The third round FA Cup draw has produced a number of all-Premier League ties including this interesting London Derby. With West Ham United proving to be surprise candidates for relegation, Brentford will be confident of progressing to the next stage.
For their second Premier League season in a row, the Bees will be looking at a respectable mid-table finish. Their two festive fixtures delivered four points against top quality sides in Spurs and Liverpool, and it has been an impressive first half of the campaign for Thomas Frank’s men. This is a Saturday game, with a traditional 3pm GMT (10am ET) kick off, but what are the top USA bookmakers suggesting?
Brentford are the favorites and a number of sportsbooks are quoting 6/4 on the home win. Victory for West Ham United is next at 9/5 while the draw rounds off the result betting at best industry odds of 12/5.
In midweek, Brentford completed that impressive 3-1 win over Liverpool while West Ham dropped into the relegation zone after a 2-2 draw away to Leeds United. Saturday’s game, like a lot of FA Cup ties, could come down to a question of priorities.
With the Hammers staring into the drop zone, could David Moyes rest key players ahead of vital league fixtures? Would the Bees be close to full strength as a mid-table side looking to extend a positive run? It is all conjecture, but team selection will be important in terms of deciding on the result.
Questions over the starting XIs also have an effect when choosing a first goalscorer. In the case of Ivan Toney, current off-field issues make it doubly harder to back the Brentford striker with any confidence.
Toney is the favorite to score the first goal on Saturday and he’s available at best odds of 9/2. West Ham’s Italian international centre forward Gianluca Scamacca was on target in the 2-2 draw with Leeds United on Wednesday and he is next at a top price of 13/2. Other players close to the top of the first goalscorer betting include Kevin Schade and Michail Antonio who are both listed at 7/1.
For value bets beyond the main strikers, West Ham’s Tomas Soucek often comes under our radar. It has been a quiet season so far for the Czech international, but he has a habit of contributing important goals and Soucek is a tempting outsider at 16/1.
In other side markets, Both Teams to Score is on offer for Saturday’s tie at best odds of 17/20. The ‘no’ option on BTTS sneaks above Even Money to 11/10.
In the Total Combined Goals section, betting Over the 2.5 line will currently attract a best of evens. Pushing that one step higher to Over 3.5 would be paid out at a top price of 5/2.
The alternative, for those who expect a quiet and cagey 90 minutes, would be to get behind Under 2.5 goals at 4/5 in most places.
This Brentford vs WHUFC preview will finish with some Correct Score Options and then our betting predictions and picks. The odds point to a narrow Brentford victory and anyone agreeing with that assessment could consider a 2-1 win for the Bees at best odds of 10/1. The same scoreline in favor of West Ham is listed at a top price of 10/1 while the 2-2 draw is available at a best of 16/1.
Our Preview’s Brentford vs WHU Betting Predictions & Picks Verdict
Any game with odds against figures on all three possible results is worth following. It will offer better returns and it may even be worth backing two results, or considering the draw no bet market.
Making the right call is trickier and that is always the case for domestic cup games. It is hard to second guess the managers’ thoughts in these early rounds. Will both Brentford and West Ham go in at full strength or will key players be rested with the Premier League taking priority?
This preview will come back to the result, but there are some eye-catching odds in the total goals betting. Even if the teams rest certain strikers, they are capable of producing an entertaining, attacking afternoon and that figure of 5/2 on Over 3.5 goals is too good to turn down.
Both Teams to Score is an option and 17/20 isn’t the worst price, but we’ll finish off by taking Brentford to win. If the two teams are at full strength, the Bees’ form is by far the most impressive and they should be coasting to victory.
With the Hammers dropping into the bottom three in midweek, we also feel there is a greater chance of the away team being weakened. Overall, it all points to a Brentford win in what should be one of the higher scoring ties of the third round. So these are the betting predictions and picks for this FA Cup matchup preview:
- Brentford to win at 6/4 (+150) with Bovada or EveryGame on the moneyline.
- Over 3.5 goals at +260 (over 5/2) with Bovada.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.