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League One side Coventry and League Two Hartlepool will battle it out at Sixfields Stadium in a replay of the FA Cup 2nd round, after Hartlepool got a late equalizer for a 1-1 draw at home. This will be the deciding match, we`ll have penalties if another draw occurs.
Coventry has been impressive to say the least this season considering the financial problems they had prior to the start of the campaign. Barely escaping a large point-penalty and having to relocate out of town, at Sixfields Stadium, Coventry is currently 11th in the League One, with little to no relegation worries. Coventry has been particularly good up front, playing superb attacking football and boosting the best goalscoring record in the league (from the 11th place!!) with 43 goals in 20 rounds. The home side is in decent form, with 2 draws and 1 win in the last three games, recovering after 2 previously bad losses which broke a fantastic run of results.
Hartlepool is a bottom half of the table side in League Two, being on 14th place with 26 points in 20 rounds. They are not so bad, but surely not too good either. Hartlepool is not much of a scoring threat, barely getting 1 goal per game in average. Their defense is ok, but nothing special (22 conceded in 20 rounds). I can say that this side is on an obvious downtrend after relegating from the League 1 last season and firing manager Tony Hughes, who really had something to offer to the team. Hartlepool`s form is decent for their standards: 1 win, 3 draws and 3 losses in the last month. The visitors are on the back of three consecutive draws.
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Team news: Willis, Dagnall and Maguire are out for Coventry, while key defender Jordan Clarke is questionable. Coventry will field the best available lineup, hoping to earn some money from this competition, especially that in the next round they would face Barnsley in a winnable match. Hartlepool does not have any new injuries or suspensions, but they will continue to be without Richards and Jones.
There is a clear difference in quality here, even though Hartlepool has been the better team in the previous meeting – but that was mainly because Coventry got an early lead. Coventry does not have the luxury to play on their own stadium, but they have been doing just fine at Sixfields, winning 6 out of 11 in the rugged League 1.
The hosts are having a superb season considering the expectations, the atmosphere is great and the fans will travel in large number to Sixfields Stadium, assuring great support. Coventry`s devastating offense should be way too much for Hartlepool, while the goal-shy visitors are not expected to pose too much trouble offensively except for the occasional counters. The lower tiers of english football are always unpredictable, but I feel that this FA Cup tie provides no premises for a surprise. Indeed, Hartlepool has not lost in the last three games, and has an almost full squad to choose from, but the quality gap is just too big and, very important, the better team (Coventry) is in solid form, also with excellent confidence and morale. My pick is Coventry to win this in style, they could surely score a couple of goals and cover the handicap based on their offensive play. The over 2.5 goals also looks a decent betting tip, but I`m afraid the visitors won`t score and it could end up 2-0. Take the home win with -1 asian handicap at some excellent odds. The odds are increasing, but I expect this trend to be reversed sooner rather than later. My pick here is Coventry – Hartlepool 3-1.
Pick: Coventry (-1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.23 @ Sbobet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 9.84
Event date: 17 December
Editor Facts
- Rostick is 1 for 2 in tips on Coventry this season
