Sports Blog 08/01/2016: Match Preview – FA Cup 3rd Round, Saturday 9th to Sunday 10th January 2016

It may be coming in an intensely cluttered period for English football, but this weekend nevertheless sees a blockbuster burst of FA Cup 3rd round action, with plenty of potential banana peels for those Premier League sides wanting to avoid an early exit.

One of the biggest chances for (not much of) an upset this weekend comes with Saturday’s opener, when a struggling Aston Villa travel to Wycombe at 12.45pm on BT Sport 2. Planted firmly at the bottom of the Premier League with a mere 8 points from 20 games, Remi Garde’s Villa are in dire straits at the moment, winless since the first day of the season. They found some relief in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the League Cup (before exiting at the hands of Southampton in the 4th), a semblance of success they will be hoping to repeat on Saturday.



Despite a 2-0 loss to Morecambe last weekend Wycombe have fared much better this season, sitting in 6th place in League Two. The Wanderers have already slogged their way through 2 rounds of the FA Cup: a 4-0 win over the National League’s Halifax Town in the 1st was hardly a surprise; an injury time win over League One’s Millwall was more notable, and may have left Wycombe with a taste for (sort of) giant killing ahead of the weekend. Given how bad Villa have been its not impossible, though our Spreadex traders just about fancy the Premier League side, offering a Aston Villa/Wycombe (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.35-055 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.4-2.6.

Saturday evening then provides an under-pressure Louis van Gaal another opportunity to slip up, with Manchester United hosting Sheffield United at 5.30pm on BT Sport 2. To say Man United fans aren’t too happy with their Dutch manager is an understatement, a 2-1 victory over Swansea last weekend only just bringing to an end a 6 game winless streak in the league (a 7 game run if you include United crashing out of the Champions League with a loss to Wolfsburg, which you should).



Luckily for Louis he has been handed a relatively easy 3rd round draw in the form of Sheffield United. Loitering outside the play-off zone in League One in 8th place, the Blades have lost steam after a solid start to the season. In the FA Cup they have already beaten Worcester City and Oldham Atheltic, though they face an immeasurably tougher task when they travel to Old Trafford, even if the Theatre of Dreams isn’t fortress it once was. Louis van Gaal’s sluggish side shouldn’t have too many issues on Saturday, with Spreadex offering a Manchester United/Sheffield United Goal Supremacy spread of 1.6-1.8, with a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.

Turning to Sunday and Swansea may have a tricky tie on their hands when they travel to a promotion-pushing Oxford United at 12pm on BBC One Wales. Recently announcing that interim manager Alan Curtis will be in charge until the end of the season, Swansea are teetering on the edge of the relegation zone, only 2 points separating them and 18th place Newcastle. With 1 win in their last 10 games, the Swans will be desperate for a result on Sunday, but face a battle that, though against a side 3 divisions below them, will be more difficult than it sounds.



For Oxford United have only lost 4 games all season (3 in League Two and 1 in the League Cup), leaving them in 3rd place and only 4 points behind league leaders Plymouth Argyle. Their progress in the FA Cup hasn’t been quite as smooth, however, despite facing purely National League calibre competition. They were forced into a 1st round replay against Braintree Town after drawing the first match 1-1, going on to win 3-1 in the return fixture; Oxford then only narrowly beat Forest Green Rovers, a late(ish) goal form Kemar Roofe sending them through to the 3rd round. The bigger club should just about manage a win, sitting at a Swansea/Oxford United (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.45-0.65, with a Total Goals spread of 2.6-2.8.

In the midst of an unimaginably bad Premier League season, Chelsea will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s shock defeat to Bradford City when they face Scunthorpe United at 2pm on BT Sport 1. The Blues have arguably seen an uptake in form since Jose Mourinho left the club, winning 2 and drawing 2 under Gus Hiddink’s command. It may not sound like much, but that 4 game lossless run is Chelsea’ best period this season, one that still, admittedly, leaves them sitting in 14th place in the league. Now they just have to navigate a 3rd round fixture that it would be typically Chelsea 2015/16 to lose.



Fortunately for Chelsea even their vastly diminished side should be able to handle League One’s Scunthorpe, who are currently languishing in an unexciting, but appropriate, 15th place. Scunthorpe had one of the tougher starts to this year’s FA Cup; they faced newly-promoted League One opponents Southend United in the 1st round, narrowing winning 2-1 at home. A trip to Leyton Orient greeted them in round 2, an initial 0-0 draw leading to a 3-0 victory at Glanford Park in the replay. Yet it is a big ask to travel to a Premier League club and nab a knockout-win, leading to a Chelsea/Scunthorpe Goal Supremacy spread of 2.15-2.35 alongside a Total Goals spread of 3.4-3.6.

Finally Sunday afternoon then sees perhaps the pick of the entire 3rd round draw, with an ascendant Tottenham taking on a slightly flagging Leicester City at 4pm on BT Sport ESPN. Whilst a surprise loss to Newcastle slightly spoilt things back in mid-December, it was only Tottenham’s second defeat of the season, a feat that should arguably see them further up the table than 4th. A propensity for draws is what seems them still 6 points off of Arsenal, but they will looking to carry their current confidence (fuelled by Harry Kane who, on 13 goals, has more than recovered from his stuttering start to the season) into Sunday’s fixture.



Leicester, on the other hand, have begun to feel the pressure in the last few games. Also seeing their 2nd defeat of the season in their Boxing Day tie at Anfield, the Foxes have failed to score in their last 3 matches, a situation made all the worse by an injury to top scorer, and story of the season, Jamie Vardy. They will be looking to reignite the fire that has burnt so brightly when they face Tottenham at the weekend, but with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min in such fine form, and missing their main man up front, Leicester may struggle. Our traders seem to think so, at least, offering a Tottenham/Leicester Goal Supremacy spread of 0.8-0.1 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.