An FA Cup Sunday is a good thing regardless, but the timing splits between the games means you can get involved on multiple occasions, as well as fairly much dedicating the Lord’s day to the world’s oldest football competition.
Now, I’ve taken a liberty there in making that sound far more poetic than it will be, but feel free to relay that prose to anyone who complains you haven’t folded the washing yet. It is the FA Cup after all.
Middlesbrough v Spurs – Spurs to Win (4/7)
This is a quality plug-in to your acca for one primary reason: Jose Mourinho.
Yes, it’s likely that Son will make his return in this game too and you’d fancy him against this Boro XI by himself, but Jose wins trophies and regardless of how he’s doing in the league, he knows his modus operandi is specifically for bringing silverware to a team who didn’t have any in the previous decade.
Does going to Middlesbrough on a Sunday morning upset him? I’m sure, like any other right-minded human being that it does, but it’s something he’ll overcome.
As will his Tottenham team. On occasion, we clash with Jose Mourinho’s arrogance and call it for what it is, but in this instance, there’s a beautiful opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Jose Mourinho does not care about you, or your feelings – and definitely not Middlesbrough.
Crystal Palace v Derby – Palace to Win (4/6)
Derby County have just notched back-to-back wins for the first time this season. But let’s not get too carried away – especially as Wayne Rooney looks both overweight and not fit enough.
Him operating way further downfield due to lack of energy will benefit Palace who know he won’t be able to cover in-cutting runs from wide – a staple of this Palace team – and there’ll be space galore for the big hitters to operate in.
Apart from Waghorn, there’s not a chief goalscoring threat in this Derby County side and while they’re probably stuck in the mud in a season where they’re happy with neither their manager or their senior players for off-field issues, a scalp here really does seem like a step too far for them.
Sheffield United v AFC Fylde – Sheffield United HT/FT (4/7)
Searching for an angle here is like searching for a decent pundit on Premier League football not named Gary Neville.
But of all clubs to trust, you trust Sheffield United – a model of efficiency and a firm believer in the power of analytics, there’s no way they let this game get away from them. If anything, I think this price is slightly generous given that the Blades themselves are a general 1/9 shot.
I know there’s a risk in here that they rest starters, but their U19 unit could probably dismantle Fylde if they wanted.
Couldn’t they?
Bet Summary
- Middlesbrough v Spurs – Spurs to Win (4/7)
- Crystal Palace v Derby – Palace to Win (4/6)
- Sheffield United v AFC Fylde – Sheffield United HT/FT (4/7)
A £/€1 treble on these selections returns £/€4.12 including stake on pp.com. Odds correct at time of posting, subject to change.
Find a full range of FA Cup Sunday fixtures over on pp.com