Tag Archives: eyeing

Trio eyeing cup shocks

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Stevenage, Crawley Town and Brighton will be hoping to overcome Premier League opposition in a busy Sunday of FA Cup Fifth Round action.

Crawley v Stoke
League Two high-flyers Crawley are taking on Premier League opposition for the second year in succession in the form of Stoke City (Crawley 11/4 draw 12/5 away Evens). Last season they travelled to Old Trafford in the last 16 and were unlucky to not force a replay after hitting the bar late on in a narrow 1-0 defeat.

The big spending West Sussex club were a non-league team then, but fresh from lifting the Conference title last May they are now chasing a second successive promotion into League One. They have already provided two cup shocks this season having defeated Championship side Bristol City and Hull without conceding a goal.

Stoke meanwhile are hoping to go one better this season after reaching last year’s final before losing to Manchester City. The reward for their May day at Wembley was a spot in the Europa League, a new experience for the club with boss Tony Pulis admitting it has been a challenge trying to combine European and domestic duties.

They travel south on Sunday fresh from a 1-0 defeat to Valencia in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie, with Pulis again pledging to shuffle his pack for the return to domestic action.

For that reason, the Broadfield Stadium is the most likely venue for an upset on Sunday, with Crawley’s financial resources meaning they possess a squad far stronger than their League Two standing suggests, making their odds of 11/4 worthy of a punt.

Stevenage v Tottenham
Stevenage manager Gary Smith hasn’t even been in English football management for a month yet he is already preparing his side for a huge tie against Premier League title-chasing Tottenham (Stevenage 9/1 draw 4/1 Tottenham 1/3). The 43-year-old moved to Broadhall Way last month after a three year spell in the MLS with Colorado Rapids.

His first game in charge was a 1-0 fourth round win over Notts County that set-up a plumb tie with Harry Redknapp’s Londoners. The club have yet to concede a goal in their cup adventure so far this year, taking in wins over Hartlepool, Stourbridge, Notts County and Reading. They also know how to knock out Premier league sides after defeating Newcastle at the third round stage last season – the only occasion they have knocked out a top flight side.

Spurs boss Redknapp is open about his desire to guide Tottenham back into the Champions League but will not want to see their momentum checked by a defeat to lower league opposition in the cup. They have lost just once to lower league opposition in 33 attempts and, despite being a touch fortunate to make it past Watford in round four, are unlikely to slip up on this occasion. A comfortable 3-0 Spurs win is my tip and is priced at 7/1.

Liverpool v Brighton
Kenny Dalglish’s reds have already booked one Wembley date this season but the Scot has warned his side that Carling Cup final places are at risk if they under-perform against Brighton at Anfield on Sunday (Liverpool 1/4 draw 9/2 Brighton 11/1). The club have not lost at home in any competition this season but have not made the quarter-finals of the FA Cup since winning it in 2006.

They have already beaten Brighton this campaign, with goals from Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy giving them a 2-1 Carling Cup win at the Amex Stadium in September. Albion meanwhile will be hoping to repeat their heroics of 29 years ago, when they last beat Liverpool en route to the final, where they eventually lost to Manchester United in a replay.

They were giant-killers in round four, knocking out Alan Pardew’s Champions League-chasing Newcastle. Gus Poyet’s men have also yet to lose in any competition this calendar year, winning six and drawing four of their 10 league and cup games.

I expect the sides’ unbeaten runs to continue after Sunday’s contest, with a hard-earned replay the reward for Albion. My prediction is an entertaining 2-2 draw priced at a hefty 28/1.

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Foxes eyeing vulnerable Leeds

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Three games take place on Sunday in the Championship with the pick of the action coming from the King Power Stadium as Leeds travel to take on managerless Leicester. Both teams had high hopes at the start of the season and despite mixed fortunes in the last couple of months, are just outside the play-off zone.

Leicester v Leeds (15:00)

Simon Grayson’s Leeds make the trip down to Leicester after a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Blackpool at Elland Road on Tuesday, and they can expect no joy on the road when they face the Foxes , who are buoyed from their 3-1 win at Burnley during the week.

Although without a permanent manager since Sven-Goran Eriksson was sacked last month, Leicester proved they have enough quality to push for promotion this season in their impressive display in the emphatic victory on Tuesday.

