3/1 FA Cup Acca

I still can’t quite believe what Forest have managed to achieve so far this season. They’re very much mixing it with the big boys in the Premier League, and whilst the pursuit of European football might be their primary aim, I think they can win this one comfortably even if they rotate.

This is a side that have won 6 straight games in the Premier League, keeping clean sheets in each of their last 4. That includes a 2-0 win at Brentford, Forest being the first away side to take all 3 points at the Gtech this season. They now sit 3rd in the league and are firmly cemented as a fixture in the race for Champions League football this season

Forest have been lucky to avoid injuries, and the cup represents a great chance to give much needed minutes to fringe players who may well be called upon in the coming months. Rotation however should present no issues against a Luton side that have been all over the place this term.

They’re sat 20th in the Championship, have sacked Rob Edwards, and come into this game having lost 4 on the bounce. With a caretaker duo at the helm, I really can’t see this Luton side doing much of anything against one of the Premier League’s best drilled squads. They’ve failed to score in 3 of their last 5, no doubt they’ll struggle to break this Forest team down.

I’ve been thoroughly impressed with Iraola’s Bournemouth side this season. It’s not just the results, the style of play is easy on the eye, and they’ve given the vast majority of sides a real game.

They sit 7th in the Premier League, just 3 points outside of the top 4, and this squad is littered with quality operators that Bournemouth will be lucky to keep hold of beyond the summer. The cherries are unbeaten in 8 games in the league, and have lost just twice at home all season.

As dangerous as they are going forward as well, it’s their defensive record that’s got them to where they are. Only 4 teams have conceded fewer goals than Bournemouth in the Premier League, with Zarbanyi and Huijsen making for a youthful partnership oozing real grit and strength.

That record is going to makes things incredibly difficult for a West brom side that whilst in the Championship playoff spots, are perhaps a little lacklustre. They’ve somehow kept that spot despite winning just 4 of their last 20 league games, and they’ve failed to score more than once in 13 of those 20 outings.

Away from home, the struggles continue. West Brom have won just once away from home since the backend of September, and that came against a Hull side that were in a horrendous spot at the time. It’s mostly draws rather than losses, but Bournemouth represent a serious step up in quality, and will fancy their chances at making a deep run in this cup given their form.

Burnley may well be away from home, but I can’t look past a side that are as baffingly good defensively as they are when playing a team from a lower league. Sure, this Burnley side may well be incredibly dull, but Scott Parker’s style of football has been incredibly effective, and that form should carry into the cup.

Consistent form has seen Burnley to 2nd in the Championship, but look at the table and it’s their defensive record that stands out more than their points tally or position. They’ve conceded just 9 goals in 26 games, with James Trafford keeping 16 clean sheets already over that period. To put into perspective, Leicester shipped 41 goals in their title win last season.

Parker’s side have lost just twice all season, and are now unbeaten in 13. They’ve kept 4 clean sheets on the bounce, and are about as well structured as you can get. Reading may well fancy their chances, but coming from League One, I just don’t see how they break a side down that are completely nullifying opponents in the Championship.

This Reading side have kept just 2 clean sheets in their last 12, and that simply won’t fly against a side that look set for a Championship title race. If they do concede, I can’t see them getting anything out of this game. They’ve failed to score in 3 of their last 6, and those blanks have com against far weaker than Burnley.

Is anyone expecting anything but a Brentford win here? Sure, they’ve lost their last 2 at the Gtech having gone 8 unbeaten, but I don’t see a world in which a free scoring Premier League side fails to win against the worst side in the Championship.

Brentford have been ridiculous this season, and a 5-0 win over Southampton in their last league outing shows that they still have that swagger and cutting edge to their play that makes them so difficult to deal with. Mbeumo and Wissa have scored 23 goals between them in the league, and let’s not forget that Thomas Frank’s side have the 5th best attack in the entire league.

The Bees are pacy, direct, and they’ve turned the Gtech into a nightmare venue for opponents. They’ve scored 27 in 10 at home, and should feast against a Plymouth side sat rock bottom of the Championship. Having sacked Rooney, a couple of draws may have steadied the ship somewhat, but away from home, they’re atrocious.

Plymouth have the single worst defensive record in the Championship having conceded 53 goals this term, and that makes for terrible reading given Brentford’s attacking exploits. They’re without a win on the road all season, and they’ve yet to score more than once on their travels. If they can’t get at least 2, then they’re getting nothing from Brentford here. 35 goals conceded in 14 away games is striking evidence of just how open they are – Brentford win this by at least 2.