ASIDE from the Man Utd v Cambridge encounter there are two other FA Cup replays on Tuesday. Can Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) pick out any winners for us?
Fulham v Sunderland | Tuesday 19:45
You’d like to think Sunderland’s 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday might spark up their season a little. The arrival of Jermaine Defoe will have been a real boost to the club and he got off the mark last weekend in that particular game.
Tuesday’s opponents Fulham have drawn just four of their 28 league games this season with 10 wins and 14 losses. Yes, they’re a somewhat inconsistent side.
Felix Magath’s disastrous spell in charge left Kit Symons with a lot of work to do when he took over, but he’s guided them up to 15th and it would be a surprise if they had relegation issues to deal with later in the season.
This first match was a dire 0-0 draw that did no favours for either side so let’s hope this clash has a bit more spark to it. The Cottagers have a decent home record with three wins in their last five West London games and just three defeats in 13.
I think we might see a positive display from Fulham on Tuesday with the midweek lights on at the Cottage so the Both Teams To Score bet at 11/13 with 888 Sport makes some appeal.
I’m convinced we’ll be feeling really positive after that win on Saturday and his goal might just provide the impetus for him to start a run of good form. He’ll be hungry for more opportunities, and the chance to come up against a Championship side will have him licking his lips.
Sheffield United v Preston | Tuesday 19:45
What a brave side Sheffield United are. They came out of their (ultimately unsuccessful) Capital One Cup semi-final encounter with Tottenham with an enormous amount of credit. It would have been so easy to crumble after going 1-0 down on Wednesday night, but they stayed resolute and almost reached Wembley.
We’ve seen teams use Cup success as a springboard for their league form (Sunderland last season perhaps?) and that could be the case for Nigel Clough’s side after they beat league leaders Swindon on Saturday to move back into the play-off positions.
Preston were also knocked out of a Cup last week, but in far different circumstances. They drew 0-0 with Walsall and went out on aggregate in the JPT Trophy.
It was a huge opportunity for the club and it was another low point in a bad few weeks. Simon Grayson’s men haven’t won in seven games now and he’ll be conscious of their league position as they drift further away from automatic promotion.
The winner of this tie is almost certain to play Manchester United in the Fifth Round and you’d like to think the Sheffield United players will be aware just how much fun that match will be after their League Cup heroics.
I’ll back a buoyant Sheffield United side here at 13/10 with Coral. They’re in much better form than Preston and will have the self-belief to get through here after their giantkilling and weekend win over Swindon.
TOPICS English Football Tips Football Football League TipsBest Bets
Fulham v Sunderland – Both Teams To Score (11/13 888 Sport)
Sheffield United v Preston – Sheffield United to win (13/10 Coral)
