FA Cup Fifth Round Tips And Predictions (2024/25)

The Fifth Round of the FA Cup takes place from Friday to Monday. Aston Villa host Cardiff City in the opening fixture of the round on Friday, followed by four matches on Saturday and two on Sunday.

It’s an all-Premier League duel to round off the schedule as Ipswich travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest on Monday evening.

Below, we have analysed the football betting markets to identify the five best bets from the Fifth Round of the world’s oldest cup competition.

Bournemouth vs Wolves

Bournemouth have quietly lost three of their last five in all competitions. It’s dampened their top-four ambitions, but they remain alive in the FA Cup and are clear favourites over Wolves.

The Cherries have lost three of four in the Premier League. Their only win came against the shambles of Southampton. Wolves won on the south coast last weekend but lost at home to Fulham in midweek.

The visitors have bigger priorities as they look to avoid the drop. Bournemouth’s form isn’t the best, but we fancy them to get the job done here. Wolves are likely to score, too, given that they have found the net in five straight.

Prediction: Bournemouth to win and BTTS at 11/5

Manchester City vs Plymouth

Manchester City are the heaviest favourites in FA Cup odds. Struggling at the bottom of the Championship, Plymouth Argyle have already claimed two Premier League scalps in Brentford and Liverpool. The latter was one of the biggest upsets in competition history.

Even with City losing four of their last six, Plymouth surely can’t get a result at the Etihad. Out of the Champions League and way off the title race, the FA Cup is City’s only hope of a trophy, so we are expecting a full-throttle performance from Pep Guardiola’s side.

Even in a disappointing season, City have covered this spread eight times this season.

Prediction: Manchester City -2.5 at 7/10

Newcastle vs Brighton

An impressive win over Bournemouth took Brighton to four wins in a row across all competitions. The south coast club have between Chelsea twice in that span. They are a candidate to go on a cup run given the low likelihood that they will qualify in the top four.

Newcastle might be distracted by the looming League Cup final. Eddie Howe’s team have excelled in cup competitions this year. They have put in some impressive performances in the league, too, including their 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Over 2.5 has cashed in each of Brighton’s last five and eight of Newcastle’s last nine.

Prediction: Both teams to score and over 2.5 total goals at 4/6

Manchester United vs Fulham

Rolling with four wins in five matches, Fulham are only narrow underdogs for their match at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. The west London club have won three away matches in that span, including Tuesday’s victory at Wolves.

Knocking out Arsenal in the Third Round is Manchester United’s biggest achievement of the season. Their form has been patchy since then, with a narrow home win over Leicester in the Fourth Round and a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

We just don’t have confidence in United at the moment. Where are the goals coming from? How are they going to stop Fulham scoring?

Prediction: Fulham to win the tie at Evens

Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich

Nottingham Forest needed penalties to beat Exeter City. They have suffered recent defeats to Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Fulham. If it wasn’t for the 7-0 win over Brighton, it would look rather like the wheels were coming off.

Luckily for Forest, they have been given a very favourable matchup in Ipswich. The East Anglian club have recorded two wins in 2025, which came against Bristol Rovers and Coventry in this competition.

Forest won to nil when these teams met earlier in the season. A similar outcome is expected on Monday night.

Prediction: Nottingham Forest o win to nil at 9/4

*Odds correct at the time of writing – prices subject to change*