football | Friday, January 6, 2023 11:30 AM (Revised at: Friday, January 6, 2023 4:39 PM)

FA Cup Asian Lines Best Bets - January 7th: Value Picks for 5 Cup Mismatches

Tom Winch

FA Cup Asian Lines Best Bets: Saturday, January 7th

It’s FA Cup weekend and there are plenty of games taking place on Saturday. Here at bettingexpert Expert Insights, we have selected our favourite bets of the day focused on the Asian markets.

In this article:

Blackpool vs Nottingham Forest Preview & Best Bet
Crystal Palace vs Southampton Preview & Best Bet
Middlesbrough vs Brighton Preview & Best Bet
Brentford vs West Ham Preview & Best Bet
Luton vs Wigan Preview & Best Bet

Blackpool vs Nottingham Forest Preview

Saturday, January 7th, 15:00 (UK)

Michael Appleton and his out-of-form Blackpool welcome Steve Cooper and his Forest side to Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon. The hosts have failed to earn three points in nine consecutive league matches which has seen them drop into a relegation spot.

Nottingham Forest recorded their fourth league win of the season just a few days ago. It was their first on the road which will provide a whole heap of confidence amongst the squad and the club as a whole. They have a large squad after a busy summer in the transfer window so they should be putting out a strong side which will be more than capable of overcoming the Tangerines within 90 minutes.

Blackpool vs Nottingham Forest Best Bet

The visitors are odds-on favourites here, best priced at 1.80 which looks more than reasonable. Blackpool certainly have more important issues elsewhere such as their league position so may field a weakened side.

Forest won very convincingly away at Blackburn a couple of weeks ago and went off at an even shorter price. They earnt a 1-1 draw against Chelsea before their win on the South Coast, so it seems the World Cup break was beneficial for all involved.

Selection: Nottingham Forest -0.5 Asian Handicap (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 1.80 (bet365)
Stakes: 8/10

More Blackpool vs Nottingham Forest Tips

Crystal Palace vs Southampton Preview

Saturday, January 7th, 12:30 (UK)

Things are looking rather bleak for the Saints. Six consecutive defeats in the Premier League have seen them occupy 20th in the table. Nathan Jones is already facing plenty of pressure after his disastrous start and many believe that he wasn’t the right man for the job prior to his appointment.

Patrick Vieira and his side sit in 12th spot. They have already beaten Southampton this season at Selhurst Park and should fancy themselves to do so once again in the lunchtime clash. They have won half of their previous 10 league matches and will want to get back to winning ways after two heavy defeats at home since the break.

Palace are available to back at even money on Saturday. They have the quality in attack to cause Southampton problems and will of course have the home fans right behind them throughout the match.

Crystal Palace vs Southampton Best Bet

It’s difficult to see Palace getting dragged into a relegation battle. On the other hand, it’s unlikely they’ll be pushing for a European position so a cup run could be favoured by the club. They have every possible chance to make the next round against a Southampton side who failed to register a shot on target just a couple of days ago.

The Premier League will of course be the number one priority for Nathan Jones and Southampton. They’ll need a huge improvement heading into the second half of the season in order to keep their place in the top flight. The FA Cup will be the least of their worries so a defeat may not be the worst result.

Selection: Crystal Palace -0.5 Asian Handicap (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 2.00 (bet365)
Stakes: 7/10

More Crystal Palace vs Southampton Tips

Middlesbrough vs Brighton Preview

Saturday, January 7th, 15:00 (UK)

This could be one of the more entertaining FA Cup matches of the weekend. Both sides have been right amongst the goals in their domestic leagues respectively in recent weeks and I’m expecting they can continue that trend as they meet at Riverside Stadium.

Nine games from the last 10 featuring Middlesbrough have seen the overs bank with a 1-1 draw being the only time the proposed selection failed to land. It’s now seven games in a row for Brighton and De Zerbi that three or more goals have been scored in their Premier League matches.

