Pretty In Pink

Once again, the FA Cup appears to be Chelsea's for the taking. Already on Betfair they have traded as low as 2.48, but earlier I had a dabble on them at 2.94. While there is always the risk of a tougher draw for them at the likes of say Aston Villa, Manchester City or Crystal Palace, the Cup appears to be Chelsea's if they want it. Other competitions may well take precedence as the season unwinds, so I doubt that I will let this bet run for too many rounds.

The draw for the fifth round in a couple of hours will be interesting. If Aston Villa, Manchester City, Tottenham, Birmingham or Fulham are paired together and Chelsea avoid them, then that 2.94 will be looking even better.

Football Elite returned to fine form this weekend. After yesterday's aforementioned win for Mainz '05, Matt followed up today with what, at the time of writing, is looking like a solid win for Palermo over Fiorentina. 3-0 up with 7 minutes to go. How often does one get the opportunity to watch teams in pink and violet play each other?

There are also three short-list bets which I shall report on later.