penultimate start, but struggled last time with the jumping test on softer ground at Warwick. Faster conditions and a return to this track will suit.
The returning Lingard has made a big impact since joining West Ham on loan in January