Peterborough United are ready to host Leeds United in the FA Cup third-round clash at the Weston Homes Stadium on Sunday, January 7.
The League One promotion hopefuls face a stern opener in England’s oldest tournament against a Leeds side fighting for promotion into the Premier League next season.
Having won three of their last five matches and being in a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions, Peterborough have some momentum on their side against a Leeds side battling inconsistency in recent weeks.
But the general difference in quality among the two sides means that the Whites are, predictably, the bookmaker’s favourites to win.
Leeds Win
Bet365, Betfair and Sky Bet are all tipping on Leeds to get the win. Betfair has them in 7/10 odds, meaning that if one was to bet $1 for them to win – they’d get a return of $1.70 with a $0.70 profit. Bet365 has 13/20 odds, meaning a $1 bet through the platform gets you a $.165 return if the result is successful.
Peterborough Win
Peterborough are mostly given unfavourable 7/2 odds by major bookmakers, meaning a $1 bet on them to win will fetch one a $4.50 return if the result is true. While a bet on the Whites is the most logical option, it could make sense to diversify the bets for this one.
Correct Score Odds
The Posh have scored goals in their last 10 games across all competitions, meaning their goal-scoring possibility shouldn’t be underestimated.
A 2-1 win for Leeds has interesting odds of 8/1, meaning a $1 can fetch you a $8 return if the result comes true.
Expected Goalscorers
Now Peterborough will not be any pushovers here, having scored more goals than any other team in League One this season.
Their standout performer this season has been winger Ephron Mason-Clark, who has already two goals in three FA Cup games. Moreover, he’s also had 13 goal contributions in 24 league games and has more goals than any Peterborough player in this campaign.
Striker Jonson Clarke-Harris is another intimidating threat, averaging a goal contribution every 149 minutes for the Posh – and is an impactful substitute.
Mason-Clark, meanwhile, has a 10/1 odds to score the opener, meaning you’d get a $10 return for every $1 and this could be a decent gamble knowing his impressive form.
For the Whites, their influential winger Crysencio Summerville has been on fire.
With 18 goal contributions in 27 Championship games, the 22-year-old has been blowing away opponents.
He comes into this having scored three goals in his last five games, including the recent-most 3-0 thrashing of Birmingham City.
Summerville’s 21/10 odds for being a goal-scorer at any time ($3.20 return for $1 bet) are decent odds as well.
Apart from Summerville, Leeds have a few other menacing forwards that can cause havoc.
This includes clinical striker Joel Piroe whose 9 goals have helped the Whites and speedy winger Daniel James – who has 14 goal contributions too.
The Posh have mostly stuck to the normal 4-2-3-1 formation, needing help from their wide players to create chances and score goals. Mason-Clark excels in drifting in from the left-wing to cause chaos, while creative attacking midfielder Josh Randall also influences a lot of their transitions.
Interestingly, Leeds United also have the tendency to go with the 4-2-3-1 formation approach but tend to like dominating the possession more often. They are quite reliant on their quick passing approach and have quick wingers that help them excel in the counter-attacking situations, with the Whites being able to turn defence into attack very quickly.
Summerville and James have both been influential to their success this season, using their menacing runs through the wide areas to penetrate the opposition backline and score or create goals. Patrick Bamford helps with the link-up play and move defenders out of positions too, while Piroe has excelled in the no.10 role this season too.
The magic of the FA Cup always promises that games between teams of any quality can be thrilling battles. Even though there is a division’s gap between Leeds and Peterborough, this one should be a thrilling, end-to-end clash which will be decided on the wide areas. With that being said, going by how prolific Leeds’ wingers have been this season, it’d be smart to gamble on them to get a narrow win.
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