Sports betting: Spurs meet the FA Cup criteria
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Your support makes all the difference.TOTTENHAM LOOK a fair bet at 14-1 with William Hill and Stanley to win the FA Cup ahead of the third round. Spurs have all the ingredients the ante-post punter should look for before placing a Cup bet.
They are a useful Premiership side - though not so useful that they will be distracted either by European commitments or a serious assault on the title - and therefore need a Cup victory for a place in Europe next season. Best of all they have an easy home tie which should safely see them through to the fourth-round draw.
West Ham (20-1 with Ladbrokes) and Leicester (28-1 with Stanley) are the other attractively-priced Premiership sides, who meet the above criteria.
On the European front, Parma, whose parsimonious defence has been the envy of Serie A this term, are the favourites for the Uefa Cup but Bordeaux, their quarter-final opponents, will be no pushovers, while Roma face a tight tie with Atletico Madrid. Bologna will be favourites to beat Lyons, but the tie between Celta Vigo, travelling well in La Liga, and Marseilles, the French league leaders, looks too tight to call at this stage.
The Cup-Winners' Cup looks a three-horse race. Lazio, Rome's big summer spenders, and Chelsea, the holders, head the market, with only Real Mallorca, a revelation in La Liga this term, seriously fancied to trouble them.
Lokomotiv Moscow (who face Maccabi Haifa) are a fair side on their day, but it is hard to see Locomotiv's opponents, Panionios (who play Lazio), Valerenga (who face Chelsea) or Varteks Varazdin (who play Real Mallorca) making much impact.
UEFA CUP
C H L S T
Parma 7-2 11-4 11-4 11-4 3-1
Roma 7-2 4-1 7-2 4-1 7-2
Atletico Madrid 13-2 7-1 7-1 6-1 6-1
Bologna 5-1 7-1 5-1 7-1 6-1
Celta Vigo 5-1 6-1 7-1 11-2 9-2
Marseilles 13-2 6-1 7-1 6-1 15-2
Bordeaux 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1
Lyons 20-1 12-1 14-1 14-1 16-1
CUP-WINNERS' CUP
C H L S T
Lazio 11-8 11-8 6-4 6-4 6-4
Chelsea 15-8 2-1 7-4 7-4 15-8
Real Mallorca 7-2 9-2 9-2 4-1 7-2
L Moscow 12-1 8-1 10-1 9-1 11-1
Maccabi Haifa 28-1 25-1 25-1 25-1 25-1
Panionios 28-1 33-1 25-1 33-1 25-1
Valerenga 28-1 33-1 25-1 40-1 25-1
Varteks 28-1 33-1 33-1 50-1 28-1
C Coral, H William Hill, L Ladbrokes, S Stanley, T Tote
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