FA Cup Fifth Round: Best Bets for the Last 16

And then there were 16. This weekend sees the most famous cup competition on the planet reach the Last 16 stage with a place in the Quarter Finals up for grabs. 11 Premier League teams remain, but with one non-premiership tie, at least one side from the lower leagues will feature in the last eight.

Having dumped Liverpool out in the last round, Plymouth have been rewarded with a trip to Manchester City in the big David vs Goliath matchup, but here using NewBettingSites.uk we focus on the four all-Premier League ties and pick out our best bets for another cracking weekend of action. Note that the data presented does not include the results of the Premier League fixtures on Wednesday evening.

Bournemouth vs Wolverhampton Wanderers – Saturday, 15:00

We don’t have to look too far back for the most recent clash between these two sides, with Wolves edging a 1-0 win at this ground last weekend. Having bossed the xG count 2.10 to 0.63, the visitors were worthy winners on the day. However, they were at a significant advantage for much of the contest following the dismissal of Illia Zabarnyi in the 31st minute, with the game goalless at the time. Both sides arrive on the back of a 2-1 defeat, Bournemouth losing at Brighton and Wolves at home to Fulham.

The improvement in Wolves following the appointment of Vitor Pereira at the end of December makes this game a little trickier to predict. However, there has been a consistent pattern in their league results on the road. In six away outings, Wolves have conceded twice at Spurs and Liverpool and three times at Newcastle and Chelsea. The only exceptions have come at basement dwellers Leicester City and here against ten men last weekend. Having put five past Nottingham Forest, four past Newcastle, three past Southampton, and scored twice against Fulham and Chelsea in the space of their last nine games, and spurred on by revenge for last week's defeat, we like the host's chances of notching more than once.

• Best Bet - Bournemouth to score over 1.5 goals @ 7/10 with BetMGM

Newcastle United vs Brighton & Hove Albion – Sunday, 13:45

Next stop, St. James’s Park, as the sixth-placed Magpies face the eighth-placed Seagulls. Having returned home from the North East with all three points earlier in the season and with wins in each of their last three league games, the south coast club will travel with confidence. Fabian Hürzeler’s men kept the good times rolling with a midweek win over Bournemouth, whereas Newcastle faced a tough trip to Anfield on Wednesday evening.

The big surprise from that clash here in October was not so much that Brighton won the game but rather that there were so few goals. However, that scoreline didn’t tell the full story about a game that generated 3.62xG. The case for goals is strengthened by the recent home and away league records of the two sides. Each of Newcastle’s last seven home league fixtures has featured over 2.5 goals, whilst the net has bulged on three or more occasions in eight of Brighton’s last ten on the road.

• Best Bet - Over 2.5 Goals @ 12/25 with LiveScoreBet

Manchester United vs Fulham – Sunday, 16:30

Despite another seemingly desperate campaign, holders Manchester United remain in the FA Cup and will hope to cling on to their title at least a little longer with a win over Fulham. However, beating Marco Silva’s troops is likely to prove far from straightforward. That said, United have held the edge in the league meetings between the sides this season, winning 1-0 here and at Craven Cottage.

Nevertheless, Fulham arrives in the better form of the sides with four wins in their last six, including away victories at Wolves, Leicester and, most impressively, Newcastle. The stats also suggest that Fulham are the better side, with the visitors boasting a slight edge in attack and a more significant advantage in defence.

As the better side, it is tempting to simply side with Fulham here. However, the fact that they have struggled to create against United (less than 0.6xG-for in both league games) is a concern. That factor, in combination with Fulham’s solid defensive figures, could lead to a tight encounter.

• Best Bet - Under 2.5 Goals @ 21/20 with LiveScoreBet

Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town – Monday, 19:30

Last but not least, we head to the City Ground, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s increasingly impressive Tricky Trees host an Ipswich side who may see this game as a welcome break from their season-long battle against relegation. Forest edged the league meeting here between the sides, but only just, when picking up a 1-0 win back in November. Both sides were in action on Wednesday evening, with Forest at home to Arsenal and Ipswich away at Old Trafford.

With Forest chasing the Champions League and Ipswich hoping for survival, both managers have shown an inclination to rotate in this competition. As such, the strength of the two sides on the day is likely to have a significant bearing on the result. Assuming both outfits make a similar number of changes, it’s hard to look past a win for the home side. Boasting a big edge in attack and an even greater advantage over the near-disastrous Ipswich backline, we will keep this simple and side with Forest to send the home fans happy.

• Best Bet - Nottingham Forest to Win @ 4/6 with LiveScoreBet

A £10 fourfold on the above selections returns with £85.96 LiveScoreBet.