FA Cup Betting 2017

The 2017 FA Cup final has the potential to be a classic, with Chelsea aiming for a Premier League and FA Cup double, whilst Arsenal look to make amends for a largely underwhelming campaign by winning a third FA Cup trophy in four seasons.

The final will take place at Wembley Stadium at 4:30pm on Saturday 27th May, with Chelsea the favourites to win the trophy and, almost certainly, confirm a domestic double.

FA Cup 2017 Free Bets

FA Cup Final betting is sure to include a wide variety of Free Bets, with almost all the major bookmakers offering deals.

The vast majority of FA Cup Free Bets related specifically to the game itself will become available in the days before the game, but there are plenty of long-term offers that can be used now should you prefer.

FA Cup Free Bets available now will include deals such as Welcome Offers where matched deposit bonuses can be used on the FA Cup Final should you so desire.  

The William Hill ’Super Sub’ offer ensures that if you place a goalscorer bet and  your selection is subbed, the bet will run onto the player who replaces them.  It’s perhaps worth noting that Jason Puncheon opened the scoring for Crystal Palace in last season’s final just minutes after replacing Yohan Cabaye.

FA Cup Final Betting Odds

As you can see from the betting odds table, Chelsea are favourites to lift the trophy, whether that be in 90-minutes, after extra-time or even penalties.  

FA Cup betting odds will cover a multitude of markets.  In addition to standard Match Result, Correct Score, First / Anytime Goalscorer and Total Goal markets, you will be able to bet on more specialist markets such as a team to win the FA Cup in extra-time or to win on penalties.

A whole host of special markets will be included by various bookmakers in their FA Cup final odds, so if there’s an FA Cup bet you are contemplating, no matter how obscure, chances are that a bookie will have a price for it.

FA Cup Final Betting Offers and Enhanced Odds

There will be a wealth of FA Cup Final Betting Offers and Enhanced Odds available in the days leading up to the final on Saturday 27th May.  

Enhanced Odds offers can be particularly attractive, with many of the major bookmakers looking to attract new custom by offering hugely enhanced odds on both the finalists.

If you intend having a punt on the match result, you might be well advised to wait until nearer the game for some seriously attractive prices.

FA Cup Outright Betting Markets

FA Cup outright betting tends to revolve around just a few markets each year:

• To Lift the Trophy
• Match Result in 90-minutes
• To Reach the Final
• To Reach the Semi-final
• Name the Finalists

As we are already now at the final stage of the competition, the only relevant outright markets is to predict the FA Cup winner.

What is the FA Cup?

The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in world football and will continue to create history in 2016/17 in its 136th year. A total of 736 teams entered the tournament this season, with a total of fourteen rounds separating them from the final at Wembley.

The competition begins in August with the lowest ranked clubs, from the ninth tier of English football, contesting the Extra Preliminary Round. Clubs from higher divisions are gradually filtered into the Cup until the Third Round draw when the Premier League teams enter the competition.

The competition culminates with the final in May, with Wembley hosting both the final and semi-finals of the Cup. The semi-finals have been held at Wembley since 2008 to cover the costs of building the stadium after its reopening in 2007.

The Cup has been defined by its giant killings, which coined the phrase the ‘Magic of The Cup’. The most famous of these giant killings was arguably Hereford’s victory over Newcastle United, which is known for Ronnie Radford’s stunning goal. In 2011, the FA created the ‘Ronnie Radford Award’, which is given to the team who achieves the most impressive giant killing in that year’s FA Cup.

The romance of giant-killings still hold a place in today’s games and as recently as 2013, Wigan Athletic managed to upset the odds and win the FA Cup, beating Arsenal on the way to an unlikely triumph against Manchester City in the final.

This season National League Lincoln City went all the way to the quarter-finals, beating Ipswich Town, Brighton & Hove Albion and Premier League Burnley en route to eventual defeat to Arsenal in the last eight.

FA Cup Latest Champions

Manchester United are the current holders of the FA Cup, after winning the competition for a record equaling 12th time in their history with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace after extra-time in last year’s final.

Jason Puncheon had given the Eagles a late lead, only for Juan Mata to quickly equalize and take the game into an additional 30-minutes where, despite the dismissal of Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard scored the decisive goal in what was to be Louis van Gaal’s final game in charge of the Red Devils.

Their 12th FA Cup win took Manchester United level with Arsenal as the most successful club in the competition’s history.

This year’s final between Arsenal and Chelsea features two teams who have both won the FA Cup five times since the turn of the century, making the London pair the most successful FA Cup clubs in the 21stt century.

Most Successful Clubs in FA Cup History

• Arsenal – 12 Wins
• Manchester United – 12 Wins
• Tottenham Hotspur – 8 Wins
• Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa – 7 Wins
• Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers – 6 Wins
• Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City – 5 Wins

HOW TO GET FREE BETS FOR THE FA CUP

1.Choose a free bet; take a look at our extensive list of free bets offers, check the main conditions for wagering requirements and click ‘CLAIM IT NOW when you see an offer you like.

2. Register with the online bookmaker; complete the online registration form and enter the promotion code where appropriate, you’ll need to declare your payment details so have them handy. You must be able to trust your bookmaker with your financial details, Freebets.com only promotes reputable bookmakers and you can find out more about them in our Bookmakers Review section.

3. Deposit some funds and place a bet; in most instances you can deposit as little as £5 or £10, but this will restrict the size of your free bet. We recommend starting out with the smaller free bet offers until you find your feet and go with those that match your first bet or deposit or even give you more than your first bet or deposit.

Daily FA Cup Betting Tips & Predictions for the Final

Few games in the football calendar are subjected to more scrutiny, tips and predictions than the FA Cup final.

There will be numerous FA Cup betting tips in the week leading up to the game and clearly the closer to the big day, the more relevant any team news and recent results will be.  As it stands, Chelsea certainly appear to have the edge.  

Not only have they had greater consistency throughout the season, but they should have the Premier League title in the bag at least a week before the season’s end, whereas Arsenal may be pursuing a top four finish into the final weekend of the Premier League.  Could fatigue count against the Gunners?

As things stand, backing a Chelsea win looks the pick of the FA Cup betting odds and with growing speculation that Diego Costa could be China-bound at the season’s end, backing him as first goalscorer has some appeal.