It was a tale of ‘nearly but not quite’ in terms of big shocks in the FA Cup fourth round and no fewer than 12 Premier League teams have made it through to round five.
Manchester City are the 7/4 favourites to lift the trophy after escaping a mighty scare against League Two Cheltenham, who were 1-0 up with 10 minutes to play before Pep Guardiola’s men scored three late goals.
City’s rivals will bemoan another tie against opposition outside the top flight, with a trip to Swansea on the agenda in February. The Swans though are promotion candidates and should make life tough for Pep and co.
Another top flight team who avoided a scare were Tottenham, having fallen behind at Championship strugglers Wycombe before running out 1-4 victors.
Having seen off rivals Liverpool in round four, Manchester United face another all-Premier League tie in the next round, when West Ham visit Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad do have the distraction of the Europa League as well as a title challenge, but the Red Devils are 5/1 in the FA Cup Outright market.
Toffees Look to End 26-Year Wait
Everton have gone quietly about their FA Cup business so far, beating Yorkshire duo Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday in the last two rounds, and are now 12/1 to lift the trophy.
Although the Toffees remain in the fight for a top-four finish this term, Carlo Ancelotti will see this as an excellent opportunity to bring silverware to Goodison – Everton have not won a major trophy since tasting Wembley in this competition in 1995.
| We will face @SpursOfficial in the fifth round of the #EmiratesFACup next month.
Tie details will be confirmed in due course. #EFC
pic.twitter.com/jQbnCs8Lcv
— Everton (@Everton) January 25, 2021
Everton are still 12/1 to win the cup, mainly due to the fifth-round draw which has pitted them at home to Tottenham, who are 13/2 in the Outright market.
Wolves and Saints Are Contenders
Two teams that will be fully focussed on a place at Wembley meet each other in the next round, with Wolves and Southampton set to do battle at Molineux.
Neither team will be relegated and European qualification via the league looks out of reach this season, so they can afford to target a long cup run.
The winner will look a good bet to go all the way to Wembley, but the dilemma comes when trying to choose a winner of this tie! Wolves are currently 20/1 to lift the FA Cup this season, whilst Saints can be backed at 14/1.
Leicester have never won the FA Cup and with a busy schedule of Premier League and Europa League over the coming months, Brendan Rodgers is likely to shuffle his pack for the fifth-round clash with Brighton.
If you are looking for an even bigger price, it is worth considering Sheffield United. They may be bottom of the Premier League, but a good cup run could prove a healthy distraction.
Chris Wilder’s men have had favourable draws to date, beating lower league opposition in Bristol Rovers and Plymouth in rounds three and four respectively.
The Blades, who will play host to Bristol City in round five, are 40/1 outsiders to go all the way and lift the trophy on May 15.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
