FA Cup Outright Tip: Swansea City

When I first saw Swansea at 125/1 (Bet365) to win the FA Cup I thought they must have been drawn against one of the big boys, and that I’d just forgotten. But I hadn’t, and they weren’t. Admittedly, Barnsley away certainly fits into the ‘potential banana skin’ category, but at these odds I can’t see a better each-way long shot punt.

With the third round beckoning, none of the Premier League sides have entered the competition yet, and what we see are odds largely unchanged from when they were set last summer. At that point it was understandable to see Brendan Rodgers’ boys as the least fancied top flight side -they were also favourites for relegation - but a lot has changed since then.

Swansea have surprised everybody with the quality of their football this season, and they have the results to back it up as they sit comfortably in mid-table. Only behind Manchester United for clean sheets with nine, The Welsh newcomers also carry a serious threat on the counter-attack with Sinclair and Dyer offering pace and width around Graham.

Of course there may be a few squad players in action this weekend, but we can say that about almost everyone. But if the Swans progress, and maintain a comfortable distance from the relegation zone in the league, we can expect them to take this competition seriously. If they do that, and get a kind draw, then anything is possible.

They have given every team a great game at the Liberty Stadium this season, only losing once while conceding just four goals in 10 matches. A convincing victory at Villa Park last week suggested that these lads are now ready to start making a similar impact on their travels too.

Finally, for those still not convinced by the superb value here, let’s look at some of the other odds floating around. Villa (33/1 PaddyPower) are behind Swansea in the table, as are Fulham (50/1 VictorChandler); Bolton are 66/1 (William Hill), while Championship West Ham are 100/1(Skybet). There is no evidence to suggest that Rodgers’ team are worse than any of these sides yet they are the longest odds of the lot.

Back Swansea City each-way at 125/1 with Bet365 and you still get paid at 1/2 the odds if they make it to the final.