Wednesday night sees the FA Cup fifth-round replay between Blackburn and Arsenal with the Gunners probably still feeling the after effects of their Carling Cup escapade at the weekend.

Quite how the Londoners will react from their defeat by Chelsea, with all the publicity surrounding both sides' indiscipline, God only knows although their personnel will be different.

Thierry Henry is just one of the big names that Arsenal will have back in their line-up but we must bear in mind that even a full-strength Gunners couldn't brush aside the tenacious Lancashire side in the first match at the Emirates.

Mark Hughes' men surprised many by holding out for a goalless draw last week where there was yet more aggro, this time between the Welshman and Cesc Febregas after the final whistle.

That spat could be carried on which will not be good news for the purist but a fractured, disrupted match will suit the home side who have taken a few beatings by Arsenal this season.

The Gunners, in fact, have beaten Rovers eight times in the last 10 meetings but we think they may have to negotiate 120 minutes and maybe even penalties to get through this tie.

Even then, we are not convinced the Londoners will emerge winners and we are more inclined to take Betterbet.com's 11/5 for the draw.

If we have all calmed down from the madness that was Chelsea's Carling Cup win over Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, then we can look at Monday's Championship football from the Potteries, where Stoke take on Barnsley.

Stoke look to build on their terrific victory over Derby last week, a victory that put a dent in the Rams' title hopes while ending their own four-game winless streak.

City have stuttered at times this season but remain just outside the play-off places while Barnsley are only four points above bottom side Leeds United.

The visitors have one less concern with the news that keeper Nick Colgan will be in goal.

Colgan was withdrawn during the derby win over Hull at Oakwell last Tuesday with a suspected calf strain but is expected to return to action at the Britannia Stadium and that is good news for the visitors.

However, we think it will take more than Colgan to stop City and are more than happy to lump on Betterbet.com's 8/5 for the home side to be winning at half-time and full-time.

The first major trophy of the season is up for grabs at the Millennium Stadium in Wales this Sunday and it's two of the game's heavyweights, Arsenal and Chelsea, who do battle.

Perhaps the most important piece of news for the Blues is that influential captain John Terry appears to have won his race for fitness after hobbling off against Porto in midweek with a bad ankle injury.

Despite their multi-talented, multi-million pound squad, the Stamford Bridge side are stretched for central defenders and definitely looked vulnerable without him earlier in the season.

The England skipper will add solidity to the Chelsea defence although they will be as clueless as the ordinary punter as to who exactly will be in red and white.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has handed this tournament over to his second string and what a job they have made of it.

The Gunners thrashed Liverpool 6-3 at Anfield and then disposed of Spurs in the semi-final although they had to bring in the big guns to finish that tie off.

So it all adds up to an afternoon of intrigue and hopefully, there will be goals.

We reckon a scoring draw is the best bet and will take Betterbet.com's 11/2 for 1-1 with a side bet of 14/1 for 2-2.

But for the sake of posterity, we reckon Chelsea will emerge eventual winners after penalties.

A re-run of the 1984 FA Cup final takes place at Vicarage Road on Saturday when struggling Watford welcome Everton.

This match takes place in vastly different circumstance from that sunny day at Wembley over 23 years ago and could be decided by which players don't play as much as which players do.

The news is that Toffees' talisman Andy Johnson, who missed their 2-1 defeat to Spurs in midweek due to a knee injury, will not be fit again so those Merseyside fans who jeered their team in midweek may have something more to moan about.

Watford move closer to the Premiership trap-door with every games that passes and every three points that they fail to gather.

Their cause will not be helped if on-loan goalkeeper Ben Foster, who sustained a dead leg in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Wigan, misses out.

But somehow, and logically we are arguably up a gum tree, we have got the feeling that this could be a home win.

We reckon that Watford will get relegated but could give themselves a slim lifeline with a victory over Davie Moyes' unconvincing side and Betterbet.com's healthy 7/4 for the Watford win is too tempting to ignore.

After an enthralling midweek of Champions League and UEFA Cup action, we are confident at the Championship clash between Cardiff and Preston will be equally exciting.

There is no doubt that of all the leagues in Britain, England's second tier is shaping up to come to a grand finale, with eight teams separated by only seven points.

