TAB WEEKEND SOCCER HIGHLIGHTS: 9 - 11 JANUARY 2026

FA CUP SET TO PRODUCE UPSETS AND BIG PAYOUTS

TAB soccer customers can look forward to another entertaining weekend loaded with opportunities to hit a big win. The English Premier League takes a short break to accommodate the third round of the FA Cup that, as usual, is bound to produce some shock outcomes and big payouts. TAB has added fizz to the weekend with two R200,000-added Soccer 10 bets, plus there are two carryover pools and a guaranteed R17.5-million Soccer 13 Jackpot on Saturday if there’s only a single winner.

FIVE MANAGERS ALREADY AXED IN THE NEW YEAR

With the usual crowded schedule through the Christmas holidays, UK soccer has shot into 2026 at high speed with five managers (or head coaches as many clubs prefer to title them nowadays) losing their privileged parking slots before we have even reached a double-digit date in January.

Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim are gone from Chelsea and Manchester United respectively and Celtic have sacked Wilfried Nancy after just 33 days in charge, Plus Aberdeen have booted Jimmy Thelin and West Brom have dumped Ryan Mason.

And more sackings are on the cards in the next few days with Thomas Frank at Spurs and Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham at the front of queue for the axe, while Burnley boss Scott Parker must be wondering how much longer he will be in charge at Turf Moor.

Whew! Maresca’s departure, just a few months after winning the Club World Cup and a heap of cash for Chelsea, makes many wonder what a manager has to accomplish nowadays to satisfy fans and club bosses.

As for Amorim, he was snapped walking with his wife a few hours after the Old Trafford hierarchy accepted his challenge to fire him and he looked a picture of joy and relief to have been freed from his United shackles.

Who will be mad or mercenary enough to take on the United job next remains to be seen. The fact nobody wants to accept is that United will never recapture the glory days of the Alex Ferguson reign because winning a soccer match is a heap more difficult now than 20 years ago.

And making the United job even more intolerable is the long list of legends from the Ferguson era, headed by Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville, who have now morphed into experts on strategy, formations and everything to do with managing a football team.

WREXHAM MAY SPRING A SURPRISE AGAINST NOTTS

Anyway enough of that and let’s get onto who’s likely to win this weekend. The pick of the games in tonight’s cash-added Soccer 10 is the Wrexham-Notts Forest FA Cup clash. On paper Forest’s class should tell at the end of the day against a team promoted from League One to the Championship last season. But manager Sean Dyche is surely more focused on avoiding relegation than winning the FA Cup and he may rest several of his key players, which could open the door for in-form Wrexham to spring a surprise.

Saturday’s Soccer 13 is loaded with FA Cup games and Chelsea, Aston Villa and Coventry all look up to winning away from home, while Newcastle and Fulham should secure home victories.

Saturday’s R100,000 carryover Soccer 6 is a gem of a pool and well worth playing. Away wins by Villa and Birmingham look the best banker options.

And for a banker on Sunday look no further than the clash between English Championship strugglers Portsmouth and Arsenal at Fratton Park.

Pompey are currently 21st in the Championship, just a point and a place above the relegation zone, while Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are six points clear at the top of the EPL table after drawing with Liverpool on Thursday night.

Even if Arteta decides to rest some of his regular starters in the midst of an extremely busy January, Arsenal have a squad depth that should see them breeze home in this one.

R200,000-ADDED SOCCER 10 MATCH BY MATCH

Fri 9 Jan – S10 V1