The English FA Cup has made its reputation as one of best cup competitions in the world on the fact that there is such potential for upsets in every tie, especially in the early rounds of the competition.
One tie that falls into the category of potential upset is this weekend’s FA Cup third-round tie between League One Rochdale and Premier League Newcastle at the Crown Oli Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides have been in poor form of late in their respective leagues. The home side are currently just four points clear of the relegation zone in the third tier.
Meanwhile, the visitors head into the clash just five points clear of the top-flight drop zone. In itself, the fact that both teams are struggling in their respective leagues does not matter, as form seems to go out of the window in the FA Cup.
The competition is a chance for teams struggling in the league to take a break from their league toil and enjoy a game of football.
🍽 A handful of hospitality packages remain on sale to #NUFC supporters ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie against Rochdale at Spotland.— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) January 2, 2020
🍽 A handful of hospitality packages remain on sale to #NUFC supporters ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie against Rochdale at Spotland.
It is hard not to look at recent previous form, though. The home side has a rather inconsistent record in the FA Cup in recent years. However, they have lost just once in their last six matches in the famous old competition. They have also suffered just one home defeat in their last seven outings on home soil in the FA Cup.
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce is suddenly under pressure from the Toon Army after a series of poor results. The Magpies actually enjoyed a decent start to their league campaign, but that form has slipped and they have now lost four of their last five games.
The north east team also has a poor record in the FA Cup, having failed to win any of their last four matches in the competition in 90 minutes.
However, Forebet predicts that the Premier League outfit will record a narrow victory to progress to the fourth round of the competition.