*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
I was about to make the joke that the only thing Leicester, Burnley, Fulham and Brentford had in common was that none of them had been beaten by Liverpool this year, but I remember Brendan Rodgers managed to mess this up for me back in November. Son’s crying, cheers.
But let’s leave the league behind us now – and maybe for the better, because if we had to logically consider form from Antonio Conte’s ‘Barclays’ for another minute, I think our collective head might explode. Luckily for us, it’s FA Cup weekend.
And for Sunday’s two feature games here, we’ve got a bizarre amount of good news stories for once. Leicester may have settled themselves into the title picture snuggly; Brentford are the form team in the Championship; Burnley have just pulled off the scalp of the year and Fulham are performing at quite a high level in spite of their results.
And the best part of this is that the Cup allows for them to all play with shackles off. This could exceed your standard Sunday afternoon entertainment of Zooming your mother in law while she forgets to unmute herself for an hour. And here’s a little double to enhance the above as well.
2.30pm: Brentford v Leicester – Leicester to Win & BTTS
Honestly, this could be the game of the weekend, all told. In many ways, they’re very similar and unlike the naivety of Eddie Howe, who only really rose to prominence because he had the same haircut as most of the Bournemouth fans at the time, Brentford in the top tier wouldn’t be led down the garden path because their gaffer fancies a job with the FA. We don’t need to sit here and justify why Leicester will be scoring twice. Brentford’s clean sheets are few and far between – and when they do keep them, they’re generally against sides like Derby, Rotherham and Wycombe.
Sunday 2.30pm: Brentford v Leicester
BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate
Their result at the weekend probably doesn’t signal a defensive revolution either, so you don’t need to worry too much about Jamie Vardy and co firing blanks here. But Brentford themselves have been held scoreless just once since the end of November – and off the back of goal machine Ivan Toney – whose name you’ll be hearing a lot more soon, they’re now my likely winners of the Championship. But I think Leicester will Win with Both Teams Scoring.
2.30pm: Fulham v Burnley – Burnley to Win
It’s very hard for me to pass up this price given how inconsistent both sides are – with the selection coming off the back of a win at Anfield, while Fulham, who’ve admittedly impressed in spurts, haven’t won a league game in two months. Yes, there’s certainly more scope for Scott Parker’s side, but in a cup game where their focus has to be somewhat split, the price about them to win in 90 minutes is one of the potholes of the weekend.
Sunday 2.30pm: Fulham v Burnley
BT Sport Extra 1
There is a feeling that Sean Dyche’s charges would enjoy an away trip to some tiny town on the coast more than Scotty P, so there’s your half-time team talk if Burnley are a goal behind. Expect a Burnley Win.
Our Sunday FA Cup double
2.30pm: Brentford v Leicester – Leicester to Win & BTTS
2.30pm: Fulham v Burnley – Burnley to Win
These two selections in a double will give you odds of around 10/1 with Paddy Power.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
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