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Written by Cornermanden. The author’s opinions and predictions are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Unibet. Odds and details may change between the time of writing and when placing a bet – always check before betting.

After many months of qualifying rounds, the FA Cup is finally about to begin. Here are my thoughts and betting picks ahead of FA Cup round 1.

A Big Difference In Quality
Oxford United v Maidenhead United

I haven’t watched anything of Maidenhead since I saw them live in the FA Trophy (another competition) many years ago. I know that they play in the National League and are currently struggling towards the bottom of the table, although they have done well to get to the 1st round of the FA Cup. Do they have any notable players? I follow the lower leagues of English football with a close eye, and know many players. However, I must admit that I’ve never heard of any of the current Maidenhead players, which is a bit sad. Their squad consists of mostly players with experience from the 5th tier and below.

Oxford United are flying in League One, and a much better team than Maidenhead. It’s always difficult to tell which way a game like this might go, especially when it comes to squad dispositions and rotation policies. Oxford boss Liam Manning has said that they prioritise every game that they go into, but that might mean anything in the world, and gives me less confidence in them here than if he’d said that he wanted to go far in the competition. I think we might see several changes for the U’s.

My bet here is very simple. Oxford are, even though they rotate a lot, a much better team than Conference side Maidenhead. Using the Unibet Bet Builder to combine both teams to score (no) and a home win gives us the price of 2.05, which is really appealing to me. A home win and a clean sheet in the process should be very realistic for Oxford, who don’t concede many chances.

What The Heck!?
Northampton Town v Barrow

Sometimes I just avoid betting on things because the price looks ludicrously high. This is the case here, where a decent defensive team in Northampton Town take on another defensive minded side in Barrow from League Two. You get 2.63 (!!) on both teams not to score in this game, which seems outrageously high. I would expect this to be around 1.80 in a league game, so of course I’m taking it here. Maybe the market knows something that I don’t, but this is simply really peculiar.

Paul Cook’s Barmy Army
Chesterfield v Portsmouth

I’m an Ipswich Town fan and have had the “joy” of watching my team play football under current Chesterfield boss Paul Cook’s stewardship. His teams are direct, powerful and really positive on the ball. I think they can give Portsmouth – who is a former Cook team – a good game and possibly advance. Pompey are in a terrific position in League One, and will come up against a team who would probably cope well in League Two at the moment. I think 1.79 for Portsmouth not to win (1x) is a top bet for the weekend.

Conclusion

Three bets from me for FA Cup round 1:

• Chesterfield v Portsmouth. 1x @ 1.79.
• Northampton v Barrow. Both teams to score (no) @ 2.63.
• Oxford v Maidenhead. Oxford win and both teams to score (no) @ 2.05.

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