Steve Davies
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The English Premier League gets a week off as this weekend soccer fans the length and breadth of England celebrate one of the highlights of the calendar – the 3rd round of the FA Cup.
This is the weekend when teams from down the pyramid who have battled through the first two rounds – and in one or two cases a few qualifying rounds before that, too – earn the right to take on the giants of the EPL and the Championship.
Take Chesterfield, for example, who have struck gold this weekend. They play their soccer in tier 5 in England – called the National League. On Saturday, however, they head to Chelsea, champions of Europe and one of the most powerful teams in the world. It could only happen in the FA Cup and it’s why English soccer fans love the most famous knockout competition in the world!
We don’t have a bet from Chelsea (who are a short price and should win easily) but we’ve found 4 more cup picks to hopefully see you successfully through Saturday’s slate. It pays +1479 odds with DraftKings Sportsbook.
Be sure to check out the rest of our FA Cup soccer predictions and remember to gamble responsibly.
Mansfield +1 (no push) (+130)
Hartlepool +1 (no push) (+125)
Leicester ML (-190)
Everton ML (+100)
Parlay odds: +1479
Mansfield +1 (no push) over Middlesbrough (+130), 7:15am ET
This is a seriously tricky road trip for Championship side Middlesbrough. Mansfield are two divisions below Boro in the pyramid – they play in League Two – but they are also flying having gone 10-1 in their last 11 games.
Middlesbrough have also improved since they swapped head coaches in November – Chris Wilder, who coached Sheffield United in the EPL last season, is now in charge – but they don’t crush teams. Mansfield should give them all they can handle.
Hartlepool +1 (no push) over Blackpool (+125), 7:30am ET
Hartlepool are another longshot who can cover the spread when they host Blackpool, in another battle between League Two and the Championship.
The home team are in 15th place in the League Two standings but are strong at their Victoria Park home. In an earlier round in this competition they played Wycombe – who are performing well in League One – and tied 2-2, and they’ll raise their game for the visit of Blackpool.
Blackpool are mid-division in the Championship but have lost their last three road games.
Leicester ML over Watford (-190), 10am ET
Round off the parlay with Leicester to take care of Watford in an all-Premier League tie.
The twist here, of course, is that Watford are managed by Claudio Ranieri, the Italian who guided Leicester to their shock league title win in 2016.
Ranieri has been back to Leicester since taking charge at Watford in October and that ended in a 4-2 loss.
The Italian has a relegation battle to win so expect Watford to make a lot of team changes – EPL survival means far more than FA Cup glory for a lot of clubs – and Leicester can win well.
Everton ML over Hull (+100), 12:30pm ET
This is a game that experts and commentators have been highlighting as a potential ‘cup shock’ ever since the draw was made – but I’m not so sure.
So this is Hull, currently 19th in the Championship, against Everton, five-time winners of the FA Cup but struggling in the Premier League, down in 15th position.
The pressure is on Everton head coach Rafa Benitez with many thinking his future at the club could depend on the outcome of this.
However, in the last month they have beaten Arsenal and tied with Chelsea, which are two very promising results, and they should have the quality to defeat Hull.
Make sure you check out the rest of our FA Cup picks and predictions for the weekend
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