Meanwhile, Premier League club Burnley host Barnsley and Manchester United welcome Reading to Old Trafford
The third round of English football’s FA Cup is one of the biggest weekends on the calendar, and this coming Saturday (5 January) sees the first wave of games take place. Everyone will be on the look-out for a giant killing, and we start on the Friday night with the tie between Tranmere Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, before Burnley host Barnsley and Reading travel to Old Trafford
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the FA Cup third round including all Premier League teams, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
First up, the tie between Tranmere and Tottenham. Tranmere sit ninth in League Two, the fourth tier of English domestic football, although they are undefeated in their last three league outings, with two of those games ending in a draw.
Tottenham, in stark contrast, are second in the Premier League, just six points behind current table toppers Liverpool. There is talk of a potential title challenge over the second half of the league campaign, but for now Spurs have the obstacle of a trip to Tranmere as they look to negotiate their passage into the fourth round of the cup.
And it will come as no surprise to see that Tottenham are the overwhelming favourites to do just that. You can back the visitors to win at just 1.18 while Tranmere, despite home advantage, are out at 13.00 to do the same – a draw is priced in the middle at 7.00, according to Oddsshark.
This should be a walk in the park for the Londoners. A 3-0 win for the away side is priced at 7.00, meaning that a US$% bet would lead to a US$35 pay out, while you can back Spurs to be ahead within 10 minutes at 4.75.
Burnley to put league form behind them
On the Saturday, Premier League strugglers Burnley host Barnsley looking to put their woeful league form out of mind, for a few hours at least. Burnley sit in the drop zone having lost their last four league games in a row, and a cup run could well do wonders for confidence in the camp.
Barnsley are currently plying their trade in the third tier of English football – League One – but they do sit fourth, having gone unbeaten in five matches. Despite their lack of technical quality they may well fancy their chances of causing an upset at Turf Moor.
Nevertheless, it is Burnley who come in as the clear favourites to progress in the cup competition. You can back the home side to win at just 1.75, while Barnsley are out at 4.50 to do the same – a draw is priced in the middle at 3.75.
And we are expecting the Premier League side to just about scrape through. A narrow, 2-1 win for Burnley comes in at 8.50, while you could more than double your money by backing over 2.5 goals in the game at 2.05.
United start cup journey against Reading
And finally, Manchester United start their journey for a trophy at home against Reading. United are having a difficult league campaign and are sixth in the standings, although they have now won three games in a row since the sacking of veteran boss Jose Mourinho.
Reading, by way of comparison, are having a torrid time of it in the EFL Championship and sit next to bottom, five points from safety. They are without a win in 10 games and cannot be relishing the prospect of a trip to take on one of the biggest names in the country.
And it is indeed United who come into this tie as the red hot favourites to make it through to the fourth round. You can back the Red Devils to win at just 1.14, while Reading are all the way out at 15.00 to pull off a major shock – a draw is priced in the middle at 8.00.
This could well be a thrashing, with a 4-0 win for the home side also coming in at 8.50, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$42.50 pay out. Marcus Rashford is at 1.90 to get his name on the score sheet.
FA Cup round three fixtures:
Friday, 4 January
(13.00) Tranmere Rovers x Tottenham Hotspur (1.18); draw (7.00)
Saturday, 5 January
(1.80) Bournemouth x Brighton (4.33); draw (3.60)
(1.75) Burnley x Barnsley (4.50); draw (3.75)
(1.14) Manchester United x Reading (15.00); draw (8.00)
(2.40) Sheffield Wednesday x Luton Town (2.80); draw (3.40)
(3.75) Shrewsbury Town x Stoke City (2.00); draw (3.40)
(1.66) West Bromwich Albion x Wigan Athletic (5.00); draw (3.80)
(1.44) West Ham United x Birmingham City (7.00); draw (4.33)
(2.40) Accrington Stanley x Ipswich Town (2.87); draw (3.30)
(1.95) Aston Villa x Swansea City (3.60); draw (3.60)
(2.00) Bolton x Walsall (3.75); draw (3.40)
(1.50) Brentford x Oxford (6.00); draw (4.33)
(1.20) Chelsea x Nottingham Forest (13.00); draw (6.50)
(2.80) Derby x Southampton (2.60); draw (3.10)
(1.12) Everton x Lincoln City (17.00); draw (8.50)
(2.10) Fleetwood Town x AFC Wimbledon (3.40); draw (3.40)
(3.80) Gillingham x Cardiff (1.85); draw (3.80)
(1.53) Middlesbrough x Peterborough (5.75); draw (4.20)
(13.00) Blackpool x Arsenal (1.20); draw (6.50)
(2.30) Bristol City x Huddersfield Town (3.10); draw (3.25)
(1.14) Crystal Palace x Grimsby Town (15.00); draw (8.00)
(1.61) Newcastle United x Blackburn Rovers (5.50); draw (3.80)
(1.70) Norwich x Portsmouth (5.00); draw (3.60)
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