BETMGM GOLDEN GOALS FA CUP SPECIAL: MAGIC TO DESERT THE UNDERDOGS
One of the most anticipated weekends on the football calendar is back.
The prospect of non-league and lower league clubs meeting Premier League giants in the FA Cup third round is one that always gets pulses racing – and the draw this year has thrown up some interesting clashes.
Portsmouth won the competition in 2008 and the now Championship team will relish testing themselves against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
That throwback tie is one of six in our Golden Goals FA Cup Special this weekend.
Fellow second-tier club Charlton are at home to Chelsea, who have had a chaotic week with the departure of Enzo Maresca and the appointment of Liam Rosenior.
Speaking of chaotic weeks, it’s been another one for Manchester United, who take on Brighton on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Sunderland visit Everton, Tottenham welcome Aston Villa to the capital and Newcastle are at home to Eddie Howe’s former club Bournemouth.
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Here’s how we see things playing out in our Golden Goals FA Cup Special (which, please note, has an earlier-than-usual 12.15pm deadline)…
Everton 1-1 Sunderland
Sunderland make their first ever trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday lunchtime looking to make the fourth round of the FA Cup for just the second time in 11 years.
David Moyes would love to bring silverware to the Toffees, having returned to the club last season, and this represents a reasonable opportunity to get a cup run underway and end a trophy drought of over 30 years.
Sunderland have had a superb first half of the season and have coped well with their AFCON absentees.
They are, however, likely to make wholesale changes to the team here, after a draining festive period which saw them play Leeds, Manchester City and Spurs.
These two last met in the FA Cup in 2012 – with Everton winning a sixth-round replay 2-0 – while the only FA Cup game the Black Cats have won in the past six seasons was a first-round clash with Shrewsbury Town.
They have generally both been tight defensively in the league though goals haven’t exactly been free-flowing, so don’t expect a classic here. The meeting at the Stadium of Light in November ended 1-1 and this is an entirely plausible outcome again.
Sunderland had at least three shots on target in those recent games against Leeds, Spurs and City, meaning 10/1 for the Everton goalkeeper to make over 2.5 saves and the game to end in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes warrants serious consideration.
The winner after that, given there are no replays? Who knows.
Newcastle 2-0 Bournemouth
No team has caused more headaches for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle than the one he took from League Two all the way to the Premier League.
What’s more, the Cherries haven’t lost at St James’ Park since December 2022, even going so far as to smash them in their own back garden 4-1 – a game remembered for a Justin Kluivert hat-trick.
Unfortunately for Andoni Iraola, his side will be without the Dutch forward for this one due to injury and will also be without the talismanic Antoine Semenyo, who is now a Manchester City player.
That’s music to the ears of the Magpies, who have looked far from their best in recent weeks albeit with some signs of improvement.
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That much is certainly true with club captain Bruno Guimaraes, who is celebrating a career-best period in black and white for goals and ranks in the top three for assists. Expect him to have some involvement again in this FA Cup tie.
Absences aside, Bournemouth still have the juice to hurt anyone on their day, which explains why they are the fourth-best team in the Premier League for shots on target with 5.1 per 90.
We’re going for a 2-0 home win as our Golden Goals shout but we’ve also put this Bet Builder together if you fancy a sweetener: 7/1 for Newcastle to win, Guimaraes to score or assist and Bournemouth over 3.5 shots on target.
Tottenham 1-1 Aston Villa
A run of 24 meetings without a draw is a statistical anomaly that feels destined to end in this FA Cup clash.
Aston Villa arrive having won the last three encounters, including a 2-1 league victory in north London back in October.
However, the Villans' momentum has stalled on their travels. They are winless in two on the road after a drab 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace midweek and are expected to rotate.
With their FA Cup history – last year's semi-final run aside – littered with early exits to the tune of nine consecutive seasons without making it past the third or fourth round, this is bound to be a tricky tie for them.
Spurs are in a mire themselves, with just three wins in 13 and a fresh away loss to Bournemouth stinging them.
That result, however, places immense pressure on this cup tie.
Captain Cristian Romero publicly demanded his team-mates front up and we expect him to lead by aggressive example at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With 10 cards for club and country already this term, combining a draw after 90 minutes with a Romero booking looks a potentially shrewd Bet Builder choice at 21/2.
