Teams With A Shot At FA Cup Glory

Arguably the most prestigious football knockout competition in England, the FA Cup never fails to draw plenty of avid betting fans, as clubs from the lower leagues get to compete alongside and against clubs from the Premier League.

The FA Cup is always a long and hard fought tournament where every competing team has something to prove - that they are every bit as good as their fans and standings say they are. But being a knockout competition, only the best teams can move on, and with the fifth round of the 2011-12 FA Cup scheduled in a couple of weeks, there are on 16 teams remaining.

Only 16 Teams Remain in the 2011-12 FA Cup

That is, there will only be 16 teams remaining after the three FA Cup matches that ended in draws last week are replayed next Tuesday. Sheffield Wednesday will take on Blackpool, Southampton will take on Millwall, and Middlesbrough will take on Sunderland, and this time three clear winners will emerge.

But these games aside, the real question is which of the remaining teams in the FA Cup have the biggest shot at overall victory? Well, according to leading Irish land and online bookmaker Paddy Power, Premier League clubs Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are the sides to beat, each of which are the joint 7/2 betting favourites.

Usually you would expect to see at least one of the Manchester clubs in the FA Cup fifth round odds, but both were unceremoniously dispatched. However fellow Premier League club Arsenal is still in the running, and Paddy Power has given them an 11/2 shot at winning the FA Cup, putting them right behind the three joint favorites.

Many Fans See Tottenham Winning the FA Cup

But of the three favorites, many football fans have chosen Tottenham as the team most likely to win this season's FA Cup. Part of the reason is their exceptional level of play so far in the tournament, and part is the fact that Spurs haven't hoisted an FA Cup in over two decades, and have indicated that this may be the year to rectify that.

That said, Chelsea and Liverpool are  more than capable of making their last few games in this tournament count.

While Tottenham should make light work of their League one opponents and hosts Stevenage in a few weeks, Chelsea and Liverpool will both host lesser Premier League rivals, Birmingham and Brighton, respectively.

FA Cup Outright Odds at Paddy Power

Tottenham  7/2
Chelsea  7/2
Liverpool  7/2
Arsenal  11/2
Everton  14/1
Stoke  16/1
Sunderland  25/1
Norwich  28/1
Bolton  33/1
Southampton  80/1
Leicester  80/1
Birmingham  100/1
Brighton  100/1
Millwall  150/1
Blackpool  150/1
Crawley  175/1
Sheff Wed  250/1
Stevenage  325/1
Middlesbrough  150/1

 Posted by Anton Johan at 14:28 on 2 February 2012