Betting Preview: The FA Cup Final 2016
Published: May 20, 2016The FA Cup Final takes place at Wembley this Saturday evening, with Manchester United and Crystal Palace going head to head for the final major trophy of the domestic season.
Louis Van Gaal is yet to secure any silverware in his time in the Old Trafford hotseat, and if he fails to win this it may turn out to be his final game in charge.
A disappointing league campaign saw them miss out on the top 4 on goal difference to city rivals Manchester City, to compound misery in the Champions League, Europa League and Capital One Cup.
The FA Cup is the one competition that can salvage the season for Van Gaal and potentially earn him another year in charge.
Everygame have United as strong favourites at 1/3 (1.33) to lift the trophy on Saturday, with Crystal Palace priced at 12/5 (3.40). If you fancy either team to get the job done in 90 minutes you can back Man United at 3/4 (1.75) or Crystal Palace at 19/4 (5.75).
Correct score betting
Palace manager Alan Pardew has been runner-up in the FA Cup twice, once as a player and once as a manager. He was in the starting line-up when Crystal Palace drew 3-3 with Man United in the 1990 Final (before losing the replay 1-0), and he was manager of West Ham when they drew 3-3 with Liverpool in the 2006 Final, going onto lose on penalties. Another 3-3 thriller on Saturday could therefore be worth a look at 80/1 (81.00).
Both teams secured 2-1 victories at this stadium in the semi-finals, and if you think this scoreline is more likely to be repeated you can get Manchester United to win 2-1 at 8/1 (9.00) or Crystal Palace to win 2-1 at 16/1 (17.00)..
First goalscorer
In the first goalscorer market, youngsters Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford both appeal at 9/2 (5.50). They have been major plus points in Man United's season, with Martial showing no signs of buckling under the pressure of his enormous price tag and Rashford making a sensational impact since being called into the first team in February.
Palace have plenty of goal threats themselves though, and there's likely to be a lot of speculative bets on the likes of ex-United man Wilfried Zaha at 18/1 (19.00), Yannick Bolasie at 12/1 (13.00) and French international and Palace penalty-taker Yohan Cabaye at 14/1 (15.00).
Please note: all odds accurate as of 20.05.2016, 12:00 GMT+3 and are subject to change. All tips on our site are based on the personal opinion of the author. No success is guaranteed. Please gamble responsibly. 18+.