FA CUP

Preston North End tackle Chelsea in the early kick off in the Premier League and the Championship side look to have it all to do to get anything from the match. The Blues seem to be back to their best after an indifferent December and after scoring 12 goals in their last two games, they will be licking their collective lips at the prospect of facing out of form North End.

Preston started the season in reasonable fashion, but a disastrous run saw them pick up one win in ten games before Alan Irvine was somewhat harshly sacked. They have replaced him with Darren Ferguson, but there has been no uplift in results as the 4-2 defeat at Bristol City testifies. North End look short on confidence and more worryingly look susceptible at set pieces, which will concern their fans and backers alike with the quality Chelsea posses in their team.

New boss Ferguson has summed up the chances of his side quite well, saying,

"We are going to have to be at our maximum and Chelsea need to have an off day if we are to have a chance.

"That is what we hope will happen. You do get certain years where there are shocks in the FA Cup.

"This month Leeds won at Manchester United and Reading went to Liverpool and won. We have to use them as examples and hope we can cause a shock.

"I don't think we can rely on Chelsea being complacent, that won't happen under Carlo Ancelotti. Instead we have to rely on a really top performance from our lads.

"Looking at those other matches I've talked about, perhaps Reading went to Liverpool at the right time with Liverpool being a bit short on confidence.

"United versus Leeds is a game which takes care of itself and on the day United were very poor. Football is football and Chelsea can't play well every game, that has happened at times this season.

"But we have to make sure we put in the right kind of performance first and foremost."

Even for all the hope the North End manager may have, Chelsea do not have the look of a team who will take the game for granted and will have no problems putting their name in the hat for the next round.

At 2/7 Chelsea are a little short to be backing in the 90 minute market, but taking them at 5/6 -1.5 goals looks a great bet on the asian handicap with paddypower.
It would not take much for the blues to win by two clear goals and North End have a poor record against Premier League teams in recent seasons, with Man City, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth,  Liverpool and Tottenham all having won at Deepdale in recent seasons. Three of which won by two clear goals.

Published 22-01-2010

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