Tottenham travel to Northern Premier League North West Division side Marine on Sunday looking to avoid the biggest upset in FA Cup history.
Marine are the lowest ranked club still remaining in the FA Cup and Sunday’s outing at Rossett Park will be their eighth tie in the competition this season.
An extra-time triumph over Havant & Waterlooville in round two, courtesy of a Niall Cummins goal, set up a mouthwatering clash with Premier League opposition this weekend and they are 40/1 to pull off the upset.
Spurs are expected to heavily rotate for the trip, but it’s understood that Jose Mourinho will still have plenty of household names in the XI to face a team which includes NHS workers, teachers and a refuse collector.
Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale is set to be deployed from the start as he looks to get some much-needed minutes after recovering from a calf injury.
Despite the FA Cup’s long history of giant-killings, you’ll need to look elsewhere on Sunday to find an upset with Spurs likely to coast to victory on Merseyside.
Finding the value in a Spurs win is difficult but getting behind a high-scoring victory looks the way to go for this meeting.
Tottenham have scored five goals across their last two outings in all competitions, beating Championship and Premier League opposition, and should find little resistance from Marine.
Over 4.5 goals in the game cane backed at 5/6 with over 5.5 goals available at 33/20.
Pompey Primed to Rock Robins
The FA Cup has offered plenty of joy for Portsmouth in the past, winning the competition twice – most recently in 2007-08 – while they have finished runners-up on three occasions.
With promotion to the Championship their main ambition for 2020-21, Pompey will be looking to use Sunday’s third round tie with second-tier Bristol City to continue their recent momentum.
Portsmouth currently sit third in League One after enjoying a four-game unbeaten streak, earning victories over promotion rivals Peterborough, Hull and Ipswich during that sequence.
They have won each of their last three games on the road across all competitions and have only tasted defeat twice on their travels this term.
The Robins, meanwhile, have struggled over recent weeks and they return to Ashton Gate with just one win in their last five engagements, losing four during that run.
The Robins have slipped to 10th in the Championship during that disappointing run of results and the prospect of fitting in further FA Cup ties into an already busy schedule isn’t likely to be welcomed.
There’s a huge amount of value to be had in backing Portsmouth here, available at 13/10, as they seek a fourth successive away victory.
Newport Eyeing Another Giant-Killing
Newport County have earned a reputation for upsetting the odds in this competition over recent years, with Rodney Parade proving to be a difficult venue upper echelon opponents.
The Welsh outfit defeated Leeds, who were in the Championship, in January 2018 before holding Tottenham to a draw, although they were beating 2-0 in the replay at Wembley.
They further bolstered their reputation in 2018-19 as they reached the fifth round after beating Leicester and Middlesbrough before succumbing to Manchester City.
Sunday’s meeting with Brighton, who have been far from perfect in 2020-21, offers another fantastic opportunity to write the next chapter in their FA Cup story.
Albion’s preference for trying to play attractive football on the deck isn’t likely to be conducive with the surface at Rodney Parade and, therefore, Newport have to be taken seriously.
A victory inside 90 minutes can be backed at 11/2 but there is also plenty of value in getting behind Newport double chance at 17/10.
*All odds correct at time of writing
