Betting: Pep Guardiola to kick-off cup journey with win over West Ham
Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated weekends in the English footballing calendar is the FA Cup third round – a time where the fans of even the smallest clubs can dream of a trip to Wembley in May.
West Ham, with their brand new stadium, and Manchester City, with their billion-dollar owners, don’t quite fit into the same category as lowest ranked side Stourbridge, but all three still hold the same hopes of lifting the famous trophy.
The former two meet in the London Stadium’s first ever FA Cup tie to kick-off the third round this evening.
Someone else making their Cup bow tonight will be City boss Pep Guardiola.
The Spaniard won both the Spanish and German domestic cups twice and will be keen to add another to his illustrious collection.
Given their patchy form in the league, where they sit seven points back from leaders Chelsea in fourth, this may represent Guardiola’s best opportunity for success.
Guardiola has struggled for consistency since arriving in England, but his talented squad have the ability to beat anybody on their day.
West Ham’s first season in their new home hasn’t been a happy one, picking up just 14 points from their first 10 games at their new ground.
The last team to visit, Manchester United, benefited from a controversial early red card to Hammers winger Sofiane Feghouli in their 2-0 win on Monday.
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic will be hoping for a better result against the side from the blue half of Manchester tonight.
His side did show plenty of spirit in adversity on Monday, however, holding out until the 63rd minute before conceding.
Their cup form is good too – they reached the quarter-finals in this competition last year, and beat Chelsea 2-1 in the EFL Cup in October.
While I think City will be too strong tonight, the Hammers won’t make it easy for their opponents.
Five of their last seven home league games have been level at the break, which makes 188Bet’s 10/3 for Draw HT / Man City FT a tempting prospect.
The London Stadium hasn’t seen much excitement yet – six of those last seven matches have had two goals or less.
This leads me to suggest selling goals tonight at 3.0 with Sporting Index.
Pointers
Draw HT / Man City FT – 10/3 (188Bet)
Sell total goals – 3.0 (Sporting Index)