FA CUP LATEST ODDS AND SELECTIONS FOR SATURDAY JANUARY 23

For anyone who was beginning to doubt the magic of the FA Cup their faith in football fairytales must surely have been restored after the 3rd round heroics of both Leeds United and Reading. Each club was rewarded with another chance to flex their muscle against Premier League outfits in the 4th round but I fear this might be a step too far for both. The very nature of a cup upset is that they are not predictable, but I cannot see where they can possibly come from in the 4th round fixtures.
In terms of betting the bookmakers suggest that it is Reading who are the most likely to spring a shock win over a Premier League outfit as they are priced up as the 2.6 (8/5) favourites to beat Burnley with Betfair. However, I feel I have to disagree, the recent change over at the helm at Turf Moor should provide all the incentive that The Clarets need for this one, manager Brian Laws will be eager to get his first win on the board and this should provide the perfect opportunity to do so. Available to back at 3.0 (2/1), Burnley are my stand out bet of the day.
Leeds will face a tough trip to White Hart Lane and may feel the full force of a Spurs backlash after their defeat against Liverpool in midweek. It will take another massive performance for them to progress to the 5th round but if you believe lightening can strike twice then you can back Leeds to win at 11.0 (10/1) with Betfair, however, I won’t be parting with any of my cash on this one.
There are two all Premiership ties on Saturday – Portsmouth v Sunderland and Everton v Birmingham – and the betting suggests two home wins. Everton will be in buoyant mood having beaten the financial clout of Manchester City last weekend and in doing so producing their best performance of the season, but Birmingham won’t be worried as they have their own impressive run of good form to take to Goodison Park with them. A lay of Everton at 1.9 (10/11) looks to be the best play here.
Finally, if you are looking for a major upset then they won’t come any bigger this weekend than if Preston can beat Chelsea or if Brighton can knock Aston Villa out. Both can be backed at around the 13.0 (12/1) mark on Betfair but I have to say that it looks an extremely tall task for both.
I am as much of a football romantic as the next guy, but when it comes to parting with my betting money we have to let the head rule the heart. I’ll be keeping my funds away from the potential giant killer games and just hoping for another case of David slaying Goliath like we saw at Old Trafford; it doesn’t always matter more when there’s money on it.