FA Cup Tips: Coventry to summon the spirit of '87

"The Sky Blues have had some good cup runs in a recent seasons, with victories at Blackburn and Manchester United being the undoubted highlights."

Back a Tottenham v Coventry draw @ 5.8 (24/5)

The Premier League makes way for the FA Cup this weekend and Paul Robinson has cast his eye over Betfair's Fixed Odds markets for you. Here are his selections:

Crystal Palace v Stoke  
Back Crystal Palace @ 2.87 (15/8)  
Back Over 2.5 goals @ 2.1 (11/10)  

The FA Cup is notorious for its upsets and I think we could be in store for a bit of a mini one at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace take on Stoke.

The Eagles are soaring in third place in the Championship at the moment and they ended a five match winless run by defeating Wolves last time out. In all fairness to Palace, three of those five games were away from home and they only lost one of them, which was against the league leaders. 

Ian Holloway has come in as manager since the departure of Dougie Freedman and he has continued their fine record at home. After losing their opening match at Selhurst Park of the season, Palace have gone on a 12 match unbeaten run,  winning eight and drawing four. They have been scoring goals for fun, netting two or more in 10 of those dozen games.

Stoke's own 10 league match unbeaten run came to an end last time at Manchester City. While that can be forgiven, they did draw a fair few in that spell and it took a late fight back to snatch a point against Southampton the time before.

The Potters have already been knocked out of the Capital One Cup by lower league opposition this term and I think they could be vulnerable away to Palace here. The Londoners score plenty of goals, especially at home, so not only do I think a home win is overpriced at 2.87 (15/8), over 2.5 goals at odds-against is also worth a bet.

Millwall v Preston  
Back Millwall @ 1.66 (4/6) 
Back Millwall to win 1-0 @ 6.5 (11/2)  

Millwall are another Championship club who are playing well at the moment and I strongly fancy them to have too much for League One's Preston.

The Lions are seventh in the table, missing out on the play-off places on goal difference only. They put a pair of defeats behind them on New Year's Day by beating Bristol City at home, and before that they'd lost just one of their previous 16.

The Den has always been an intimidating place to go for opposition players and fans alike, highlighted by the fact that Millwall have won six of their last nine there. They lost just once during that period, and that was in a game where they were reduced to 10 men.

Preston are 14th in League One, having won just three of their last 16 in that division. Not so long ago they were pushing for promotion to the Premier League, but things aren't as rosy as they once were at Deepdale, and manager, Graham Westley, has a job on his hands to even get them back to the Championship.

On the road, The Lilywhites have won two of their last half dozen, and one of those was against the struggling, Hartlepool. The goals have dried up away from home lately, firing blanks against Leyton Orient and Portsmouth, before managing just a single goal in each of their last two.

Millwall look like a solid pick here to make it through to the fourth round and a 1-0 correct score appeals to me as neither side score that many and two of Millwall's last five at home have finished with the same scoreline. 

Tottenham v Coventry  
Back the draw @ 5.8 (24/5)  
Back 'Yes' in the both teams to score market @ 2.05 (21/20)  

It's a repeat of the 1987 cup final here and I fancy Coventry to pull off another shock and snatch a draw at White Hart Lane.

Spurs are in fine form at present, third in the league after winning seven of their last nine. After being held by Stoke just before Christmas, they have gone on to pick up maximum points over the festive period, with six of them coming away from home.

AVB got off to a somewhat sluggish start during his initial games at the Lane. Tottenham won just two of their opening half dozen, losing to Chelsea and Wigan and being held by West Brom and Norwich. Since then they've won four of their next five, but they can look a touch shaky at times, especially if the manager persists with William Gallas in the middle.

Coventry got off to an abysmal start in League One, but since Mark Robins was appointed manager, they have flown up the table. They suffered a shock home defeat to Shrewsbury on New Year's Day, but before that they'd lost just one of 14 in all competitions, winning 11 of them.

The Sky Blues have had some good cup runs in a recent seasons, with victories at Blackburn and Manchester United being the undoubted highlights. They are scoring for fun at present, especially away, as they have netted three or more in each of their last five, so not only is the draw a bit big at 5.8 (24/5), both teams to score is huge at odds-against.

Recommended Bets
Back Crystal Palace @ 2.87 (15/8)  
Back Over 2.5 goals in Crystal Palace v Stoke @ 2.1 (11/10)  
Back Millwall @ 1.66 (4/6) 
Back Millwall to beat Preston 1-0 @ 6.5 (11/2)  
Back a Tottenham v Coventry draw @ 5.8 (24/5)  
Back 'Yes' in the both teams to score market for Tottenham v Coventry @ 2.05 (21/20)  

Prices are based on our Fixed Odds product, so any winnings are exempt from commission.

There are no comments on this article.

