The most historic club cup competition in world football saves an early-January slot for drama and potential upsets – it’s the FA Cup third round.
Teams from the Premier League and Championship join the mix, hoping not to be on the wrong end of an FA Cup upset and unwanted history in years to come.
This season’s third round sees three non-league clubs left standing. Wrexham and Chesterfield sit second and third in the National League and both face Championship clubs. Wrexham travel to Coventry, while Chesterfield host West Brom.
Boreham Wood – 13th in the National League – beat League One Bristol Rovers 2-0 in the last round. Their reward is a home tie against Accrington Stanley.
Ahead of this weekend’s action, we’ve picked out five things to look out for during the third round.
Latest FA Cup outright odds
Foxes on the prowl for more silverware (Saturday, 12:30)
Leicester lifted the FA Cup in 2020/21 when Youri Tielemans’ strike was enough to beat Chelsea in the final. Now Brendan Rodgers and his side will have half an eye on more silverware. They’re 20/1 to win this season’s competition.
After the World Cup break, the Foxes returned to action with a 3-0 win over MK Dons to reach the last-eight of the League Cup. And this competition could also offer some comfort after losing their last three Premier League matches.
The FA Cup might also be a welcome distraction for Gillingham as well. They find themselves bottom of League Two having scored just seven goals in 23 league games. Neil Harris’s side have needed replays to see off two non-league sides – AFC Fylde and Dagenham & Redbridge – to reach the third round.
Given the quality within the Leicester ranks, it’s no surprise to see the Foxes as odds-on favourites to win the tie in 90 minutes. Gillingham are 14/1 to cause a huge upset, with a draw at 24/5.
The Foxes beat Watford 4-1 in their third-round tie last season. Leicester to win with four or more goals in the match is 8/5. Tielemans – who scored the opener in that and was on target in the recent League Cup win – is 15/8 to score anytime or 5/1 to strike first.
This televised cup tie also sees our Epic Odds. We’ll pay out at EVS (was 1/3) if Leicester score in the first half. In their League Cup run, the Foxes have scored before half-time against both Newport and MK Dons, so could put Gillingham to the sword with another fast start.
The Wood to shock Stanley? (Saturday, 15:00)
Sitting 13th in the National League means Boreham Wood are the lowest-ranked side left in this season’s FA Cup. After seeing off Wealdstone then Eastleigh, they travelled to League One Bristol Rovers and caused one of the shocks of round two by beating Joey Barton’s men 2-0.
Their reward is a home tie against another League One side – Accrington Stanley. John Coleman’s side have already seen off National League opposition, beating Barnet 1-0 in the previous round.
Boreham Wood are 19/10 to win and continue their magical cup run. While Accrington are 13/10 to get the job done in 90 minutes. Goals could be on the agenda with six of Boreham Wood’s last seven home games seeing both teams find the net – BTTS is 4/6.
Stanley’s Ethan Hamilton might be one to look at in the goalscorer markets. He’s scored in both rounds so far, including the 84th-minute winner against Barnet. It’s 8/1 he scores first or 15/4 to find the net anytime.
Goals on the menu by the Tees? (Saturday, 15:00)
Championship hosts Premier League at the Riverside when Brighton make the long journey north to take on in-form Middlesbrough. Is this the game for a potential upset?
Boro have won seven of their 10 league games since Michael Carrick took over (D1 L2), which has seen them climb into the Championship play-off places. We have Boro at 4/1 to beat Brighton.
The Seagulls have enjoyed recent away games. They’ve won their last three on the road in the top-flight, including that emphatic 4-1 win at Everton on Tuesday night. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are 6/10 take care of the tie inside 90 minutes, with the draw at 13/5.
Goals look likely in this one. Boro’s last five league games have seen 19 goals – each one seeing both teams to score and over 2.5 goals. A repeat of that is 27/20 with our Match Acca. While Brighton’s last three league away wins have seen them concede, so get 5/2 on the Seagulls to win and both teams to score.
Fancy the goals to flow with the attacks coming out on top? Both teams to score in both halves is priced up at 10/1.
Owls to upset the Magpies? (Saturday, 18:00)
Newcastle have made a flying start in the Premier League, sitting third and in the mix for a top-four spot. Could they add the FA Cup to their trophy cabinet? They’re 10/1 to go all the way.
The new year period saw the Magpies play out consecutive goalless draws with Leeds and league leaders Arsenal. But it’s now four clean sheets in a row for the Premier League outfit.
However, this might be a test for Newcastle. They face a Sheffield Wednesday side who haven’t lost in 90 minutes since October – 2-1 at League One leaders Plymouth. That run includes holding Premier League Southampton to a 1-1 draw in the League Cup at St Mary’s – only being defeated on penalties.
Newcastle are odds-on to get the job done on the night at Hillsborough, while the Owls are 11/2 to cause a giant-killing. Darren Moore’s men are unbeaten in their last nine home league games (W6 D3), keeping four consecutive shutouts.
Arsenal gunning for a double? (Monday, 20:00)
Salt and pepper. Morecambe and Wise. Arsenal and the FA Cup – two things that just go together. The Gunners have lifted the famous trophy on 14 occasions, and they’re 7/1 third favourites to make it 15.
The Premier League leaders make the trip to League One Oxford, where they are long odds-on to make lightwork of their opponents. However, Mikel Arteta’s side crashed out in last year’s third round, suffering an exit against Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners will look to avoid the same fate at the Kassam Stadium against an Oxford outfit who sit 14th in League One, with just one win in their last five. The recent lack of form will be cause for concern for Karl Robinson, and that’s part of the reason they’re 16/1 to pull off an almighty upset.
Oxford have already beaten Woking and Exeter to reach the third round. Both teams found the net in those two previous U’s games – and with Arsenal likely to rotate their squad – could the 21/20 on both teams to score be an angle into this one?
Check out all the latest FA Cup betting at William Hill.