Given he has three goals this season, the particularly adventurous may fancy swapping the draw selection for Romero to score, creating a huge 55/1 ‘to score and be carded’ double.
Charlton 1-3 Chelsea
The last time these two sides clashed was back in 2007 – a prime Barclays affair settled by a signature long-range strike from Frank Lampard in the 18th minute.
Oh, how times have changed.
Charlton now find themselves 19th in the Championship without a win in four, a distant memory from their top-flight days.
Chelsea? Winners of serious silverware and currently under new management following the appointment of Liam Rosenior earlier this week, who will be looking at this FA Cup tie as the perfect opportunity to build bridges.
And build he will with an emphatic win, though not without a few tense moments. This is a London derby after all… not that the Addicks need telling twice as they look to make a lasting impression of their own at the Valley.
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Lincoln City did just that when they welcomed the Club World Cup champions to their ground in September’s EFL Cup tie – and even led 1-0 at the break before the Blues came roaring back in the second half. Saturday should follow a similar script: Chelsea to dominate the bulk of possession, Charlton to land a punch and the woodwork probably getting involved too. The Blues have struck the post seven times in the league this season, so don’t be surprised to see the frame rattled again in a lively tie. Put all of the above together and you get a just as lively 6/1 for Chelsea to win, both teams to score and the Blues to hit the post.
Portsmouth 0-4 Arsenal
A chasm in class separates Premier League leaders Arsenal from a Portsmouth side languishing 21st in the Championship – and it’s a gap unlikely to be bridged by the ‘magic of the cup’.
While this tie is sandwiched between games with Liverpool and Chelsea, Mikel Arteta’s approach to rotation is hardly a comfort for the hosts.
Earlier this season a supposedly second-string XI featuring William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli was deployed against Port Vale.
History reinforces this ruthless streak: rotated Arsenal sides comfortably dispatched Bolton 5-1 and Preston 3-0 in recent cup runs.
Even with only around five to seven regulars starting here the Gunners can still viably claim to boast the country's best defence, a daunting prospect for the Championship's second-worst attack and a club without a win against their visitors since 1958.
Portsmouth’s 10-day rest – due to their game against Ipswich being postponed at the weekend – and improved form at Fratton Park offer glimmers of hope but, in reality, they simply face a different beast entirely here.
While a shock loss to Nottingham Forest four years ago proves the record 14-time winners aren't infallible, this iteration of Arsenal looks a far more formidable machine.
A comfortable away win is firmly on the cards and our Bet Builder of Arsenal half-time/full-time, over 3.5 Portsmouth keeper saves and over 3.5 total goals at 3/1 captures that expected dominance well at a little over 3/1.
Manchester United 2-1 Brighton
It has been another quiet week in the world of Manchester United.
Rubem Amorim has been sacked, the hunt for another manager is underway and Darren Fletcher is in interim charge of the first team – while one of his sons could potentially start in this one.
They face last season’s quarter-finalists Brighton here, having already beaten them at Old Trafford in the Premier League this campaign.
This is a repeat of the 1982/83 FA Cup final and the 2022/23 semi-final, both of which United went on to win. The 4-0 defeat in the 1983 replay is the closest the Seagulls have come to a major trophy, while the penalty shootout defeat 30 years later is as close as they have come to making the final since.
They have a score to settle in the FA Cup, then, but we anticipate the Red Devils getting over the line here in a tight affair.
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Despite Amorim’s exit they have not been in the worst form in the Premier League, with just one defeat in their last nine home matches.
Brighton have struggled for consistency this season and, though they had won their last three visits here prior to this season, back-to-back Old Trafford defeats surely beckon.
Thirteen-time champions United haven’t been knocked out at the third-round stage for over a decade, so how about our 18/5 Bet Builder of a home win in 90 minutes, both teams to score and over 4.5 United corners?
Both sides have found the net in four of their last five meetings, while the Reds average over 4.5 corners per game in the league this season.
A strong end to another tumultuous week in the red half of Manchester.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change. Please note: This week's Golden Goals deadline is Saturday 10th January 2026 12:15 Opt-in is required and you can find out more here.
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