With 59 points, Preston are in fourth place and still have ambitions to land the title and Cardiff, three points behind, are on their tails.

The Welsh side lost against West Brom on Tuesday while Preston bounced back from their FA Cup defeat by Manchester City at home last weekend with a 2-1 win over Norwich.

Defeat against the Baggies ended Cardiff's five-game unbeaten run although manager Dave Jones bemoaned the loss of senior players through injury and suspension.

Glenn Loovens, Michael Chopra and Simon Walton were all banned while Darren Purse and Ricardo Scimeca were sidelined by injury.

And while the majority of them should be back for the visit of the Lancashire side, the visitors who will probably go into the game with more confidence with a lot of their hopes resting on new boy Pavel Pergl who marked his debut against Norwich with a stunning first goal.

But we reckon the visitors will be just too strong and will stake a few quid with Betterbet.com who are offering 7/4 for the Preston win.

Wednesday's Champions League matches will hopefully arouse as much controversy are Lille's defeat by Manchester United or as much entertainment as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Certainly the Barcelona versus Liverpool game and Chelsea's trip to Porto have the promise of excitement.

The match at the Nou Camp, however, looks to be a contest between two squads of players who appear to be less than united.

The high-profile spat between Eto'o, coach Frank Rijkaard and team-mate Ronaldinho is said to be over although have our doubts.

And with Craig Bellamy allegedly running about daft with a golf club in search of John Arne Riise this week it could be difficult to assess which side are the most focused in this tie.

But in terms of pure football Barcelona, who are unbeaten in 13 games at the Nou Camp, have the edge and so that run should continue.

We think the Reds could be more affected the trouble in their camp and will take Betterbet.com's 8/15 for a Catalan win and take it onto the big game in neighbouring Portugal.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho finds one of his former clubs standing in his way as he continues the Blues' cash-fuelled quest for the Champions League.

Porto at home are a tough side to beat - and Mourinho will obviously know this - although the Londoners have picked up their form recently, winning their last six games on the trot.

But for their part, Porto have won 14 out of 18 in the Portuguese league this season, failing to win only one in nine at home.

We reckon Chelsea will succumb to the same shock result as Arsenal did at PSV on Tuesday and will take Betterbet.com's healthy 5/2 for a home win.

A interesting if less than fruitful weekend of FA Cup football is over and Monday night's live televised football comes from Griffin Park where Brentford welcome fellow strugglers Northampton in League One.

Both sides are enduring a wretched season and the Bees are in the poorer shape, sitting second bottom just seven points ahead of Rotherham.

The Londoners have only won four times at home this season but confidence should be higher after their 2-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday.

Northampton are just one point above the relegation and they picked up a crucial point against Gillingham on Friday with substitute Jordan Robertson scoring after coming on as substitute.

It's going to be a tight game with goals probably at a premium but we are going to take Betterbet.com's 11/10 for the home win.

FA Cup fifth round action spills over into Sunday and it is clear that coming up trumps in this tournament is not as easy as it looks on paper.

Reading's surprise draw at Manchester United and Blackburn holding Arsenal at the Emirates should show once again that nothing is certain in football.

Those two results are perhaps all the more surprising in that Sunday was, according to many tipsters, the day where a shock was perhaps more likely to occur.

Championship side Preston should give Manchester City a good game in the early kick-off but we will look at the later televised game and the all-London clash between Fulham and Tottenham at Craven Cottage.

There is little between the sides in our view but Spurs simply aren't good travellers and now that they've began to ship goals, this more than a tricky tie for Martin Jol's side.

Fulham have only lost to one London team at home this season - Chelsea - so evidently they are no pushovers in front of their home support although the FA Cup has not been kind to them over the years.

Our gut feeling is that this game will be a continuation of Saturday's theme - a draw.

Spurs will be roared on by a big travelling support and that might be enough to help them grab a draw and take the game back to White Hart Lane so we will take Betterbet.com's offer of 9/4 for the stalemate.

FA Cup fifth round weekend and the later kick-off on Saturday sees Manchester United hosting Reading.

Although this is a tie between two Premiership sides, there is still a David and Goliath feel about the game.

But we should be careful. Steve Coppell's men have arguably been the surprise package in the Premiership this season, neat and tidy with touches of class at just the right time.

