Andy Schooler landed another two winners in midweek, and he’s back with his FA Cup Best Bets as we enter the fourth round. Read on for his exclusive preview with kwiff;: The Home of Supercharged Betting.
FA Cup Best Bets: 4th Round Fancies 2026
When looking for upsets this weekend, I reckon Birmingham might well be worth a try. They come into this tie unbeaten in their last eight (winning five), while at St Andrews they haven’t lost in 11. Yes, the quality is due to rise here. At least that’s the theory.
FA Cup Best Bets: Birmingham v Leeds
Leeds made eight changes for their third-round trip to Derby and were disjointed in the first half. They trailed 1-0 at the break before turning things around. In contrast, the Blues made only two changes to their XI for their win over Cambridge, this despite being in play-off contention in the Championship.
Leeds have been in good form in the Premier League but West Ham’s improvement has meant they haven’t been able to pull properly clear of danger and Daniel Farke’s focus will surely remain on that relegation scrap – expect more changes from him and I doubt he’ll be hugely disappointed if his side do taste defeat. This game provides the chance for Birmingham’s expensively assembled squad to prove they are ready to compete at the highest level so I believe they will be bang up for this.
FA Cup Best Bets: Man City v Salford
Our goalscorer picks have been flying – Joao Pedro the latest winner in midweek – and I’m hoping this game can continue that run. The idea is that City will score a few here. They certainly did against Salford last year, winning 8-0 in this fixture, while they smashed 10 past Exeter in this season’s third round.
OK, Salford have been going well in League Two – they are currently in the play-off positions – but they’ve lost two out of three and there will surely be some scars left from last season’s trip to the Etihad. In short, City’s extra quality should tell, even if they shuffle their pack considerably, which is something we can expect. The market has City down to win by at least four goals so if that plays out, there will be winners in the anytime scorer list.
The one I like the look of most is Nico O’Reilly at 4.6. He scored against Fulham on Wednesday when he continued in a midfield role, essentially operating between Rayan Ait-Nouri and Antoine Semenyo down on the left. However, having played plenty this season, he looks likely to be one of those given a rest – it will be worth checking the team news as I’d be very happy to back him at the price if he does start. For now, though, I have to look elsewhere and I will turn to Rico Lewis.
Lewis started in that demolition of Exeter when he scored two and strode forward at will from his right-back role. With City likely to dominate again, I can see him spending a lot of time in the Salford half and he’s more than capable of getting into shooting positions. Lewis, who also scored in one of his three FA Cup appearances last season, is at 5.2 to net in this one.
FA Cup Best Bets: Southampton v Leicester
Long-term readers will know I love an ‘unders’ cards bet in the FA Cup, a competition renowned for producing lower card counts than its league counterparts. Sadly, those markets weren’t available at time of writing. There is, however, an eyecatcher among the anytime assist market for this game, which is a rematch of the sides’ midweek encounter which produced seven goals and saw Saints win from 3-0 down.
Ross Stewart came on as a half-time substitute to help turn the tide and he duly produced a goal and an assist. The latter was the forward’s second in his last three appearances with the Scot having been working his way back from a long-term injury. He also bagged one in four starts before his hamstring issue.
The contrasting first and second half performances of Southampton at the King Power Stadium suggest Stewart should get what would be only his eighth start of the season here. If he does so, he’s worth a try at 7.85 to assist again.
FA Cup Best Bets 2025/26: 4th Round Tips
Birmingham to win @ 3.05 with kwiff
Rico Lewis anytime scorer @ 5.2 with kwiff
Ross Stewart anytime assist @ 7.85 with kwiff
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