Saturday FA Cup Quarter final – Swansea City vs Tottenham Hotspur
March 17th 2018 12:15 – The Liberty Stadium
Recent Form (All competitions)
Swansea: DLWWD
Spurs: WWWLW
A rejuvenated Swansea City welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Liberty Stadium in the last eight of the FA Cup, the Swans looking to secure a first win against the Londoners since the 1982-83 season.
A club staring at relegation from the Premier League when Carlos Carvalhal took over in December 2017, Swansea now sit mid-table and in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1964 – such has been the effect of the Portuguese coach. Their cup run may have been a welcome distraction from their survival battle, but it remains to be seen if Carvalhal will prioritise his side’s league campaign over the possibility of an FA Cup semi-final berth. In all probability, they still need two more wins to secure their top flight status for next season.
The Swans will be without striker Jordan Ayew after he was shown a straight-red just 11 minutes into Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Huddersfield, earning a three-game ban.
Spurs on the other hand will know this is their only remaining chance of silverware this season having lost to Italian side Juventus in the Champions League last week. They have proud tradition in the worlds’ oldest cup competition having won it eight times, but with the last triumph coming back in 1990/91, they will feel a win is well overdue.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have the historical advantage over their Welsh counterparts having won 28 out 45 competitive encounters losing just eight. But the win against Bournemouth in their last game took a heavy toll, with star striker Harry Kane ruled out of this game after sustaining an ankle injury. There are also doubts over Dele Alli (groin) and Danny Rose (calf).
Spurs are undoubtedly the better side despite the injury situation, but much will depend on how much importance Swansea put on the game and their team selection. The FA Cup remains Spurs’ best chance to end their decade-long wait for silverware with Manchester City out – following the shock defeat to League One side Wigan – and Liverpool and holders Arsenal eliminated in the earlier rounds.
Prediction:
This is a tough game to call with so many factors to be considered. Injuries and suspensions will have a huge bearing on this but expect an open game featuring a goal from both teams with Spurs progressing. The Over 2.5 Goals market is also worth exploring.
You can back Spurs to win and both teams to score at 13/5 with Betfair.