Their recent form - seven wins and a draw this year - has been that of champions far less of a side just happy to stay in the league and scrapping for survival.

And with hit-man Leroy Lita, the form striker in England at the moment with nine goals in his last 10 games, there is always the threat as he showed by scoring the last time the two teams met at Old Trafford.

However, in United, who ran out 3-2 winners that day Lita scored, Reading are coming up against a team who are surely the champions-elect.

Despite Wayne Rooney being banned, we think the Red Devils will again just have a little too much for the visitors.

Betterbet.com's 12/1 for Henrik Larsson to score the first goal and United to win 2-0 seems about right for us.

A successful season in the betting stakes continued when we tipped Bolton and Arsenal to draw in their FA Cup replay at the Reebok but we drop down to the more sober climes of Division Two for Friday's fix of football.

League leaders Walsall versus Lincoln is the live televised game from the Bescot Stadium - (the ground closest to a motorway of any in Britain?) so you can put your bet on, climb on the coach and - hopefully - watch your winning accumulate some more.

The midlanders crashed 3-1 to Hartlepool last time out which was not on the agenda and manager Richard Money could again be without of two key defenders, Ian Roper and Anthony Gerard who both missed out on the trip to the north east with injuries.

Lincoln are in fourth place in the table, five points behind their opponents and will see this as huge opportunity to polish their title credentials.

The visitors will be on a high following their 1-0 win over Torquay last weekend but are again without suspended striker Jamie Forrester so they are similarly disadvantaged in terms of team selection.

But we think home advantage can swing it for Walsall. They have lost just once at home this season while Lincoln have lost six times on their travels so, all things considered, we recommend Betterbet.com's 5/6 for the home win.

Wednesday night brings an FA Cup replay between Bolton and Arsenal at the Reebok Stadium.

The Gunners are still reeling from the fall-out from their late win against Wigan on Sunday which owed more to refereeing mistakes than their undoubted ability.

But will it have any effect on Arsene Wenger's men?

Of all the sides who could be facing the on-form Gunners, however, the Trotters arguably have the least to fear.

In the last seven encounters between the two clubs in Lancashire, Bolton have carved out four wins, two draws with just one defeat.

Recent form 'up North' is even more encouraging - the last three have all been victories for Sam Allardyce's men.

We think that extra-time will be needed, at least, to separate these two sides and will take Betterbet.com's 11/5 for the draw and double it up on another game in another competition in another country.

UEFA Cup action taking place over in Israel sees Hapoel Tel Aviv hosting Rangers.

The Ibrox club have been rejuvenated since Walter Smith returned to take over as boss for the second time following the departure of Paul Le Guen.

Hapoel are no great shakes but neither are Rangers it has to be said and the Govan club are also experiencing an injury crisis with eight players unavailable.

We will go for the draw in this game as well - which would suit the visitors - and take Betterbet.com's 2/1 for the stalemate.

Mandaric looks set to take the Leicester hot-seatMilan Mandaric is set to be installed as the new owner of Leicester City, according to reports.
Mandaric is believed to have had a £25m offer backed by the Foxes' shareholders and the club have announced a news conference for 1200 GMT on Tuesday.
"I'm getting positive news from everybody and I am excited by the prospect," the former Portsmouth owner told the Leicester Mercury.
The 68-year-old confirmed making a bid for Leicester back in November.
He added: "I have always had the deepest respect for the club's shareholders, because it was they who stepped in to save the club when it was in trouble.
"When I have chatted to them on my visits to the club, I have found them very supportive and never found anyone who was against this.
"I felt they always had the best interests of their club at heart and it shows."
Manager Rob Kelly said he was delighted that the saga was set for a conclusion.
"It is a good thing for the supporters and the players that it looks as if it is all over," he told the Leicester Mercury.
"We have all had this hanging over us for so long now.
"We will now know where we are heading after all the uncertainty, and that can only be good for everyone.''

The wonderfully named Johnstone Paints Trophy Northern Area final second-leg between Doncaster Rovers and Crewe Alexandra is Monday night's live televised game.

It's a far cry from the glamour of the FA Cup or the Premier League but nevertheless it's another chance - if needed - to get the bank balance into the black.

This competition is notoriously difficult to analyse and the first game between the two sides is evidence of that.