Since Michael Carrick was appointed as the Boro manager in late October, his side have scored in every match, keeping just a single shutout. Across the last seven matches regarding Brighton previously mentioned, they have scored and conceded in all of those matches dating back to the 22nd of October.

Middlesbrough vs Brighton Best Bet

With two sides full of entertainment for a lengthy period of time, goals look like the best bet here. Overs is priced very well on the Asian line and it’s a play I’m keen to get behind.

Chuba Akpom has scored in seven games from ten since Carrick’s arrival, netting nine in total. Brighton themselves possess a whole host of attacking talent and should be expected to get themselves on the scoresheet here. Kaoru Mitoma has looked a real threat which has seen him score in his previous two outings, Evan Ferguson has also scored in back-to-back matches and should be expected to start this weekend.

Selection: Over 2.5 Asian Goals Total (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 1.90 (bet365)
Stakes: 8/10

More Middlesbrough vs Brighton Tips

Brentford vs West Ham Preview

Saturday, January 7th, 17:30 (UK)

Brentford arrive here on the back of beating Liverpool convincingly in the Premier League last weekend. Even without Ivan Toney, they created plenty of goalscoring opportunities against Jurgen Klopp’s men.

West Ham head to the Brentford Community Stadium without a league win in six. They earned their first point in that time on Wednesday at Elland Road. That came after another league fixture against the Bees. Thomas Frank’s side beat them 2-0 in the game prior to that at the London Stadium.

Brentford are the slight favourites here to win inside 90 minutes. However, the 0.0 Asian Handicap price appeals given they have lost just once at home this season in nine matches. That came against the league leaders, Arsenal.

David Moyes’ side haven’t performed well on their travels at all this season. They’ve recorded just a single win in nine matches, drawing two and losing the remaining six which is very underwhelming.

Brentford vs West Ham Best Bet

Thomas Frank’s side have tasted defeat just twice at home since the beginning of March and have proved they can go toe to toe with the best clubs in the country. Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool have all failed to win here this season.

The FA Cup shouldn’t change things in the slightest for the Bees. The fans will provide a huge amount of support for the hosts as they look to book a place in the fourth round.

West Ham won just three times away from home in the Premier League in 2022. Brentford have won all three clashes since their promotion to the top flight so the 0.0 Asian Handicap option looks a great bet.

Selection: Brentford +0 Asian Handicap (TRACKED BET)
Best Odds: 1.84 (bet365)
Stakes: 7/10

More Brentford vs West Ham Tips

Luton vs Wigan Preview

Saturday, January 7th, 17:30 (UK)

It’s an all-Championship affair in the FA Cup on Saturday evening. Luton welcome Wigan to Kenilworth Road where I’m expecting the hosts to pile more misery onto the bottom-placed club.

Rob Edwards’ side have won three consecutive games leading into this one which has seen them score multiple times on each occasion. Despite sitting in 17th when it comes to the home table, it appears that they are performing better than the results suggest according to the xG stats.

Luton have won the xG battle in 10 home games from 12 despite recording only three victories. Draws have been a frequent occurrence, however, with 7 matches seeing a share of the points.

Wigan’s results have been better when playing away from home. They’ve won four, drawn three and lost the other five but the form has been a massive problem for new boss, Kolo Toure. Since his arrival, Wigan have drawn once and lost the previous four. The most recent three matches have all ended with a 4-1 scoreline.

Luton vs Wigan Best Bet

Luton are priced at 1.91 to win within 90 minutes in front of the home support. They’ll come into this with a good amount of confidence and will feel that they can cause plenty of problems in attacking areas against a leaky Wigan backline.

Wigan have walked away empty-handed in 12 of their last 16 matches and have failed to keep a clean sheet in 13 straight outings.

With the hosts in strong form and Wigan at the other end of the spectrum, the price certainly appeals at slightly under even-money. With Wigan conceding 12 goals in their last three, it will take a mini miracle to keep Luton out in the capital.