Fulham can get engine running in Cup bid

The weekend gets underway early this week with FA Cup matches on Friday & we've got a selection in one of those games as well as searching through the lower leagues where value seems to be found the most often. Last weekend we had 3 from 3 with our outright picks with Villa, West Ham & Blackpool coming up trumps, we're looking to carry on with that form - you can keep up to date with our posts & fancies by following us on Twitter @likebuyingmoney or by clicking the button above.

(Fulham's Hangeland & Dempsey would be welcomed into most sides)

For our first pick we're looking towards a team that we think offer some excellent value in the outright market for victory in the competition, they have to get past Everton first but Fulham play some attractive football at times & have very recent history of an outstanding cup run when reaching the final of the Europa League. In the league both sides have exactly the same amount of points with just 26 from 22 games, neither look in real trouble of relegation, at the moment, but a slip in form between now & the end of the season could see things get close. Everton's obvious problem this year has been a chronic lack of goals & that has been a similar story for many of the clubs at the bottom end, Fulham have scored the same amount of goals as Spurs at home (joint 4th highest) but have struggled away with just 7 in 11 league games. Everton's strength comes at the back with Howard in goal, Baines at left back & Distin & Jagielka in the centre all being excellent when at their best, unfortunately Distin & Jagielka are out & that could be disastrous if Johnson, Zamora & the red hot Dempsey link up like they did against Newcastle. Everton have looked a little lifeless recently with losses to Bolton & Spurs, draws against Blackburn & Villa & a sole unimpressive win against Tamworth in their last 5 games. Fulham are in & out certainly, but they have played some great stuff at times & we know they can score, owner Mohamed al-Fayed will be keen for them to have a cup run so they have to be backed at generous odds of 3/1 to win here & we also like an each way bet at 40/1 in the cup's outright market.

(Johnnie Jackson has scored directly with two free kicks in his last two matches) 

In League One, Exeter City entertain Charlton Athletic at St James Park. Charlton top the table & have a seven point gap to 2nd place Huddersfield whilst Exeter are in 18th place just 3 points above the last relegation place. Charlton look well on course to gain automatic promotion with 13 league wins in their last 16 matches. Their current form has seen four wins out of their last five & they have beaten both Sheffield clubs 1-0 in their last two games. Away from home they have the best record in the league with 32 points out of a possible 42 with ten wins. Hosts Exeter have drawn their last two matches 0-0 & have only one victory in their last eight league games. All of their six victories this season have come against sides in 16th place or lower & their last victory at home came back in November. We believe that Charlton will be too strong for an average Exeter side at the generous price of evens with Boylesports currently but this price won't last for long!

(Who will come out on top in the battle of the gaffers between Terry Brown & Dean Holdsworth?)

Down in League Two, AFC Wimbledon play Aldershot Town at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. AFC Wimbledon are sat in 15th position & are four places above Aldershot. The Dons have come out the other side of a poor run of form between 15th October - 2nd January where they only managed three points with nine defeats out of twelve matches. Their return in form has coincided with a number of early January signings in Jason Euell, Byron Harrison, George Moncur & Billy Knot which has boasted confidence & yielded three wins in a row against Port Vale, Gillingham & Macclesfield. Visitors Aldershot have suffered seven defeats in their last ten league games & have only scored two goals in the process. They haven't scored a single goal in their last six & it's hard to see where their next goal is coming from? We fancy AFC Wimbledon to continue their winning streak at the expense of Aldershot at the best price of 7/5 with Boylesports.

Selections:
Fulham to beat Everton at 3/1 (Totesport, Betfred & BetVictor)
Fulham to win FA Cup outright at 40/1 (BetVictor & Stan James) each way 1/2 odds first two
Charlton Athletic to beat Exeter City at evens (Boylesports)
AFC Wimbledon to beat Aldershot Town at 7/5 (Boylesports)
A double on the above teams pays 3.80/1.