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11th Jan 2018 | FA Cup

5 Reasons To Fancy The Foxes

The FA Cup is a tough trophy to win when you're trying to balance it with European ambitions or fighting off relegation. This could be the one top flight club without any of those distractions.

After the Arsenal debacle it’s time to reset and reassess the FA Cup outright market. Having studied the draw, at a best price of 25/1 with Bet365, Leicester City are great value as an each-way punt. Here are 5 reasons why:


1) Fleetwood and Peterborough up next:

The 2016 Premier League champions were able to rest almost all their first team after a hectic Christmas and still stay in the hat. Fleetwood should be dispatched in the replay and with another League One outfit poised after that, the Foxes have as good a route to the last 16 as you can hope for.

2) Relegation not a threat:

Unlike every side below them in the table, Leicester already look virtually safe having reached the 30pt mark nice and early. This frees them up to focus on a cup run, arguably a unique claim, with all of the top five likely to be distracted by the Champions League and the race for the top four to some extent.

3) The boss reached a cup final last season:

Claude Puel took Southampton to the League Cup final where they very nearly beat Man Utd. By backing Leicester each-way we get paid out at 1/2 odds even if they end up as runners-up as well. The Frenchman has enjoyed a fine start to his career in the East Midlands having steered the club from trouble to 8th in no time at all.

4) Worse teams that Leicester have been in recent FA Cup finals:

Last season’s showpiece looks like an anomaly with the previous 4 finals before that featuring Wigan, Hull, Villa and Palace. Perhaps the English revival in Europe will see that trend reverted to in 2018. If so the Foxes have every right to be seen as the best of the rest, particularly with Everton and Burnley already out.

5) Winners’ Mentality:

It’s still only 18 months since that famous title win and much of the victorious squad remains intact. Schmeichel, Morgan, Huth, Albrighton, Fuchs, Simpson, Mahrez, Vardy and Okazaki - they’re all still there and remember how to win a trophy. Add to that mix the likes of Maguire and a fast-developing Demarai Gray, who barely featured in 2015-16, and you could see them claiming some further silverware.

Odds correct at time of publishing: 07:17 11th Jan, 2018 but subject to change