Chelsea plays Manchester City in tomorrow's FA Cup at Wembley Stadium, followed by a full sked of Premier League games Sunday
It doesn’t get any bigger than this, if you’re an English soccer fan – several major races still alive in Premier League action, and the FA Cup tomorrow, between Manchester City and Chelsea, at Wembley Stadium.
On the Premier League side, Liverpool FC (17-8-11, 4th) is playing Aston Villa (17-8-11, 5th) at Villa Park today in Birmingham.
Sunday it’s a full sked of games:
· Nottingham Forest (11-10-5, 16th) versus Manchester United (18-11-7, 3rd) at Old Trafford, Manchester, at 7:30 a.m. EST
· Crystal Palace (11-11-14, 15th) versus Brentford (14-9-13, 8th) at Gtech Community Stadium in London, at 10 a.m. EST
· Sunderland (12-12-12, 12th) versus Everton (13-10-13, 10th) at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, 10 a.m. EST
· Brighton & Hove Albion (14-11-11, 7th) versus Leeds United (10-14-12, 14th) at Elland Road, Leeds, at 10 a.m. EST
· Fulham (14-6-16, 11th) versus Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-9-24, 20th) at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, at 10 a.m. EST
· West Ham United (9-9-18, 18th) versus Newcastle United (13-7-16, 13th) at St. James’ Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, at 12:30 p.m. EST.
The biggest storyline is the battle between Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC for the league championship. The season ends May 24, which will be a wild betting day – all matches kick off at the same time (11 a.m. EST). The title race, European qualification spots and the relegation battle are often decided in dramatic fashion that day.
Arsenal is narrowly ahead for the title, two points up. Liverpool FC, Aston Villa FC, Brighton & Hove Albio FC and AFC Bournemouth are in the thick of battle for European qualification, trying to qualify for elite UEFA tournaments.
Then there’s Tottenham Hotspur FC and West Ham United FC, dragged into the relegation battle, which would be a massive financial blow to their programs.
In soccer betting at Betway, for those Sunday games:
· Manchester United is the favourite, -163, at Betway, with Nottingham Forest +375, and a Draw +333
· Brentford is -150, Crystal Palace +350, Draw +320
· Everton -125, Sunderland +320, Draw +275
· Brighton +115, Leeds United +220, Draw +250
· Fulham -110, Wolves +260, Draw +280
· Newcastle +125, West Ham +190, Draw +275
BEST BETS
Premier League
Manchester United To Win (-163)
United is going to be motivated to lock in Champions League football, while Nottingham, a solid mid-table squad, hasn’t played great on the road against big clubs lately.
United is going to dominate possession and create chances at home. Forest is going to have trouble containing them. A 2-0 (+750) or 3-1 (+1000) scoreline seems plausible.
Brentford To Win (-150)
Palace have been inconsistent, especially away, and Brentford has been typically strong at home with an attacking style that suits this matchup.
Late season motivation favours the home side big time, with Brentford in a position to move up a few spots in the table.
Over 2.5 goals in Newcastle versus West Ham (-200)
You could also go Newscastle to win (+125), since both teams have attacking talent and incentives, but Newcastle has major European-positioning motivation. Over 3.5 in this one at Betway is +130.
West Ham struggles when they get into open matches on the road, and Newscastle’s aggressive, attacking pace will create chances and cause West Ham headaches.
BEST BETS
English FA Cup
Chelsea versus Manchester City, 10 a.m. tomorrow, Wembley Stadium, London
Odds at Betway: Manchester City is the favourite, at -143, Chelsea is +333, Draw +280.
Manchester City To Win -143
Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup Final in March and are in the thick of it for the Premier League title, two points behind first-place Arsenal. Can they complete the domestic treble, win tomorrow’s match then take out Arsenal? This is the fourth consecutive FA Cup final for Man City – beating Manchester United in 2023, before losing to Man United in 2024 then Crystal Palace last year.
City has been in fine late season form and have better depth and attacking options (led by Erling Haaland, with three goals in three FA Cup games this season). Plus, Manchester City took four out of a possible six points from its two games against Chelsea during the Premier League season.
A good value play is Over 2.5 goals (-143).