A thrilling 3-3 draw at the home of the Railwaymen enthralled the punters but the advantage is now arguably with the Yorkshire side who are eight points ahead of their opponents in League Two.

Doncaster have lost only twice at home in the league this season but lost 1-0 against Tranmere away at the weekend so their confidence will not be high.

And manager Sean O'Driscoll revealed four of his players who featured in Saturday's defeat were suffering from the bug which has swept through the club.

The fact that Crewe's match against Scunthorpe was called off due to the weather might mean that they will be the fresher side and that could prove to be significant.

However, we reckon another scoring draw is on the cards and will take Betterbet.com's 14/1 for a 2-2 draw with a side bet on a 1-1 draw at 11/2.

In all probability, Arsenal versus Wigan at the Emirates this Sunday will end up as one-sided as many people would think.

One simple fact over-rides all our thoughts when we are considering this encounter - the Lancashire men simply don't beat the Premiership big boys.

And although there is always a first time for everything, we can't see Paul Jewell's men leaving North London with anything on this occasion.

Wigan are hardly in the middle of a good run of form either, their late victory over Portsmouth last week ending a nine-game winless run which has seen them slide down the table.

Arsene Wenger's side, on the other hand, are unbeaten this year with leaders Manchester United a recent victim of arguably the most attractive side in the country when they are on top form.

No value in a straight home win so for any value in this match, it's a matter of judging by how many the home side will win by and when all is said and done, we will take Betterbet.com's offer of 13/2 for a 3-0 Arsenal victory.

Saturday's live televised match sees a potentially exciting clash between Portsmouth and Manchester City at Fratton Park but this is not an easy game to tip.

Harry Redknapp's Pompey racked up the points in the first half of the season but it seems that they cannot buy a win at the moment.

Without a win a game of a since Boxing Day, a return to the form of the 2006 is needed and needed soon.

Manchester City continue to confound. Stuart Pearce has come under pressure after taking the England job and all eyes will be on him and the City results over the next few months.

Crucial to this match will be the selection - or non selection - of keeper Nicky Weaver who is a big doubt for the trip to the south coast.

Weaver is suffering from a hip problem sustained against Reading last week which could leave the door open for Sweden World Cup star Andreas Isaksson to make his first Premiership start after being restricted to just two substitute appearances since his £2million summer arrival from Rennes.

At the other end, David James could hardly inspire more confidence in his side. If he stops his former club scoring he will equal David Seaman's record of 141 clean sheets in the Premiership.

We think he will do it which is why we will take Portsmouth at 11/5 for the home side to be winning at half-time and full-time.

Perhaps the return to league football will help us all come to terms with England's poor performance against Spain at Old Trafford on Wednesday. We certainly hope so.

Championship football this Friday comes from the coast where Southend take on Queens Park Rangers at Roots Hall in a battle between two of the division's strugglers.

The home side are in second-bottom place with relegation a real threat this season but they may have been buoyed a little by picking up a valuable points at Stoke last week.

But despite having lost only one of their last seven games, United are still four points adrift of safety.

It has to be said that John Gregory's side are hardly faring much better.
Rangers remain just two points ahead of the relegation places and defeat to Southend is unthinkable.

However, the Super Hoops' 3-1 home win over Burnley last time out will have renewed their confidence and we think they will build on that with a win - their first in five games - against the Shrimpers and will take Betterbet.com's 7/4 for the away win.

After England under-21s' troubles against their Spanish counterparts on Tuesday night, Steve McClarens' men get the chance to go one better against the senior side at Old Trafford.

England had some terrible results in friendly games under Sven Goran Eriksson and with the usual call-offs, it will be difficult for any sort of pattern to be laid down against the Spanish.

McClaren, who has made seven changes from the side which drew with Holland in Amsterdam three months ago, has confirmed stopper Jonathan Woodgate will start along with on-loan Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster- who will make his senior debut at the home of his 'real' club Manchester United.

In fact, there is even more of an experimental look about this England side than usual with players such as Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer and Chelsea bit-part player Shaun Wright Phillips also starting.

To be honest, we don't have much confidence in McClaren.

A host of substitutions is sure to spoil the flow of the game and, as in many such games, both managers will be happy enough not to be beaten.

