FA Cup Outright Odds 2023/24: Favourites Man City to wreck Klopp’s quadruple dream?

The FA Cup returns on Monday night after a near three-week hiatus, with Coventry City and Maidstone United kicking off the action in the West Midlands. The National League South outfit are the lowest-ranked team in the fifth-round, which features a few Premier League heavyweights in Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and reigning champions, Manchester City.

But who are the favourites to win the 2023-24 FA Cup? Below we have taken a look at the odds of the runners and riders and assessed their chances of lifting the trophy at Wembley on May 25, 2024.

Manchester City @ 15/8

Pep Guardiola's side won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League during a historic 2022/23 campaign, and they are still in the running to secure back-to-back trebles.

City blitzed Huddersfield Town 5-0 in the third-round before a late Nathan Ake goal secured a 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur in the following round.

A trip to Premier League strugglers Luton Town awaits the Cityzens on Tuesday night, and despite the Hatters' brave displays this season, Erling Haaland and co will be expected to make light work of Rob Edwards' side.

City are unbeaten in 2024, winning nine of their 10 games, and are known for finishing the season strongly. With Kevin De Bruyne recently returning to action after a long spell on the sidelines, the feeling is that the team can only get better.

It's fair to say though, that despite their impressive results of late, City have failed to inspire. They've only scored once in each of their last three games and required a late goal from Rodri to draw with a poor Chelsea side earlier this month.

Their record against the 'Big Six' has also been sub-par this season. City beat Spurs in the FA Cup but failed to beat them in the league and have drawn to both Liverpool and Chelsea (x2), and lost to Arsenal.

Guardiola, meanwhile, has failed to dominate the FA Cup unlike other domestic competitions. The Spaniard lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2023 but has failed to reach the final in any of the other five campaigns.

They rightly take the tag of favourites, but in a one-off game, are certainly not infallible.

Liverpool @ 3/1

The Reds are riding the crest of a wave at the moment, with Sunday's League Cup success the first of a potential four trophies in Jurgen Klopp's swansong season.

Liverpool have only lost two games to English opposition during the current campaign, and both clubs - Spurs and Arsenal - are already out of the FA Cup, with the Gunners victims of Klopp & co in the third-round.

The Premier League leaders subsequently bowled over Norwich City 5-2 at Anfield in the fourth-round, and another Championship outfit now await them at the same venue on Wednesday.

Southampton should pose a sterner test than the Canaries, who they are 15 points clear of in the table, but Russell Martin's side have lost their last two games and have their eyes fixed firmly on automatic promotion.

One element going against Liverpool, though, is their ever-growing injury list. It's the walking wounded at the AXA Training Centre, with Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Thiago, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez all currently sidelined.

The kids came good at Wembley, though, and with Klopp at the helm, Liverpool will believe they can beat anyone. One thing's for sure - no one wants to draw the Reds as they hunt a historic quadruple to see off their messiah on the highest of highs.

Manchester United @ 15/2

Erik ten Hag masterminded runs to the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals last season, winning the first before losing the latter 2-1 to their city rivals.

If the Dutchman's debut campaign was considered positive, though, the current one has been anything but. Out of the Carabao Cup and European competition before Christmas, and now looking unlikely to make the top-four following a harrowing 2-1 home defeat to Fulham on Saturday, the Red Devils' only chance of silverware is the FA Cup.

There's a winnable fifth-round tie at Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, though their last trip to the City Ground ended in disaster as they crumbled to a 2-1 defeat. Who can rule out a similar result in midweek?

Even if they make it through, it would take a brave person to back them to win another three games in the competition.

Newcastle United @ 8/1

Just like Manchester United, the Magpies finished bottom of their Champions League group and have struggled to replicate their Premier League form of last season.

The FA Cup represents their last chance of lifting a first major honour since they won the competition in 1955, and the Toon Army are desperate to end their drought.

Tuesday's trip to Blackburn Rovers, who are without a win in four and in danger of being dragged into the Championship relegation mix, gives Newcastle a good opportunity to progress to the quarter-finals.

But do Eddie Howe's side have the squad to go the distance? The suspension handed to Sandro Tonali, and injuries sustained to the likes of Nick Pope, Joelinton and Callum Wilson, have hampered them this season, and they look a shadow of the side that finished fourth in the 2022/23 Premier League.

Chelsea @ 8/1

The Blues are surely battered and bruised after the exertions of Sunday's Carabao Cup disappointment. They expended a lot of physical energy in the 120-plus minutes, but the mental scars of failing to beat an inexperienced Liverpool team will be just as painful.

Luckily for them, there is the comfort of a home tie against Championship opposition in the FA Cup fifth-round. It won't be a walk in the park given Leeds United's form since the start of the year, but the Whites have their eyes fixed firmly on automatic promotion.

Chelsea should fancy their chances of beating Leeds, but does anyone trust Mauricio Pochettino to lead them to Wembley for another final? Everything appears broken at the club under the stewardship of Todd Boehly, and their mental fragilities could rise to the surface again.

Brighton & Hove Albion @ 14/1

The Seagulls have never won the FA Cup but are in the fifth-round of this year's competition after blitzing Stoke City (4-2) and Sheffield United (5-2) in the first two rounds.

With a few of the big boys already out, and Manchester City and Liverpool battling on multiple fronts, can Roberto De Zerbi's side mount a credible bid to win the whole thing?

Like a few other teams, injuries appear to be holding Brighton back. The fixtures have been piling up, and it doesn't get any easier as the Europa League kicks back into action for them next month.

A trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fifth-round isn't ideal, either. They were held by Gary O'Neil's side at the Amex Stadium in January and could be without stars such as Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro on Wednesday.

If they go deep into the knockout stages of the Europa League, the number of games may just stack up against them.

AFC Bournemouth @ 25/1

This could be the outsider bet to back. The Cherries aren't in great form in the Premier League, having failed to win any of their last seven in the competition, but they have impressed under Andoni Iraoli since his appointment as head coach in June.

After beating Championship opposition in the first two rounds, they face another in Leicester City at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday. Like Leeds, the Foxes are likely to have their focus on automatic promotion from the Championship, and that should help Bournemouth advance into the quarter-finals at their expense.

One issue for the south coast side, however, has been their inability to beat the best. They've lost twice already to both Liverpool and Manchester City this term, and could find it tough against either again.

Wolverhampton Wanderers @ 25/1

Like Brighton, Wolves' chances of a deep run in the FA Cup are likely to hinge on the return to fitness of key players.

Matheus Cunha is the biggest absentee for the West Midlands side at the moment, and they looked pretty toothless in attack without him on Sunday as they beat Sheffield United 1-0.

Wolves will feel anything is possible with Pedro Neto in the side, though, with the Portuguese winger enjoying a fruitful season under the tutelage of O'Neil.

Brighton are next up for them however, and they haven't beat the Seagulls since December 2021.

Eight other teams are still in the competition, with Leicester (33/1) the shortest of those remaining and Maidstone (1000/1) the longest odds to win the FA Cup.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.