WATFORD and Wolves have been two of the most entertaining sides in the Premier League this season, so it's fitting one of them will get to grace the FA Cup Final.
Outside of the big six, I can't think of many teams that have played better football than these two so it should be an entertaining semi-final.
Wolves have attracted more headlines than the Vicarage Road club this season with Nuno Espirito Santo's slick side taking the league by storm after winning promotion.
But a quick look at the table shows Watford sit just a point behind them and Javi Gracia has arguably done a better job than Santo as he hasn't been handed the same kind of money to spend in the transfer market.
While Wolves this week splashed out £30million to turn Raul Jimenez's loan from Benfica into a permanent move, Gracia has been forced to be more creative in the market.
With the exception of £11m man Gerard Delofeu, Gracia hasn't spent more than £5m on a player and also had to cope with the departure of last year's star turn, Richarlison, to Everton.
Watford's form since the start of December, when they lost to Leicester, has been absolutely sensational. They have lost just five times in 21 games and all those defeats have come against the big guns – Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Even that defeat at Old Trafford was desperately unlucky, with the Hornets on top for long spells, so they will be full of confidence ahead of the semi-final.
Wolves are in equally good form, losing just twice in their last 12 games, so something will have to give at Wembley. They have differed from Watford in that they have relished taking on the big boys but have slipped up against some of the lesser lights, with those last two defeats coming against Huddersfield and Burnley.
I thought Wolves would lose in midweek to Manchester United because they had one eye on Wembley but Santo stood by his promise of fielding his strongest side and was rewarded with a 2-1 win.
Watford had a far easier game at home to Fulham and coasted to a 4-1 victory, with star men Delofeu and Roberto Pererya taken off at half-time to give them a rest.
That could just give them an edge and I'm tempted to side with the Hornets in what is a finely balanced tie. They have already beaten Wolves this season, coming out 2-0 victors at Molineux, and that makes me think they can just edge through.
Watford are a best 21/10 with Marathonbet to win and if you double it with both teams to score the odds increase to 103/20 with the same firm. I wouldn't be surprised if this one goes to extra time or penalties so it might be safer to back Watford just to qualify, which is 11/10 with Bet Victor. Just backing the game to go to extra time is available at 9/4 with Sportingbet and that could be another good option.
I fancy both teams to score in this one, which is 10/11 with Bet 365, while over 2.5 goals also appeals at 6/5 with Marathonbet.
When it comes to backing a Wolves scorer, I've always ended up picking the wrong player. When I think Jota will score, it's Jimenez who pops up with a goal and when I've backed Jimenez it's his Portuguese partner who has delivered.
I'm tempted to side with Jimenez this time after the boost of his new deal and he's available in the anytime scorer market at 7/4 with Bet 365. But that inevitably means Jota will get on the scoresheet so you should probably back him instead at 13/5 with Paddy Power in the same market.
Former Everton and Barcelona playmaker Delofeu is Watford's creative spark and he looks good value at 3/1 with Bet 365 to net at any time.
You can find some interesting requested bets at Oddschecker and I like the look of the 13/8 on offer at Betfred for any player to score with a header.
This FA Cup match between Watford and Wolves will be played on Apr 7, 2019 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs Wolves prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
