Accumulator for the FA Cup round

We have put together a three-match combo for the third round of the FA Cup.

Newport – Eastleigh

The home side play in the fourth division, the visitors in the fifth, but both sides are struggling in midfield, even if the home side are more likely to approach from below. These teams have already had two rounds to go, with Newport having already solved two fifth division rivals, moving on to face podium finishers Barnes and Oldham, and now it’s Eastleigh’s turn.

The visitors are not known for their defending in the National League either, with 49 goals conceded the fourth worst in the league, and Eastleigh have been conceding a lot of goals in recent weeks. In addition, the visitors will have three key absentees, while Newport could see the return of 1-2 players. The home side’s superiority in quality should come to the fore, I expect at least two goals from Newport, as at the back Eastleigh have conceded 14 goals (!) in their last 5 games, and now they could face a higher quality rival.
Chelsea – Preston

Pochettino has stated that the FA Cup is one of the routes to the European Cup, as it will be almost impossible to even challenge for the Conference League from the Championship. To do that, they must first get past Preston, which even with the absentees should not be a problem for the Londoners, who are interested in progressing, and Chelsea could come in at three-all.

Luton – Bolton

Although Luton have better things to do than march on in the FA Cup, they are still much better favourites at home than their third division rivals. They won’t field the strongest home eleven, but there’s a good chance of at least a one-two with the PL champions, so we’ll go with the home side in double figures.