Caretaker manager Jon Rudkin was able to leave Jermaine Beckford on the bench for the game at Turf Moor, with David Nugent and Paul Gallagher both rewarding him with goals. On paper, the Foxes have one of the best starting XI’s in the Championship and it is only a matter of time before they go on a winning run, which will push them into the play-offs at the very least.

Take Leicester at 10/11 to overcome the Yorkshire side and David Nugent looks a good bet to score the first goal of the game against Leeds at a generous 5/1.

Brighton v Barnsley (15:00)

After a flying start to life in the Championship, Brighton have not won a league game since September 10. They have though had a tough fixture list in recent weeks, so they will appreciate the visit of Barnsley to the Amex Arena.

Keith Hill’s side have been no pushovers this season, but they are unlikely to be in the top of the table come the end of the season. Hill took over the reins at Oakwell in the summer and was handed one of the smallest budgets in the Championship, which the objective to remain in the league this season.

Craig Mackail-Smith surprised a lot of people when he signed for south coast club in the summer, despite generating a lot of attention from Premier League clubs. He is a good price at 9/2 to score the opening goal in the game.

The home side look the best bet and the Seagulls to be winning at half-time/full time at odds of 7/4 looks a decent price.

Reading v Birmingham (15:00)

Birmingham travel to the Madjeski Stadium after a tough European encounter with Club Brugge on Thursday evening, in which they came back from a 2-0 deficit to take a point from the game.

It is the perfect time for the Royals to take on the Chris Hughton’s side, on the back of a European encounter and they are a solid selection at 6/5.

Reading have a solid home record so far this season, they have not been beaten on home soil since early September.

Adam Le Fondre (9/2 First Goalscorer) signed from Rotherham before the summer transfer window closed. He has made a good start to his career at the club, scoring four goals in his opening seven games.

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Dalglish eyeing Anfield comforts

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There is just one Premier League match on Wednesday evening as Fulham travel to Anfield to take on a Liverpool side who are still looking to turn the corner this season.

Roy Hodgson’s appointment as manager promised much for the Reds fans but he was unable to make it work during his brief tenure and paid the price with his job.

Returning hero Kenny Dalglish’s reign hardly began in spectacular fashion either as a 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United and a loss to Blackpool next time out had the home faithful thinking ‘here we go again’ (Man Utd 4/1 favourites to win FA Cup).

But a Merseyside derby draw with Everton and 3-0 away win at Wolves have given the fans hope that Dalglish might just be able to work his magic once again and at least gain some respectability from the season.

Wednesday’s clash with Mark Hughes’ men will be far from straight forward, however, as the Cottagers are currently on a decent run and have taken 10 points from a possible 15, and they will fancy their chances of leaving the north west with something to show for their efforts (Fulham 5/1 to win, Liverpool 4/7).

Despite the revival, Fulham are far from safe with the bottom seven separated by just five points, although victory over Liverpool would move the west Londoners above their illustrious opponents.

Dalglish will, as ever, rely heavily on the striking talents of Fernando Torres, who seems to be ploughing a lone furrow up front at the moment until the possible arrival of Ajax’s Uruguay international striker Luis Suarez.

The Spaniard looks to be getting back to somewhere near his best but needs help up front although Raul Meireles has started to blossom into a real force in midfield and he has scored two goals in the past two games.

There is no doubt that Dalglish has revived the confidence and spirit at Anfield but that will only affect results for so long and it is improved performances and points that the legendary Scot is after, with his side still eight points adrift of sixth-place Sunderland and a possible return to the Europa League next term (Liverpool 13/2 to win Europa League).

Fulham made the final of that competition last season under Hodgson but have no chance of playing European football next season.

The transition from Hodgson to Hughes took some time to bear fruit but, despite the current upturn, the Cottagers are still just four points from the drop zone.

Clint Dempsey bagged a brace at the weekend and much will depend on whether he can gel with Andy Johnson in attack, with the latter still to find his scoring boots after such a long time out through injury over the past 18 months.

Pundits always believed that Hughes had the talent at his disposal to move the club away from danger and the return of key personnel has definitely had an influence on performances and results.

The outcome of the match will depend largely on which Liverpool side turns up but, with Dalglish looking for his first win back at his spiritual home and the crowd behind them, the hosts are tipped to win this one by a couple of goals – but they will have to work hard for it.

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