Stoke vs. Brighton: FA Cup Betting Preview

Brighton are currently riding high in League One but Stoke will prove a tough nut to crack in the FA Cup and Tony Pullis’ men should be supported this weekend.

Crawley’s visit to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the fifth round will hog the headlines regardless of the result on Saturday but a number of so-called lesser sides know a place in the last eight is within touching distance and Pullis, the Stoke manager, will be all too aware.

Pullis will ready his troops to face Gus Poyet’s Brighton and is likely to field his full-strength side if their previous win in this competition over Cardiff is anything to go by.

Stoke needed a replay to get by the Bluebirds but I expect things to be more straightforward this time around and the 1.70 in a place about the hosts is worth taking.

Stoke’s success since their return to the Premier League after years in the relative wilderness has been based on some terrific form on home soil at the Britannia and, although they have not quite hit the heights of previous campaigns this time around, the gulf in class should prove telling. >

The Potters, tenth in the top flight at present, sit more than 30 league places above Saturday’s opponents and can usually be relied upon to give their true running.

Having rallied late on to beat Sunderland in their latest match in front of their own fans, Stoke won’t be fazed by the threat posed by Brighton and an early goal will set them on their way.

With nine wins from 16 matches in all competitions on home soil, Stoke should pose plenty of problems for a Brighton team not used to this calibre of opposition and even the good form of the visitors isn’t enough to dissuade me that this is a decent wager.

Brighton, top of the third tier in English football, are unbeaten in five matches but have won less than half their games away from home this term and the Britannia is never an easy place to go.

It’s an uninspiring weekend of cup football but hopefully it will still be a profitable one.

3pts Back Stoke (vs. Brighton) @ 1.70 (William Hill)