Since the first few rounds of the FA Cup have now come to a close, it is time to take a look into who the favourites are to take home England's most coveted domestic trophy.
Holders Manchester United have been given an outside chance of retaining their title, with bitter rivals Manchester City firmly in the driving seat for the bookies instead.
City will be looking to secure their eighth edition of the trophy, with Liverpool and Newcastle also in the running. A closer look at some of the most likely winners reveals where punters can find the best value and calculate who has the potential to go all the way in 2024/25.
Current FA Cup favourites
Manchester City – 7/2
Despite a season plagued with difficulties, Manchester City are the bookies' favourite to secure another FA Cup, with their last success in the competition coming in 2022/23, as they defeated their Manchester counterparts 2-1 in the final.
Pep Guardiola's team entered the tournament with an 8-0 drubbing of Salford City, a game in which young midfielder James McAtee was able to grab himself a hat-trick.
Things were significantly more difficult in this week's round, however, as City barely got over the line in a 2-1 win against Richie Wellens' Leyton Orient.
An astounding 16th-minute strike from the halfway line by Orient's Jamie Donley ricocheted off the crossbar, hitting Stefan Ortega before finding its way into the net, giving Wellens' men an unexpected lead.
However, second-half goals from new signing Abdukodir Khusanov and veteran creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne eventually gave City the victory, resulting in a sigh of relief from the Cityzens faithful.
The 2024/25 campaign has been a real struggle for Guardiola's side, who find themselves fifth in the table, 15 points behind table-toppers Liverpool. Thus, they may go all out to try and secure some silverware, as it seems their winning streak in the Premier League is set to come to an abrupt conclusion.
City are currently 7/2 favourites to win the FA Cup, so they could certainly offer value for punters if they put money behind them at this relatively early stage.
Aston Villa – 15/2
A convincing, if not slightly nervy, 2-1 victory for Unai Emery's side against Ange Postecoglou's waning Tottenham side allowed them to progress into the next round of the FA Cup. A second-minute strike from Jacob Ramsey was added to by Morgan Rogers in the 65th minute.
Some lovely build-up play between Leon Bailey and Donyell Malen resulted in the ball being cleared off the line by a struggling Pedro Porro, before falling kindly for Rogers, who smashed home from close range to give the Villains a two-goal advantage.
New signing Mathys Tel got one back for Spurs with a consolation goal in stoppage time, but the Frenchman was helpless to stop Postecoglou's side from crashing out of a second cup competition in the space of a week. It has been a miserable season for Tottenham, and unless they can miraculously win the Europa League, it will be another campaign without a trophy for the London club.
On the other side of the fixture, Villa have now been given 15/2 odds of winning their first piece of silverware for nearly 30 years. The club's last cup victory came in the 1996 League Cup where they defeated Leeds United 3-0. Their current odds provide excellent value for punters, and with the side in fine form, they could be a great dark horse to get behind at this still relatively early stage.
Newcastle – 8/1
Liverpool's adversary for the 2024/25 Carabao Cup final, Eddie Howe's Newcastle, have been given the third-best chance of winning the FA Cup this season. In a thrilling contest between themselves and Birmingham City, it was the Toon Army that came out on top, with Joe Willock grabbing a brace, which included an 82nd-minute winner through the legs of goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
With Liverpool having been shockingly knocked out by a recently rejuvenated Plymouth Argyle side, however, Newcastle remain the only one of the two League Cup finalists still with a chance of winning both pieces of silverware.
The Magpies have been in stellar form recently, rising to sixth place in the Premier League table, and currently sitting just two points adrift of a faltering Chelsea side who were knocked out of the FA Cup by Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton.
Alexander Isak has been the one to watch this season, as the Swede has notched 17 goals in the league, a tally which included a run of 10 goals in seven matches. His current haul brings him to within four of the 21 goals scored this campaign by chart-topping Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.
With a long way to go, morale is high at Newcastle, so expect them to progress further in the competition and continue their upward trend, and 8/1 are their current odds to win their first piece of silverware since 1955.
Lifelong Ipswich Town supporter who recently graduated from Durham University in French and German. Have developed a passion for European football based on my links abroad and am an avid supporter of Werder Bremen and Auxerre. Joined the MFT team in October 2024 and looking to take my first steps into the world of football journalism.
