The 2020/21 FA Cup resumes with the competition’s Third Round later this week, and though the tournament has been up and running since August, for many, this stage is where things really kicks into gear.

Clubs from the Premier League and Championship join their counterparts from the lower rungs of the English football ladder in the Third Round, where giant killings and against the odds upsets have been prevalent down the years.

However, while shock results in the early rounds remain common, smaller clubs have found it next to impossible to gate-crash the established order to win the FA Cup outright, and no team outside the Premier League’s traditional ‘Big Six’ has lifted the trophy since Wigan’s historic triumph in 2013.

Last season however, a largely unfancied Arsenal side marched to FA Cup glory under Mikel Arteta, and in a campaign where competition is fierce and results aren’t so cut and dry, there will be clutch of teams dreaming of emulating the Gunners’ unanticipated victory in 2020/21.

Below, you can find FST’s FA Cup outright predictions and tips as well as the latest betting odds for this season’s competition.

Remember -we’ll be covering all of the action with betting tips for every fixture from the Third Round to the Final on our FA Cup predictions page.

Best bookmaker for FA Cup betting?

All of our tips and prices are quoted with bet365. They have the best range of markets for all of your FA Cup betting needs with everything from match and team markets to Asian lines and handicaps for the more experienced bettors. We recommend you sign up for a bet365 account if you want to bet on the FA Cup, or you can bet on mobile using their iOS app. New customers can claim up to £100 in bet credits.

FA Cup winner betting odds

• Manchester City – 10/3
• Liverpool – 6/1
• Chelsea – 8/1
• Manchester United – 8/1
• Tottenham Hotspur – 8/1
• Arsenal – 10/1
• Everton – 16/1
• Leicester City – 16/1
• Wolves – 16/1
• Aston Villa – 33/1
• Leeds United – 33/1
• Southampton – 33/1
• West Ham – 40/1
• Burnley – 50/1
• Crystal Palace – 50/1
• Newcastle – 50/1
• Sheffield United – 50/1
• Brighton – 66/1
• Fulham – 66/1

*Odds correct as of 13:00 on December 5 with bet365. Prices subject to fluctuation. 

The bookmaker’s favourite: Manchester City

Odds: 10/3

Manchester City are the bookmakers’ favourite in the outright markets for all three pieces of English domestic silverware in 2020/21, and the Citizens lead the way ahead of Liverpool (6/1), Chelsea (8/1), Man Utd (8/1) and Tottenham (8/1) in the FA Cup stakes.

While the market makers continue to push City to the front of the queue, the Citizens have looked short of their brilliant best this season however, and Pep Guardiola’s charges will need to drag their performance levels up several notches to lift their 7^th FA Cup later this year.

Man City are generally a familiar face in the latter rounds of the competition, though the big-spending Citizens have only won the FA Cup twice in the 13 seasons since Sheik Mansour’s takeover of the club back in 2008, and we feel that there are better options to back than City in this year’s race for this particular honour again.

FST’s pick: Arsenal

Odds: 10/1

Written off as also rans, Arsenal defied their numerous critics to beat both Man City in the semi-final and favourites Chelsea in the final last season to lift an FA Cup that few had predicted they would.

Indeed, the record 14-times FA Cup winners have saved much of their best work for their knockout football exploits in recent seasons, as evidenced by their haul of four trophies in the last seven years.

Arteta’s Arsenal revolution has looked a little directionless since their triumph in August, though the Gunners have shown signs of late that they are rediscovering their rhythm under the Spaniard, and another strong finish to a campaign could follow.

Arsenal – whose youthful team should only improve from here on in – know what it takes to succeed in the FA Cup, and at 10/1 odds, they look an excellent price to repeat last year’s heroics in 20201.

Dark horse: Leicester City

Odds: 16/1

Quarter finalists in two of the last three years, Leicester City have been pushing hard to break through English football’s glass ceiling in recent seasons, and with the Premier League’s top four proving tough to crack, success could instead be found in the FA Cup.

The Foxes are a match for anyone on their day, and with a robust backline, creative passers in midfield and pacey forwards capable of launching devastating counter-attackers, Brendan Rodgers’ team looks tailormade for knockout football.

Victories over Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season highlighted Leicester’s ability to secure results in the biggest fixtures, and the Foxes look capable of springing more surprises in the FA Cup.

Dark horse: Southampton

Odds: 33/1

Ralph Hasenhüttl’s super Saints have been flying this season, and Southampton’s 1-0 win over Premier League champions Liverpool on Monday evening felt like an era defining moment for the club.

The Saints’ narrow defeats to Man Utd and Man City in November and December respectively, are the only black marks on an otherwise impressive 15-fixture record since mid-September, and Southampton’s performance levels have been remarkably high for the majority of the 2020/21 campaign.

In Jannik Vestergaard, James Ward-Prowse and Danny Ings, Southampton have a strong spine to power their pursuit of results, while a talented supporting cast at St. Mary’s Stadium all look ready to run themselves into the ground for master motivator Hasenhüttl.

Chelsea, Everton, Aston Villa, Wolves, Arsenal and now Liverpool are among the teams that have failed to beat Southampton this season, and having reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 2018, the Saints look ready to launch another assault on the competition.

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