Chelsea booked an FA Cup final date with London rivals Arsenal via a convincing 3-1 victory over Manchester United on Sunday. According to Oddschecker, the odds for Chelsea are gradually increasing in the charts.
The Blues, who are on course for a finish in the top four and what would be a second FA Cup crown in the last three seasons, saw United off at Wembley courtesy of goals from France striker Olivier Giroud (who was the lead bet for being top goal scorer in the game), English midfielder Mason Mount and an own goal from Three Lions center-back Harry Maguire.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men pulled one back in the 85th minute, with Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes converting from the spot with a cheeky penalty after Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi committed a foul in the Blues' box. That was as far as United's comeback attempts went, though, and Frank Lampard is now set for a return to Wembley to face a Gunners side he's had a number of memorable battles with as a player for the club he now manages.
Chelsea and United are still locked in a duel for third place on the Premier League table, with Leicester City still in the thick of things despite their loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. A fifth-place finish would have been good enough for a Champions League place had Manchester City failed to overturn their European ban but one of these three teams – Chelsea, United or Leicester – will miss out on UCL football next season as Premier League champions and Liverpool and City occupy the first two spots, leaving room for only two more teams.
The Reds wrapped up their Premier League title chase late last month after Chelsea beat City to leave Jurgen Klopp's side uncatchable. The focus is now on the race for the top four, which is poised to go down to the wire.
Chelsea has maintained its grip on the third spot despite surprise losses to West Ham and Sheffield post the restart. The Red Devils dropped points in draws with Tottenham and Southampton while Leicester relinquished their position in the top three with losses to Bournemouth and Spurs, as well as a handful of drawn games. They're now level on points with United and will face them on the final day of the season in what will be a decisive clash at the King Power Stadium.
Chelsea and United both possess games in hand and the Blues currently have the upper hand, given their one-point advantage over the other chasers, but nothing’s set just yet and any two of the three teams could finish the 2019/20 season in the top four.
Lampard's Blues still have to play Liverpool on Wednesday, with a final-day showdown with Wolverhampton also on the agenda. If they fail to win both games, they could be leapfrogged by both the Red Devils and the Foxes. The Reds are the favorites for the Anfield match; Betfair is offering odds of 20/21 on Klopp's champions while the Blues are 12/5 with Paddy Power, and a draw is at 5/2 with William Hill.
The Premier League season doesn't have much longer to go but there are still plenty of opportunities to bet on games. Sports fans could get the top free football bets with Freebets.com. This coming Wednesday will present seven such opportunities, including the Blues’ clash with Liverpool. United will also be in action on the day as they are to face West Ham. Solskjaer's men are 2/9 for a win with Bet Victor, who's got 12/1 on the Hammers claiming all three points. A draw is 11/2 with said bookies.
Where the race for the top four is concerned, Bet365 has Chelsea at 1/11 to finish in a Champions League place. William Hill is offering odds of 1/7 on United ending their campaign there as well; Leicester's currently at 11/4 with Betway. The Betfair exchange has Chelsea at 7/5 for a top-three finish while United's at 8/11 and Leicester's at 54/5.
The bookmakers have Chelsea as the favorites to win the FA Cup in the Wembley final on August 1. William Hill has odds of 21/20 going on the Stamford Bridge side and odds of 13/5 could be had on an Arsenal win. Fans could also take advantage of an 8/11 offer on both teams scoring in the match with the same bookies. Paddy Power is offering 8/11 on the Blues scoring first and 13/10 on Arsenal breaking the deadlock.
