Andy's Sunday tips - Man City will impress
Sunday presents us with two more FA Cup quarter-finals to look forward to as we move closer to finding out who will be last man standing in the 2010-11 version of this fantastic competition...
Stoke v West Ham
We could easily make a case for West Ham reaching their second cup semi-final of the season. They beat Sunday's opponents 3-0 in the Premier League last weekend, have plenty of attacking options - such as Frederic Piquionne and Demba Ba - in fine form and are feeling good about themselves after winning their last three matches in all competitions. We always say confidence is a massive factor in professional football and winning can become a habit like everything else in life.
Despite all that, I'm not convinced they're going to win this match. Defeat at Upton Park will have hurt the Stoke players and management and they're the sort of guys who will want to make amends sooner rather than later. Just a week after it happened, they have a chance to put things right against the same team but this time in their own backyard.
Plus, it's one of those things that's hard to explain but despite football always being a simple game played over 90 minutes between 22 men, it's amazing how a shift from one competition to another creates a different mindset.
The Britannia crowd will be buzzing at the prospect of an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley and though Stoke aren't safe from relegation just yet, Tony Pulis will see this as a great opportunity to really give the fans something to look forward to.
It may not be the greatest game of football on the day but those passionate Stoke folk won't care too much as long as they make it through. I think they will.
Recommended Bets:
Back Stoke to win at [2.26]
Back Stoke to win 1-0 at [8.6]
Back under 1.5 goals at [3.25]
Manchester City v Reading
Manchester City are looking a little tired at the moment after playing so many games in quick succession. I doubt too many sides will have too much sympathy though when you consider their bench often includes names such as Jo, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Mario Balotelli - who would all walk into virtually any other Premier League side.
I've talked before about how the pressure at Arsenal to win a trophy was mounting, and though Roberto Mancini has obviously had far less time to deliver one at Eastlands, he's certainly had a lot more money to try and win one. This year's FA Cup represents their best chance to win their first silverware in years and I'm confident Mancini will pick virtually his strongest XI.
It makes me laugh that he was accused of not showing the right spirit when he put out his best team against Notts County just because his opponents were a lower league club. He wants to win this so it's no surprise the likes of Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure and David Silva played in that match. It's no-one's business but his own who plays and when.
Reading have done really well to get this far and credit to them for knocking out my old team Everton in the previous round. I can't see them repeating the trick though and all in all, Manchester City should have a relatively comfortable time of it.
Recommended Bets:
Back Manchester City to win both halves at [3.2]
Back Yaya Toure to score at anytime at [4.0]
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 12 Mar 2011
Leave a comment