FA CUP FINAL BETTING PREVIEW FROM BETFAIR
IT's silverware or nowhere for Arsenal in their FA Cup final against Southampton at the Millennium Cardiff on Saturday, with the Gunners trying to end on a high a season that promised so much but, as yet, has delivered nothing but disappointment.
Early promise in the Champions League once again failed to translate to success in the second stages of the competition and an eight-point Premiership lead was reeled in by a relentless United side.
But there is little doubt punters believe that they have the firepower to blow away Southampton in this one-off game and, with Betfair offering more than 20 markets on the season-ending showpiece, they certainly have the opportunity to back their judgement.
On the more conventional markets Arsenal are 1.34 favourites with Betfair to lift the FA Cup – they are as short as 1-4 (1.25) with Corals to do so - and a healthier 1.64 to do so in 90-minute betting. And the Gunners’ supposed superiority was seemingly cemented when they put their opponents to the sword in a 6-1 Premiership dress rehearsal at Highbury last week.
That performance led some punters to get mightily carried away, and while that drubbing was taking place, some backed Arsenal as low as 1.17 to left the Cup. There is little doubt that was a massive, and potentially costly, over-reaction but it was partially understandable.
The punters viewed that result as a potentially morale-crushing defeat for Southampton, and there can be little doubt that if Arsenal lift the Cup in Cardiff they will have done so the hard and impressive way, with a 2-0 away victory at Old Trafford and a 3-1 Stamford Bridge success before overcoming a stubborn Sheffield United 1-0 in the semis.
But Southampton have certainly shown themselves no pushovers this season and, as they say, anything can and has happened in one-off games. And don’t forget the Saints did actually beat Arsenal 3-2 at St Mary’s back in November.
The media will no doubt focus on the goal scoring exploits of two of the Premiership’s top marksmen this season – Thierry Henry and James Beattie – in the run-up to the match, and you have the ability of backing which player will score the most goals in the match on Betfair.
Likewise, with 12 goals scored in their two meetings this season, the under/over 2.5 goals market will see plenty of activity, and it is somewhat surprising to see the over-option – ie three goals or more – available to back at even money.
For the uninitiated, there is also an opportunity to bet on the number of corners in the match, how much the goalscorers’ shirt numbers will add to and asian handicap betting, as well as more traditional markets such as half-time/full-time betting and on players to score at any time in the 90 minutes.
An area that may be of profitability could be the bookings market and index. FA Cup finals are traditionally good-natured and relatively clean, but after Gordon Strachan saw his side crushed 6-1 last week he said that there was no way his side were going to sit back and give the Arsenal stars the time and space to display their considerable talents.
Cue a fiercely-contested final between the players on the Cardiff pitch. And between the punters on Betfair ..
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