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Chelsea, Fulham, Birmingham City & Portsmouth have already earned their places in the Quarter Finals of the F.A. Cup but there are still 4 places up for grabs & 8 teams still chasing them.
This week sees four F.A. Cup 5th round replays taking place & we have had a good look at the fixtures to see how we think they will work out & the value betting options we feel are worth consideration.

Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace – (Wednesday 8.00pm)

These two sides produced a cracking game in the first match at Selhurst Park so hopefully Aston Villa & Crystal Palace go for it again here and give us another match to enjoy.

Aston Villa were delighted to get away from Selhurst Park with a draw because they did not perform to their best & were certainly given a tough time by Crystal Palace so they have to be thankful they are still in the cup.

Aston Villa have already achieved a place in a Wembley final with the Carling Cup Final coming up 4 days after this match but Martin O’Neill will be totally focused on this match & we are expecting Aston Villa to really go for this match.

Rock solid home form has been a vital part of Aston Villa’s season so far & home advantage is a massive feature of this game & they come into this match on the back of a 5-2 home win against Burnley so that should give the Aston Villa players a massive confidence boost for this one.

Crystal Palace gave absolutely everything in the first match, matching Aston Villa on the day with fantastic commitment, determination & a fair degree of quality with goals that were well worked & well executed so they will come into this match determined to go for it again.

Crystal Palace have massive off field problems with their desperate financial problems & massive on field problems with relegation now a major concern as well but this cup tie is a great opportunity for their players to forget that for 90 minutes & have a real go so we are expecting a similarly determined, high energy performance that they produced in the first match.

Given that we expect both Aston Villa & Crystal Palace to have a go, this should be an open, attacking match which will suit Aston Villa more & their extra quality combined with their strength at home makes them appeal as a rock solid bet to prove too strong for Palace & win this match.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Aston Villa to win

Correct Score options: Aston Villa to win 3-0/3-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Agbonlohar/Milner/Heskey

Scorecast options: Agbonlohar/Milner/Heskey score 1st & Aston Villa win 3-0/3-1

Double Result: Aston Villa H/T & F/T

Tottenham vs Bolton – (Wednesday 8.00pm)

A competitive, physically intense battle resulted in a 1-1 draw in the first match & Tottenham and Bolton will both be fully committed for this one as well so prospects are for a decent game.

Tottenham were a team of two halves in the first match as they were quite poor in the first half & probably lucky only to be 1-0 down but they turned that completely around in the 2nd half & should have actually won the match.

That improved 2nd half performance from the first match showed the real quality Tottenham have with Bale excellent at attacking from full back, good quality in midfield from Palacios & Huddlestone & then of course the predatory Defoe to convert any chance that comes his way and we expect much the same here.

Harry Redknapp has stated that winning the F.A. Cup is as important as finishing 4th so you can expect a full strength Tottenham side here & we are also expecting a positive, attacking performance right from the start as Tottenham will want to make home advantage & extra quality pay.

Owen Coyle brings his Bolton side into this match on the back of a disastrous result in losing 3-0 to local rivals Blackburn Rovers which has badly damaged their relegation survival hopes & must surely have a negative impact on team belief & confidence.

The positive for Owen Coyle is that this match should be a welcome distraction from the troubles of the league & the first half performance against Tottenham from the last game should give the Bolton players the confidence to try & reproduce that here but Bolton’s poor away record does temper confidence in that actually happening.

This should be a good, entertaining match because it has to be won on the night & we expect both Tottenham & Bolton to go for this one but in terms of a result we cannot see past a Tottenham win given their strength at home & their obvious advantage in terms of quality so a comfortable home win looks a bet worth taking here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Tottenham to win

Correct Score options: Tottenham to win 3-0/3-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Defoe/Crouch/Krancjar

Scorecast options: Defoe/Crouch/Krancjar score 1st & Tottenham win 3-0/3-1

Double Result: Tottenham H/T & F/T

Stoke City vs Manchester City – (Wednesday 7.45pm)

This will be the third time Stoke City & Man City have clashed in the space of 10 days & having already shared two 1-1 draws, this looks set to be another intensely competitive battle.

Stoke City & Man City were well matched in the previous two games with Stoke City’s physical, combative approach with a touch of quality well controlled by Man City’s defensive approach but equally both sides have had chances to win the matches so this really is another tight game to call.

Tony Pulis & Stoke City have no fears of relegation as thanks to another great season they are well placed in mid table & so they know they can go all out for this one & we are expecting the amazing Stoke City faithful to be fully up for this one.

The atmosphere inside the ground should be fantastic for this match & Stoke City are so powerful at home they will believe they have a great chance of winning this match & we are expecting a positive aproach from them.

Roberto Mancini came under pressure the minute he took over as Man City boss & although things went well for him to start with including a home win over Stoke City, the pressure & intensity is really rising now and worryling it does appear to be affecting the team as well.

Manchester City have been really poor in recent weeks & only shown flashes of the quality they actually possess and that has to be a major concern for Mancini who knows he cannot defeats of any kind & certainly not when the potential to win a trophy remains so this is a massive game for everybody at Manchester City.

That added pressure really does make this a hard task for Manchester City & they know how tough Stoke City are going to be & this will be a real test of the character within the Manchester City squad.

This is a tight game to call but the betting market for this match has Manchester City as favourites & in our opinion that is completely wrong but the bonus is it makes Stoke City an excellent price to win & that does look a bet well worth taking here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Stoke City to win

Correct Score options: Stoke City to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Fuller/Shawcross/Sidibe

Scorecast options: Fuller/Shawcross/Sidibe score 1st & Stoke City win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Stoke City H/T & F/T

West Brom vs Reading – (Wednesday 7.45pm)

Bigger, more important targets than a place in the F.A. Cup quarter finals are in place for both West Brom & Reading but that is unlikely to affect this match & we are expecting a very open, entertaining match here.

The first match between these two sides produced a really entertaining, action packed 2-2 draw which could have gone either way & with both teams committed to playing attacking football this match should go the same way & goals could flow.

West Brom are chasing automatic promotion to the Premier League which clearly is their number one focus for the season but that won’t concern West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo who has a real connection to the F.A. Cup & he will want his side to show quality & win this match.

West Brom have to bounce back from the disappointment of losing 2-1 away at Bristol City but they are a positive, attack minded side & we are expecting them to go all out for the win here and with the likes of Bednar, Brunt & Dorrans they have the quality to do so.

Reading’s major concern for the remainder of the season is to try & avoid relegation so the Championship is what really matters but they have been one of the great stories of this years F.A. Cup and we are expecting them to have a real go in this one.

Indeed, impressive victories in the F.A. Cup over Liverpool & Burnley played a major part in Brian McDermott being named permanent Reading manager so his pride will determine that Reading are fully committed to winning this match & those results prove they can do it.

This should be an absolutely cracking game because both sides have nothing to lose & we are expecting West Brom & Reading to go all out for a win which should see plenty of goals & we like the look of West Brom getting the most goals to win through here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: West Brom to win

Correct Score options: West Brom to win 3-1/3-2

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Dorrans/Brunt/Bednar

Scorecast options: Dorrans/Brunt/Bednar score 1st & West Brom win 3-1/3-2

Double Result: West Brom H/T & F/T