Home And Away: Lyon and Sunderland set for cup success

Daily Tipping / Jonno Turner / 08 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

Remi Garde wants to mark his first season as Lyon boss with silverware

Jonno Turner is focussing on domestic cup action this evening, foreseeing victory for Sunderland and Lyon...

The big news in the papers today is that Kylie Minogue's being stalked by a 'Twitter weirdo'. Well that narrows it down. I'm all for Twitter, but I find it very difficult to express what I want to say in just 140 charac

Personally, I'm more of a fan of Kylie's sister, Dannii. She's a pretty girl, but I do think her i's are too close together.

We're off to the north east this evening, as we focus on the FA Cup replay between Middlesbrough and Sunderland taking place at the Riverside Stadium. These two sides fought out a 1-1 draw last time out to force a replay, with both sides desperate to secure passage to the fifth round.

I saw the first encounter between these two sides, and with Sunderland a little off-colour, I think Boro missed a golden opportunity to scalp their neighbours in that game.

The Premier League side have had a lot of time to reflect on that performance, and coupled with a mini-injury crisis down at the Riverside - they are likely to be without Marvin Emnes, Faris Haroun, Scott McDonald, Barry Robson and Nicky Bailey - it seems that the home side will be fighting an uphill battle this evening.

Boro boss Tony Mowbray saw his side storm up the table in the first few months of the season, but they have gone a little cold recently, and have won just one of their last eight games.

And with three winless games from four at the Riverside, Mowbray's side look set to struggle as they welcome the Black Cats. The visitors have undergone a mini-revival since Martin O'Neill took over and have only lost one of their last ten outings, winning seven of those.

With many players brought back in from the cold, Sunderland - who beat Stoke at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday - are playing with real zip and confidence, and that has seen them climb up into eighth.

And the away side will be keen to continue their winning momentum as they travel to their rivals this evening. There's bound to be a great atmosphere and O'Neill will be going there to win - and win in style.

Boro have not beaten their neighbours since 2006, and I think that the away win is fantastic value tonight.

Bet 1: Sunderland (AWAY) to win @ [1.98]

My brother was a victim of his own success - his trophy cabinet collapsed on him. Two sides desperate to fill theirs form the basis for our second tip of the day, as Lyon welcome Bordeaux to Stade Gerland in the Coupe de France.

The hosts have been excellent so far this season, and have lost only twice in their last 14 games in all competitions. And in the bigger picture, they have lost only two in 31 on their own patch.

That form has left Remi Garde's side occupying fourth place in Ligue 1, and looking to launch a late attack on the top three. But this evening they will turn their attentions to Bordeaux, who have also been turning in some decent performances of late.

The away side - who are coached by Francois Gillot - have been churning out win after win at home, and have secured 15 points from their last 15 at Stade Chaban Delmas.

But Gillot has seen his side suffering from travel sickness for much of the season, and their away form leaves a lot to be desired. Just two wins from their last 19 on the road indicates that the poor returns away from their own patch is becoming something of an Achilles heel to Les Girondins - and it has had a large bearing on their underwhelming league position of ninth

With a place in the semi-finals at stake, this competition will be taken very seriously by both sides - and with Lyon already in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue in April, they will be desperate to keep their chances of securing a cup double alive.

The last time these two sides met, Lyon ran out 3-1 winners - and I expect them to book their place in the last four of this cup tonight.

Bet 2: Lyon (HOME) to win @ [1.93]