CHELSEA VS STOKE LATEST FA CUP BETTING TIPS
Chelsea face a difficult draw against Stoke, who are rapidly emerging as Chelsea's bogey team. Playing a hard-scrabble type of of physical football, Stoke have become a side that is very hard to play against, and while they don't usually play silky-smooth Brazilian stuff, they are an organized and effective unit on the pitch that will punish most mistakes made by their opponents.
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Stoke City are looking for a big coup today and they seem to have their work cut out for them today as they carry a lengthy 9/1 price by William Hill into this massive fixture. Chelsea are trading at around 2/7 while the draw rewards at a 9/2 price.
In terms of outright qualification (this covers you in case a replay is forced) Chelsea are an ultra-slim 1/12 while Stoke trade at a straight 6/1.
Regarding the correct score markets, the bookies don't see Chelsea running away with this one from the outset, with the favoured result being a 2-0 victory at a 9/2 price. A 1-0 win for Chelsea (and they'd score it in the 88th minute wouldn't they?) pays out at 5/1 while a 2-1 result is trading at 13/2.
A 1-1 draw pays out at 15/2 while a 2-2 result is 20/1. Stoke to sneak this one by a 1-0 margin is a solid 18/1 while a more likely 2-1 victory is still a solid 22/1.
Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are both odds-on to score, but Anelka's been going through a rougher patch of form lately and he hasn't been hitting the net too regularly. Drogba is likely your safest option, but he doesn't offer up a huge amount of value. Drogba trades at 4/7 anytime and a slim 5/2 first or last. Anelka is at 10/11 anytime and 7/2 first or last. Daniel Sturridge is at even money anytime and 4/1 first or last. I've got my eye on Frank Lampard, who tends to thrive in these games, and he's at 6/5 and 9/2.
John Terry trades at 6/1 to score anytime against Stoke.
For the Potters, they'll be looking to Ricardo Fuller and Dave Kitson at 4/1 and 5/1 respectively. They are also 11/1 and 12/1 to open the scoring. James Beattie is well-priced at 11/2.
If you're looking to back Chelsea, why not take them (-2.0) goals at 9/4? I could also see a penalty being awarded in this match and you're looking at a 3/1 price if that happens.
I think Stoke haven't gotten this far by just rolling over and Chelsea have struggled against their approach in the past. I think that if Stoke play 110% and get a little refereeing help along the way, that 9/1 price is a very realistic pick-up.