Amazon Watches Center

The Big Saturday Multiple: Coventry to keep the run going

Bet 1: Coventry City @ 2.37n/a

Bet 2: Bradford City @ 2.26/5

Bet 3: Gillingham @ 1.664/6

Two sleeping giants in form are included in Jonno Turner's Big Saturday Multiple. Our man rounds things off with a bet on Gillingham...

We're off to the Midlands for our first pick of this three team multiple - and the Ricoh Arena, as in-form Coventry City play host to Notts County.

Home boss Mark Robins has really hit the ground running since being installed at the helm of the Sky Blues, and will be desperate for his side to extend their recent unbeaten run and make it six without a loss.

Some impressive wins, coupled with hard-fought draws on their travels, is exactly the kind of form that the home side will need to maintain if they are to make their mark on the top end of this division - and the fruits of Robins' labour are already beginning to show, as his side have pulled clear of the relegation zone to which they appeared chained just a few weeks ago.

Another three points in this clash could lift City right up towards mid table - but decent results against the likes of MK Dons and Bournemouth at the Ricoh in recent weeks shows that the hosts are more than capable of going toe to toe with the quality sides in this competition.

Notts County are a side who experienced a similar improvement in results last campaign following the appointment of Keith Curle as boss at Meadow Lane - but that honeymoon is over, and results have been far from satisfactory of late.

A decent start to the campaign saw the Magpies cement their place at the right end of the table, but three losses from their last four has seen the Nottingham side slip down to fifth in the table - and another defeat here could see them fall out of the play-off reckoning.

Just one win from their last four on the road suggests that the visitors may struggle to secure three points in the Midlands, and I'm backing the home win at what I believe are cracking odds on a Coventry side full of momentum.

There have been two or more goals in six of the last eight games featuring these two sides - so I'm also chucking a few quid at the 'Over 2.5 goals' market, which is priced at 2.04 at the time of writing.

Bet 1: Coventry City @ 2.37n/a

Dropping down a level now, to League Two, and Bradford City, another 'sleeping giant' who have hit form of late, welcome Cheltenham Town to Valley Parade.

The Bantams have endured a torrid time in recent years, and their fall from grace from Premiership new boys to fourth tier strugglers has been alarming.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel - boss Phil Parkinson has re-energised this West Yorkshire club, and they are currently on an impressive run of just one loss in ten outings on their own patch.

That form has led the hosts to eighth in the table, and another three points in front of the Bantams faithful here could put them right into the mix with around a third of the campaign gone.

Cheltenham are on a decent trot of their own though - and this one will not be an easy game for the home side.

Manager Mark Yates will be delighted with the early season form of his side, and they go into this one sitting pretty in third place in the division.

But just one win from their last three going into this game suggest that the momentum shown by the Robins may be wearing off somewhat, and the visiting boss will be desperate for his side to regain some confidence in West Yorkshire.

More worryingly, seven goals shipped in their last three points to defensive issues - and although the visitors did beat AFC Wimbledon last time out, they made hard work of it, and nearly let the strugglers back into the game at the death.

This will be a tough game for both sides, but I fancy Bradford's home advantage to pay dividends here.

Bet 2: Bradford City @ 2.26/5

Staying in the bottom tier for our final pick of this multiple, and league leaders Gillingham are aiming to make it seven wins from nine as they host Burton Albion at Priestfield.

Three wins from their last four in front of their own fans has seen the Gills cement their position at the summit of the division - but it is not just their ability to grind out results which is turning heads, it's also the manner in which they are doing so.

Three clean sheets from four at home shows that the hosts have the defensive quality to fend off the majority of sides at this level, and I don't think that Burton will give them much to worry about this weekend.

And the Kent side will be full of vigour and confidence following a 4-0 thrashing of Aldershot last weekend which saw them pull three points clear of nearest rivals Port Vale in the early stages of what promises to be an exciting title race.

Visitors Burton are currently sitting in fifth place in the table - and will be happy with that, but they have endured a nightmare few weeks of late, and just one win from half a dozen games going into this tie is not the best preparation for travelling to the league leaders.

Boss Gary Rowett will be keen to arrest that slump, but salvation is unlikely to come this weekend as the Gills look to put even more space between themselves and their promotion rivals.

Just one win from four away from the Pirelli Stadium suggests that the visitors may struggle in this one, and with numerous sides breathing down their necks, the Brewers could slip out of the play-off positions if they fail to secure any points in this one.

Gillingham have scored the first goal in three of their last five, and I expect them to burst out of the traps in this one, so I'm backing the Gillingham HT/FT at odds of 2.56/4.

Bet 3: Gillingham @ 1.664/6

*

Multiple prices are based on our Fixed Odds product, so any winnings are exempt from commission

There are no comments on this article.

Amazon Watches Center