FA Cup 2019 Semi-Finals
Wembley will be rocking on Saturday as it plays host to the two semi-finals of this year’s FA Cup. This year’s semis will both be all-Premier League affairs: Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion are first up before Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers collide later in the day.
Most, if not all FA Cup 2019 predictions have Manchester City moving on to the final as they look to close in on a potential quadruple. It’s not hard to see why that’s the case given their outstanding form of late coupled with the gulf in quality between them and Brighton.
However, the matchup between Wolves and the Hornets is much more even, which makes it tougher to make SBOBET predictions.
Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion
It’s absolutely ludicrous how good Manchester City’s form is heading into this match. After beating Cardiff City 2-0 in midweek, they have now won 13 matches in a row in all competitions and 21 of their last 22 as they’ve kept their quadruple hopes very much alive.
Arguably the toughest match they’ve played during that stretch was their FA Cup quarter-final against Swansea, where they went down two goals in the first half.
City got mighty lucky in that match as two of their goals easily could have been ruled out if VAR were available. But the fact is those goals counted as they rallied back to win, 3-2.
Star striker Sergio Aguero missed the Cardiff match after picking up an ankle injury against Fulham. But even without their star, City showed they still had more than enough attacking talent to overcome the Bluebirds.
Aguero’s status for the semi-final remains uncertain. Oleksandr Zincehnko is also unlikely to feature due to a hamstring injury according to manager Pep Guardiola, which means City may be forced to field Danilo or Aymeric Laporte at left-back.
But considering Brighton’s relative proximity to Cardiff in the Premier League table, it’s not a stretch to think that those absences in the semi-final won’t be that big a blow for City.
Brighton’s buildup to the semi-final hasn’t been particularly encouraging. Not only did they lose to Southampton at home, but they were also spanked 3-0 by Chelsea in midweek.
It was already a miracle Brighton made it past the quarter-final after their remarkable comeback against Millwall. Down 2-0 on 88 minutes, the Seagulls scored twice — including a 95th-minute equaliser from Solly March — to force extra-time and went on to win 5-4 on penalties.
Getting past City would be another miracle in and of itself, but it’s legitimately hard to envision a team getting quite that lucky.
Watford vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Watford have been consistently inconsistent ahead of their big FA Cup final semi-final; they’ve alternated wins and losses in their last seven matches.
Although, it should be noted that their three defeats during that time were against Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United. They also played pretty well despite losing against United as they outshot the Red Devils, 20-8.
Watford have generally taken care of business when they’ve faced teams at or below their level, like Leicester and Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. They also got quite the confidence-boosting victory in midweek as they thrashed Fulham, 4-1, to seal the London club’s relegation.
Wolves have been similarly up and down in recent games. But despite disappointing losses to Huddersfield and Burnley, they do have two home wins over Manchester United — including one in the FA Cup quarter-final — as well as a creditable draw against Chelsea.
Wolves and Watford — who are seventh and eighth in the Premier League, respectively — are two equally matched sides. But it was Watford who won 2-0 at Molineux in their only meeting thus far this season.
The Hornets have quite the impressive array of firepower. The likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Gerard Deulofeu, and Troy Deeney have been in decent goalscoring form of late, while Andre Gray has been playing well in his new role as super sub.
Although, their big FA Cup 2019 news is that key playmaker Roberto Pereyra is doubtful to feature due to an ankle injury, which would be a significant loss. Pereyra has had a strong season thus far with six goals, which is third on the team.
But while Watford have the attack to trouble most teams, Wolves do posses a great defence that has the ability to keep it very tight at the back. They are also very clinical on the counter-attack, which could prove to be a winning formula, especially in what is likely to be a tense and tightly contested cup tie.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
