Who will win the FA Cup? Odds and predictions for Man City, Man United, and every team in 2023 Round of 16
The FA Cup is a knockout competition where anything can happen over the course of 90 minutes.
The tournament is often referred to as "magical" because funny things can happen, and upsets are part of the fabric of the competition.
Yet, in the Premier League era (since 1992), a team outside the "Big Six" has won the FA Cup just four times, meaning at the end, the most powerful clubs usually come out on top and lift the trophy. In fact, a lower-tier club has not won the FA Cup since West Ham in 1980.
In the 2023 competition, which has reached the Round of 16, all that could change. Of the 16 teams remaining, there are just three "Big Six" clubs remaining in Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham, while nearly half the field (7) is made up of lower league sides.
Who will come out on top in this year's competition? The Sporting News has all the details, including a pick to win as well as a dark horse selection if you're looking to avoid the favourites.
Odds to win the FA Cup 2023
Manchester City are still in the hunt after downing their chief league title opponents Arsenal in the previous round, as are their arch-rivals Manchester United. Those two bitter enemies are the top favourites to win the competition, with fellow top-four contenders Tottenham back in third.
Other Premier League sides remaining in the competition are Fulham, Brighton, Leicester City, West Ham, Leeds, and Southampton. However, only a maximum of seven can reach the quarterfinals, as at least two will be eliminated in this round thanks to the draw crafting two top-flight matchups.
The minnows still alive include League One competitors Fleetwood Town and League Two side Grimsby Town.
Odds via Caesars (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Neds (Australia).
Who will win the FA Cup in 2023?
Man City already showed they can take down the most in-form teams in the league when they knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup in the fourth round. While City this season have not yet shown they can consistently win on days they don't have their best, they are still one of the best sides in the league.
It's entirely possible they'll have to go through another in-form juggernaut in Man United, which would be a mouth-watering derby affair in the later rounds of this competition, but right now, Man City are slowly returning to their best, and it's going to be tough to look past the favourites in this competition.
Prediction: Manchester City (+150 on BetMGM)
It has been 43 years since a team from the lower divisions won the FA Cup, but if there's ever a chance for that to happen, it's now. Burnley are absolutely dominating the Championship this season, holding a 12 point lead at the top of the table at the start of March.
Clearly we all know that competing against Premier League competition is far above the level of the lower tiers, but this Clarets side is clearly above the Championship level. And for knockout competition, they don't have to beat Premier League sides over the course of a long season, but instead just a few games where anything can happen. They've already knocked out Bournemouth from the FA Cup, and they performed admirably against Manchester United in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, defeated 2-0 in a game they out-shot their Premier League opponents 11-10 but struggled to finish chances.
If Fulham were starting Bernd Leno in Cup competition, the Whites would be the pick here at 20/1, but since Marek Rodak — who is a fine goalkeeper but not in the same stratosphere as 2022/23 Leno — is the guy for the Cottagers outside of league play, the Championship leaders are a great selection at anywhere from 30/1 to 40/1.
Value Pick: Burnley (+4000 on BetMGM)
