Woking v Watford
Sunday 6th January 1400hrs
Football – England – FA Cup
Pick: 2nd half highest scoring
Bookmaker: Betway
Odds: 21/20 (odds taken 23.00 GMT, Saturday 5th January)
There have been some notable scalps for lower league clubs already in the third round of the FA Cup but when the draw was made, most eyes were cast to this fixture. The lowest ranked team left in the competition hosting a Premier League club. It is what fans associate with this stage of the competition and the magic of the cup. Can the hosts spring a massive shock?! Continue reading for a match preview of Woking v Watford with a selected best betting tip.
Woking Preview
Woking currently ply their trade in the sixth tier of English football which happens to the National League South, having been relegated last season. They are certainly going the right way about bouncing back at the first time of asking, sitting second in the league – five points behind Torquay but they do have three games in hand. They’re also in excellent form having won their last seven in the league which is a tremendous achievement in a league where the fixtures come thick and fast. Manager Alan Dowson and his players can take a short break from their league duties this weekend, though, and focus on one of the biggest fixtures in the club’s history. It’s the first time that Woking will be playing at this stage of the FA Cup in over 20 years, which was also the last time they faced a team from the top flight. The financial rewards of their run have been well publicised but come 2pm tomorrow it’s all about doing themselves justice on the pitch. Woking have had to play five games to get to this round and they have won each of those games without requiring a replay and keeping clean sheets in four of them. They’ve also knocked out the team who sit above them in the league and Football League opposition in the shape of Swindon Town.
Watford Preview
Watford are in that unenviable position of a ‘no-win’ situation ahead of their clash with Woking. Every bit of pressure is on the Premier League club and the expectation is they should be winning this with ease – any other result would be a major embarrassment considering their respective resources. It will be complete culture shock as well for their squad turning up to a very traditional stadium where the crowd will be frenetic and right on top of the action. The Hornets’ coach Rudi Gracia will not have experienced this before but he brings a team in good form and who have produced plenty of surprises of their own already this season. It’s just one defeat in the last six for Watford and they will be full of confidence looking to dispose Woking with the minimum of fuss. They also have a decent record in third round ties, winning seven of their last eight. Their best recent performance in the FA Cup came back in 2016 when they reached the semi-final. Considering they are virtually assured of their place in the Premier League for next season already, it could be they see an opportunity to progress to a similar stage once again.
Woking v Watford Betting Advice
Woking’s manager has been playing down any talk of a potential cup shock in the build-up to this one as he attempts to remove any distraction amongst his players – but it is only natural to wonder ‘what if’. These opportunities do not come along very often for clubs the size of Woking and playing at home is certainly an advantage to them on a pitch that will be tight and more suitable to them than the visitors. We’ve seen already this weekend that if Premier League clubs approach their games with the right attitude then their quality usually tells. Cardiff have been the one exception to that having been dragged down to Gillingham’s level so Watford have to be wary of that. Gracia will use his squad to freshen things up but whoever takes the field has to be ready to win the physical battle before trying to win the game.
Woking’s recent good form has been noticeable for how good they have been defensively having kept six straight clean sheets in the league. It indicates that they are going to be well organised and that may be able to frustrate their opponents. Because of that, I’m inclined to lean towards the first half being a close contest and for there to be more goals in the second half.
