FA Cup Betting: Birmingham and Norwich set for travelling joy

FA Cup / Michael Lintorn / 27 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Chris Hughton's Birmingham are likely to finish the season strongly

"Birmingham have excelled in the cups in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in each of the last two seasons and lifting the Carling Cup."

Sheffield United and West Brom start their home FA Cup fourth-round ties against Birmingham and Norwich as favourites, but Michael Lintorn doesn't expect either to win...

Sheffield United v Birmingham, Saturday 15:00 BST, Match odds: Sheffield United [2.72], Birmingham [2.86], The Draw [3.45]

Sheffield United have won their last eight encounters at Bramall Lane, but don't make the mistake of paying that record too much respect, as just one of those victories came against a top-half League One side, so can't compare to the challenge presented by Birmingham.

Stepping in at St Andrew's hasn't been an easy task for Chris Hughton, immediately enduring a summer of upheaval and then attempting to keep the Blues in the Championship promotion picture while showing respect for the Europa League.

Since being able to focus solely on domestic matters though, and in particular in the aftermath of the hectic festive period, the improvement has been clear, four straight wins including away success over Millwall (6-0 no less) and Premier League club Wolves.

Birmingham have excelled in the cups in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in each of the last two seasons and lifting the Carling Cup, so with Opta noting that they have progressed from all three previous FA Cup clashes with the Blades, they have to be fancied.

Best Bet: Birmingham to win @ [2.86]

West Brom v Norwich, Saturday 15:00 BST, Match odds: West Brom [2.06], Norwich [3.9], The Draw [3.7]

The inconsistency plaguing West Brom this season has been infuriating for punters, but it must be even more maddening for supporters.

They have watched their team go five Premier League home games without a win, yet have witnessed displays proving that they are capable of far better, having held Manchester City and seen off Carling Cup finalists Cardiff at the Hawthorns in recent times.

Opta reveal that this is a fixture in which away triumphs are the norm however, with three in a row, so given the extent to which the Baggies have underwhelmed as hosts, laying them at [2.08] seems the most obvious option in the main market.

Even more appealing than that though is over 2.5 goals at [1.84], having been a feature of both clubs' third-round ties, not to mention their top-flight collision in the Black Country only a fortnight ago.

Despite achieving their first clean sheet of the campaign against Chelsea last week, Norwich's Premier League matches have been the division's sixth highest-scoring, while West Brom's last three outings have produced 12 goals.

Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ [1.84]

FA Cup Special!

Planning your FA Cup accumulators? Don't forget to check out our special promotion, giving you money back if as many as THREE teams let you down in your eightfold. Full details here.