Southampton vs. Grimsby Betting Tips: 19/1 Bet Builder with FA Cup quarter-final up for grabs

Southampton look to put their Premier League woes behind them when they host Grimsby Town in the FA Cup on Wednesday night, with the League Two club licking their lips at the prospect of a cup upset on the south coast.

Here at Betting Odds we've previewed the fifth round clash and identified two bets for the action.

Southampton are rock-bottom of the Premier League, four points adrift of safety, and on their third manager of the season.

As the above suggests, it's been pretty dismal going for the struggling Saints whose young side face a real fight to preserve their top-flight status.

Yet, the domestic cups have so far offered respite for the club. They beat Man City en route to reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and now have an excellent chance of progressing through to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the third successive season after they were handed a home tie against the lowest-ranked club remaining in the competition.

The Saints are the red-hot 2/7 favourites to win this one in 90 minutes, however Grimsby will fancy their chances of conjuring up another cup upset at 9/1.

Paul Hurst's men thrashed the then League One leaders Plymouth 5-1, disposed of both Cambridge and Burton, then swatted aside Premier League chasing Luton 3-0 in a replay. 

The Mariners, roared on by over 5,000 travelling fans, will now bid to pile more misery on the Saints at St Mary's and reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since before World War II (1938/39).

The first selection is Southampton to win and both teams to score, which can be backed at 19/10 with the likes of William Hill, Bet Victor, and Betfred.

Southampton have faced three EFL clubs in cup competitions at St Mary's this season. They've scored and conceded in each of those games, winning two of those in normal time, while the other was achieved on penalties.

On top of that, a Southampton win and BTTS bet has been ticked off in both of their FA Cup games so far this season (2-1 wins over Crystal Palace and Blackpool).

The Saints have kept just two clean sheets in the Premier League - a league low - and conceded in a whopping 28 of their 32 matches in all competitions. News that will delight Grimsby, who fired five past Plymouth in the first round and three past Championship Luton in the previous stage.

There's something about knockout football that catapults this Grimsby side into action. We've touched upon their exploits in this season's FA Cup, but let's not forget their stunning play-off promotion run last term during which they scored a 119th-minute winner away to Notts County, repeated the feat in a dramatic 5-4 win at Wrexham, then completing another extra-time turnaround in the National League play-off final against Solihull Moors to win promotion back to League Two.

But, despite Southampton's torment this term, they are three leagues above Grimsby. They do have a cluster of talented young guns in their ranks and recently completed their first-ever Premier League double over Chelsea.

As was the case in previous home cup clashes against Blackpool and Lincoln, I expect the hosts to come out on top but concede in the process, an outcome that can be backed at 19/10 with William Hill.

I've combined three selections to form a 19/1 Bet Builder with Paddy Power.

As noted in the section above, I'm expecting a few goals in this one with Both Teams To Score attracting attention at 10/11.

At 4/1, I like the look of Grimsby's Anthony Glennon to register a shot on target against a vulnerable Southampton backline. It's a bet that's landed in each of his last three league games.

The wing-back has been heavily involved in Grimsby's attacking play, recording three goal involvements in his last four games, which could have been more were it not for a missed penalty. 

Finally, I'm backing Southampton's main man, James Ward-Prowse, to find the back of the net at 6/4.

Ward-Prowse, who made a record-equalling 329th Premier League appearance for the Saints last weekend, was given a rare rest in the fourth-round victory over Blackpool. However, with a quarter-final place up for grabs he'll be expected to return to the starting line-up.

The skipper has been a shining light in a season of misery, especially of late following a run of five goals in his last nine league games.

Piece these three bets together and you get a nice-looking 19/1 Bet Builder, courtesy of Paddy Power.

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