The FA Cup Final 2018, one of the most expected events in the world of big sports, is scheduled at May 19th at 17:15 by British Summer Time. It should be reminded that there will be two teams fighting for the priceless trophy – Manchester United and Chelsea. The match of FA Cup will be conducted, as always, at Wembley Stadium in the capital of the UK. Michael Oliver, one of the greatest English referees, will officiate in the contest. It will be the first final game of the kind held with the use of the video assistant referee system.
In this article, we will tell you about the FA Cup, its features and rules. You will also find new information about the teams that will compete on May 19th and their chances to gain the upper hand. And, what is even more important, we’ll discuss bookies’ odds and predictions, so that you could easily succeed with your betting.
Everything You Should Know about FA Cup
This contest, called officially the Football Association Challenge Cup, was started on 5 August 2017, when the competitors took part in the Extra Preliminary Round. Later, they played the First Round Qualifying (September 2nd), the Second Round Qualifying (September 16th), the Third Round Qualifying (September 30th), and the Fourth Round Qualifying (October 14th). Getting ready for the FA Cup Final, the footballers took part in the Main tournament that went on from the First Round Proper (November 3rd 2017) to the Semi-Finals (April 21st 2018). There were 737 clubs accepted into the contest, with the two strongest ones that have made it to the finals.
It’s worth noting that it wasn’t easy for sports fans to get the tickets for the FA Cup Final 2018. The thing is that they were sold by the two competing clubs only, i.e. by Manchester United and Chelsea. People couldn’t order the seats at Wembley Stadium or anywhere else, al the number of tickets was strictly limited. Those who are not lucky enough to see the FA Cup results from the stands of the stadium, have a chance to enjoy this expected event at home or in a pub. All sports channels will broadcast it live, so that you could see the hot fight for the main football trophy from any part of the world. And, naturally, please yourself with FA Cup betting.
Details of the Event
It will be the 137th final edition of the world’s greatest football tournament. The contest is sponsored by Emirates, an Arabic airline based in Dubai, UAE; this is why the event is frequently referred to as the Emirates FA Cup. The winner of the final game will be automatically qualified for the group stage of the next season’s UEFA Europa League championship. Out of 737 clubs accepted into the competition, 645 took part in the Qualifying games, and only 124 of them got to the Main tournament. During the FA Cup fixtures, even the strongest competitors, such as Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur or Leicester City, lost their hope to become the season’s champions. Ad soon we will see the results of the winner-take-all game.
When is the FA Cup Final? As we have already mentioned, the match will be conducted on May 19th, Saturday, at 5:15 p.m. by British Summer Time. It will be the 12th final game held at the newly reconstructed Wembley Stadium. There were 28,000 tickets for the Cup Final allocated for each football club – Manchester United and Chelsea. And, according to the data offered by the official websites of these clubs, their prices are quite high: adults can order a seat for £45-145, with the discounts of £25 for categories 1-2, and £10 for categories 3-4.
Competitors and FA Cup odds
Here are the two clubs that will fight for the title in May 2018:
Chelsea. This Premier League team played in the 3rd round against Norwich City. The match took place on January 7th, at the stadium of Carrow Road, and ended in a tie. After the replay within the limits of the FA Cup schedule, which was conducted on January 18th, the score between these two competitors was 1-1. Nevertheless, the Pensioners managed to gain the upper hand during the extra time and penalties, with the shootout score at 5 to 3. As provided by the FA Cup draw dates, the following opponent of the Blues was Newcastle United. The teams met within the limits of the Fourth Round, at the stadium of Stamford Bridge. The game ended in Chelsea’s victory: Batshuayi scored two goals and Marcos Alonso scored one goal making in such a way the total score of the game 3-0. Aiming at the FA Cup Final, the Blues beat in the Fifth Round one more competitor, Hull City. In the quarter-finals, the club played at the King Power Stadium against Leicester City. A couple of goals from Álvaro Morata and Jamie Vardy brought the match to extra time. And again, the team showed that it was ready for the FA Cup Final date: its bench-warmer came out to the field and scored his winning goal. At the semi-finals, Chelsea met with Southampton, and this opponent, again, lost the game with a score 2-0. Thus, the Pensioners are the heroes of today’s FA Cup odds with quite a good chance to recall their triumph for the eighth time.
Manchester United. In accordance with the FA Cup draw dates, this player entered the tournament in the Third Round, where it met with Derby County. At the stadium of Old Trafford, Jesse Lingard and Romelu Lukaku scored two goals, leading their team to the next step of the tournament. In the Fourth Round, according to the FA Cup draw, the Red Socks played against Yeovil Town. The team showed excellent results with a score of 4-0. In the following round, held at John Smith’s Stadium, Manchester United’s opponent was Huddersfield Town, and the former progressed with a 2-0 win. During the quarter-finals scheduled in accordance with the FA Cup dates, the Old Trafford stadium met the Red Socks and Brighton & Hove Albion. After that, numerous football fans enjoyed an exciting fight between Manchester United and its new rival, Tottenham Hotspur. Again, the former gained the upper hand with a score of 2-1 after the goals from Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera Aguera. Now the player is ready to beat its opponent at FA Cup Final 2018 and get closer to the record of Arsenal that amounts to 13 victories.
How to Succeed with FA Cup Final Betting
If you want to gain profit from your stakes, please, remember that this sporting event is highly unpredictable. Even experienced punters and experts can’t predict who will become this season’s champion. Nevertheless, there are some pieces of advice that will surely help you with your FA Cup betting. First of all, keep in mind that Chelsea was the winner of the contest for 7 times, while its opponent, Manchester United, held the title of Champion for 11 times. This shows the opportunities of the teams to certain extent. One more thing we’d like to emphasize is that you should compare the odds. Many bookmakers offer the odds of 7/1 on the Red Socks, while the second competitor has the odds of 6/1.
Now, with all this data, you should check the FA Cup schedule, sum up all that you know about the event and its participants, and place your successful bets.