Bettors Guide: The FA Cup Semi-Final Draw

The British FA Cup is the world’s oldest annual domestic football tournament, founded over 150 years ago. More than 750 teams participated in the competition this year, and we are now down to those last few who have proven themselves to be the best teams that England has to offer. The semi-final draw took place on Sunday 20^th March, confirming which teams will face each other at the prestigious, world-famous Wembley Stadium in April.

The Draw Weekend Games

All of the remaining teams faced off this weekend in several thrilling matches:

Chelsea defeated Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday
Everton was absolutely crushed by Crystal Palace in a 4-0 defeat in Sunday’s first game at Selhurst Park
Southampton put up a brave fight against Manchester City, but it wasn’t enough – the Premier League Champions achieved a 4-1 victory at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday
Nottingham Forest and Liverpool’s game saw both teams fight valiantly, with the score remaining at 0-0 until the 78^th minute when Diogo Jota hit the back of the net for Liverpool, securing a 1-0 victory.

These all-important games were the key to reaching the semi-final stage of the tournament, therefore Middlesbrough, Everton, Southampton, and Nottingham Forest have now been eliminated from this year’s FA cup, leaving just four of the best football teams in the world to battle it out in the two remaining stages.

The Draw Weekend Games

After the draw took place, we now know which teams will face each other in the two semi-final games set to be played on the weekend of the 16^th/17^th of April.:

Saturday 16^th April: Manchester City v Liverpool – 3:30pm BST (11:30pm EDT / 8:30 pm PDT)
Sunday 17^th April: Chelsea vs Crystal Palace – 4:30pm BST (00:30pm EDT / 9:30 pm PDT)

Most fans have already begun placing bets on the semi-final matches, despite them still being three weeks away. This can be a good strategy for sports betting – It’s often the case that the earlier you put your bet on, the better the odds you are likely to get.

Betting Odds

Here are the latest odds for the semi-final matchups:

Chelsea (11/20) – Draw (3/1) – Crystal Palace (21/4)

Here the bookmakers look to be convinced we will see a victory for Chelsea in the first semi-final game. Odds of 11/20 make the boys in blue a super-strong favourite here – Crystal Palace is miles behind at just 21/4. If you think Crystal Palace may be able to pull off a win, however, then this could be a great opportunity for a wildcard bet that will pay handsomely if Palace does manage to pull off a victory. You never know!

Manchester City (5/4) – Draw (49/20) – Liverpool (21/10)

This one is a little bit closer, but predictably Manchester City is the favourite here. That’s no surprise – their performance during this tournament has been nothing short of brilliant, and they are also leading in the Premier League as well – Manchester City is undoubtedly a team to be reckoned with. Liverpool will be no pushover, of course – They are a strong team as well, and won’t be going down without a fight! A Liverpool victory in this game would be one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history. It’s going to be a long three weeks waiting for this match, that’s for sure!

What Happens Next?

After the two semi-final games at Wembley, the two winning teams will then progress to the final, due to be held at Wembley Stadium in London on May 14^th. The players must surely be exhausted at this time of the year – not only is the Premier League season coming to a close one week after the FA Cup final, but several of the four remaining teams are also still in the running for the Champions League as well. That tournament is completing just a week after the end of the Premier League – that’s one super busy schedule, and we have no doubt the players will be glad of some well-deserved rest once all three tournaments have wrapped up.