Who Do We Prefer In The FA Cup?

Who Do We Prefer In The FA Cup?

Middlesbrough will sit out this weekend’s FA Cup fixtures as their fifth-round opponents – Chelsea or Brentford – are yet to play their replay, thanks to fixture congestion over early February.

With Boro having to wait until Wednesday to host either side, it gives fans of FA Cup betting time to contemplate who they would prefer to meet at the Riverside.

If Chelsea do what is expected of them and win the game comfortably, then we can expect a bumper crowd on Wednesday night and a decent atmosphere all too often lacking this season.

A good performance against the European champions could be just what we need to inspire the players into securing their playoff spot in the Championship and could even draw fans back to the stadium for the season run-in.

However, with Chelsea comes the potential of getting a real pummelling, something boss, Tony Mowbray, will not want, considering our delicate form of late. Having lost five of the last eight matches, we have surrendered our chase for automatic promotion and a heavy defeat to Chelsea could upset the cart further still.

Brentford, therefore, seems a more attractive proposition, although they will come out at the Riverside pumped after beating Chelsea and determined to create another FA Cup upset. That could drain the players just as much as playing the Blues and, should we fall to this League One club, there won’t be an ounce of confidence left for Mowbray to play with.

But let’s not be pessimistic. Boro have more than enough resources to challenge Chelsea on a good day and should wipe the floor clean with Brentford nine times out of 10. A prize of an FA Cup quarterfinal is at stake here – just one game from Wembley – and so, regardless of who we play on Wednesday, pundits on Betfair are expecting an inspired performance from the lads.

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