Betterbet.com's 2/1 for the draw has never looked better.

Let us take you back to Sunday's tip when Manchester United travelled to White Hart Lane to take on Spurs.

Our parting shot to you was, 'take some of Betterbet.com's offer of 10/3 for United to win after the game being drawn at the interval.'

So, with those winnings safely in our pocket, we turn to Monday night's League One match between Scunthorpe and Bristol City.

The home side hope to go reclaim their top spot back from Oldham who leapfrogged them at the weekend.

The Iron have had some good results when they have appeared in front of the television cameras including a 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest earlier in the season and will be boosted by the return of Cliff Byrne from suspension.

Interestingly though, Scunthorpe have only ever won once at home to City, away back in 1964 when they carved out a 5-2 victory.

And City , who recently carved out a great draw against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, are only three points behind and can go level at the top on points with a win.

However, we think the Iron is hot and ready to strike so we will take Betterbet.com's 5/4 on offer for the home win.

Sunday soccer from White Hart Lane where Spurs welcome Manchester United hoping to derail the Red Devil's Premiership title hopes.

At the moment, the Red Devils look too strong for chasing Chelsea and it's mainly down to their impressive performances away from Old Trafford.

Spurs should beware. United have won 26 points from a possible 36 on their travels and have emerged the victors in their last five games at the Lane.

Martin Jol's side seemed to be on the verge of something special early in the season but it's all gone pear-shaped recently, especially at home.

They hadn't been beaten there since August but that run came to an end at the end of December when Liverpool won 1-0 and they've since managed to lose
3-2 to Newcastle, which takes some doing.

Add to that a two-legged defeat in the Carling Cup semi-final by Arsenal's second eleven and you can see why confidence is low.

Injuries to key players adds further to their woes.

Skipper and defensive lynchpin Ledley King continues to struggle with a foot injury, striker Dimitar Berbatov (six goals already at home in the Premiership this term) has a groin problem and Aaron Lennon missed out in midweek through illness.

So it's difficult to put forward a case for anything other than a United win - so we won't even try.

We will take some of Betterbet.com's offer of 10/3 for United to win after the game being drawn at the interval.

Sky Sports' popular nostalgia football programme 'The Football Years' on Friday night showed Liverpool and Everton fighting out the 1988 FA Cup final and coincidentally, both these sides face each other on Saturday, although this time on Premiership business.

The Reds triumphed 3-2 all those years ago and it's difficult to see them losing this time round even though names like Rush, Barnes and Aldridge are no longer there. The Koppites are in championship form, having won 9 out of their last 10 games while blowing away Chelsea in their last game at Anfield.

Everton famously won 3-0 earlier in the season against their arch rivals at home but with Andy Johnson missing for the Goodison Park side through injury, the smell of revenge is in the air.

Take Betterbet.com's 4/7 for the home win and take it onto the later game between Middlesbrough and Arsenal at the Riverside.

Boro have had a great start to the year, unbeaten in their seven matches in all competitions and having spanked Bolton 5-1 in their last match at home confidence will not be short.

Arsenal are also in fine form, unbeaten in eight and having just made it though to the Carling Cup final after beating rivals Spurs over two legs.
But we think a shock of sorts is on the cards.

The Teessiders, who have been known to carve out some of their best results against the top boys, won this fixture last season and have already drawn at the Emirates. The odds of 3/1 to win with Betterbet.com is too good to miss - and we don‘t intend to.

Friday night football comes from the Championship and a tasty encounter between Cardiff and Barnsley, two clubs with different priorities in mind at the moment.

The Yorkshire side are just three points above the relegation zone but look to have found some good form after successive wins over fellow relegation candidates Luton and QPR.

And Barnsley could be bolstered by Hungary internationals Peter Rajczi and Istvan Ferenczi who might be in the starting line-up at Cardiff subject to FA clearance.

Cardiff are sixth in the table, 10 points behind leaders Derby, having won their last two games but they have been rocked by the loss of midfielder Ricardo Scimeca through injury.

The 31-year-old has been ruled out for a month, after sustaining a hamstring problem in last weekend's victory over his former club Leicester.

We think the Bluebirds will still be too strong for the Tykes and we will take Betterbet.com’s 8/5 for them to win at half-time and full-time.