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The FA Cup semifinal games are taking place this weekend, and two of the four teams that will be in action are going to advance to the Finals. Prior to the Season, the FA Cup predictions didn’t have Reading making it this far, but the Royals, who are currently 18th in the English League Championship standings, find themselves in a matchup against the defending champions and second place team in the Premier League. The ability of teams like Reading to make it to the FA Cup semifinals, is what makes European league soccer so exciting.
Before we go into the FA Cup predictions, this is how all four teams have fared in the Premier League and Championship division this season.
In the Premier League, Liverpool is currently fifth, four points behind Manchester City, and still in contention to pick up a Champions League spot, so they still have a lot to play for this season. The Reds last made it to the finals in 2011, losing to Chelsea 2-1, and they haven’t won the FA Cup since the 2005 season, so they would love nothing more than to win it this year. Former Liverpool great Robbie Fowler recently said winning the cup is more cherished than a top four Premier League finish, which shows just how important the trophy is to the team.
Reading is currently 18th in the Championship division, they aren’t in any real danger of being relegated, but they haven’t had much to celebrate this season, so a win against Arsenal will be a big achievement for a team that has struggled so much this season. Unfortunately for them, they will be going against one of the best teams in England, and they will need to be at their best to win this game.
Aston Villa is 15th in the Premier League, and in real danger of getting relegated, because they are only six points ahead of the Queens Park Rangers, who are currently 18th with 26 points. Aston Villa hasn’t won the FA Cup since 1957, and their last appearance in the finals was during the 1999 season. They will be trying to make it to the finals for the first time in 15 years, and they will be going into this game with some confidence, because they defeated Liverpool once this season.
Arsenal is currently trying to catch up with Chelsea, who remain in first place in the Premier League, in hopes of winning the Premier League title for the first time since the 2003 season. They will be trying to be the first club since Chelsea in 2008 and 2009, to win the FA Cup in consecutive years, and they should be able to make a return to the finals, because they are a much better team than Reading.
If you take a quick look at the FA Cup highlights of all four teams, Arsenal has had the toughest schedule of all the teams left. They had to go through Manchester United, a team that is playing very well at the moment, to make it to the semifinals. In that game, Danny Welbeck took advantage of a terrible back pass from Antonio Valencia, and scored the winning goal in the 61st minute, handing the Red Devils a rare loss at Old Trafford.
Reading had a tough road for a team in the Championship division, the Royals defeated Derby County, who sit in 5th place in the Championship division, and defeated them at home 3-0 in their first meeting this season. After that, they went on to defeat Bradford, to clinch a spot in the semifinals.
Aston Villa defeated Leicester City, who sit at the bottom of the Premier League tables 2-1, then defeated West Bromwich, who sit in 14th place in the Premier League tables, and are one point ahead of them in the standings, to book their trip to the semifinals.
Liverpool defeated Crystal Palace, who are in 11th place in the Premier League 2-1, then defeated Blackburn in their second try 1-0, so they also haven’t done anything as impressive as Arsenal, to make people believe they can go all the way.
Now that we have covered the FA Cup highlights of all four teams, it is time to focus on the FA Cup betting. In Saturday's game between Reading and Arsenal, the live betting lines at a major online sportsbook has Arsenal as the big favorites. The money line is -450 for the Gunners to win, and +900 for Reading. The over/under on total goals scored is 3.
The FA Cup betting line for the game between Aston Villa and Liverpool has Liverpool as the favorite to win, with a money line of -200, and +450 for Aston Villa to win. The over/under on the total goals scored in the game is 3.5.
FA Cup Picks
Arsenal is an easy pick to win their game, because they are the defending champions, they have played well all season long, and they are better than Reading in every facet of the game. The second match is a little harder to pick, because Liverpool has shown the potential to be a very good team, but they have been very inconsistent lately. Aston Villa on the other hand, have also been inconsistent, but they are coming off an impressive 1-0 win on the road against the Tottenham Spurs. I’m going to go with Liverpool to get the win, because I believe they are the better team, and they will be up to the task.
These are the predictions on the FA Cup semi-finals, if Arsenal and Liverpool make it to the FA Cup finals, it will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs in the finals, Arsenal won two of the previous three meetings, and Liverpool won the last one, but I will expect Arsenal to make it three wins over Liverpool if they are to meet, because they defeated the Reds 4-1 in their last meeting.
Due to the fact that these teams will be playing in the FA Cup this weekend, they will not be participating in the Premier League games that will be taking place on April 18 and 19, but soccer fans don’t have to worry, because the Chelsea vs Manchester United game taking place on Saturday, should provide a lot of entertainment for fans everywhere.
