The FA Cup fourth round replays take place this week, with teams looking to book their place in the fifth round of the competition. One replay that takes place on Tuesday night sees Championship promotion contenders Middlesbrough travel to face Newport County, who are currently mid-table in League Two. After drawing at the Riverside in what was a surprise result, these two go head to head again and although they couldn’t get things done in the first game, we are backing Middlesbrough to get them done in the second.

With Middlesbrough contending for promotion in the Championship, and currently holding a playoff position, they could really do without this game. Not only is it something to take their mind off their league position and what they have ahead of them in that competition, but it is another game for tired legs to play, while the majority of their fellow Championship clubs are resting ahead of next weekend’s fixtures.

Newport are in a position where they are too far behind for promotion and too far ahead to worry about relegation and that will allow them to focus strongly on this game. After picking up a draw away against Middlesbrough, who are two leagues higher than them, they should really fancy their chances of causing a big upset here, and will no doubt field their strongest possible team in an attempt to do so.

Middlesbrough will have to guard against that of course, but even if Boro decide to rest three or four players for this game, they have a big squad that should be capable of coming away with a win. The first game should have acted as a warning to Middlesbrough that they cannot take Newport lightly, and that is only going to help them here to get the job done in a professional manner.

With the draw for the next round already completed since the first game took place, the winners know who awaits them in the next round and it could not get much bigger. The winner of this tie will be at home in round five, with Manchester City their opponents, in what is going to be a huge game for whoever makes it through and a chance to test themselves against one of the best football teams in the world, never mind the country. This is a reward that should give both teams an extra incentive on Tuesday night when they meet.

Does the FA Cup Have Magic Anymore?

Up until the last decade, the FA Cup was always regarded as a special competition, and one of the best cup competitions in the world. Teams wanted to perform in the FA Cup, players wanted to win it and so did the fans, there was always a special feeling surrounding the FA Cup, whether it was on cup final day, or on the day of the first round. People used to look for results and cheer on the underdogs every round, but has the magic of the cup disappeared in recent years, and has the importance of the Premier League taken something away from it?

We have seen a large wave of clubs rest players for the FA Cup, and putting it towards the bottom of their priority list. This isn’t just those that are involved at the top of the Premier League though, this has now spread to other teams, including those at the bottom of the Premier League and even those who are involved with promotion and relegation battles further down the pyramid. While ever we have teams and managers showing disregard for the competition like this, and fielding weakened teams then the fans are going to struggle to love the cup as much as they used to, and the longer this goes on, the more detached from the competition we will become.

There used to be a huge sense of achievement surrounding winning a trophy, but with the Premier League top four now having huge significance, teams are prioritising that over winning a trophy. We only need to look at a team like Tottenham recently, who are putting more emphasis into their top four bid rather than trying to win a trophy. The same can be said about Arsenal and Manchester United, who faced each other in the fourth round recently. Both teams fielded fairly strong teams, but had the game been a league game then they would have gone all out and fielded and even stronger team.

Let’s hope that the magic of the FA Cup returns, but until we get to the very latter rounds of the competition, it appears as though teams will continue to treat is with disregard, and field weakened teams as they have other priorities which they see as more important than this historic trophy.

Newport County vs Middlesbrough Betting Tips

Just as we have been speaking about teams putting other priorities above the FA Cup it is worth mentioning that I think Middlesbrough will rest a couple of players here as they look to try and win promotion to the Premier League. They are right in the thick of the action, seven points off the automatic promotion places and three points clear of Derby who are on the edge of the playoff places. The run in is sure to be tight, and Middlesbrough are one of many teams involved.

Newport are not in that kind of position, and it is likely they will cruise to the end of the season and finish mid-table in League Two so there is no reason for them to not play their best team here. However, having said that, I still think that Middlesbrough will be too strong for Newport on Tuesday evening, and they are the best here, at the surprising price of nearly evens.

I wasn’t expecting to see Middlesbrough at that kind of price, and the reward on offer for them is something that I think will spur them on. The winner will not only have a home tie against Manchester City to look forward to, but the game will also be on TV live, giving them the chance to show the footballing world what they are capable of doing against one of the biggest clubs.

The first round will have shown Middlesbrough what Newport are capable of, and that warning is something they will act on here. I am backing Middlesbrough to pick up the win and make it into the 5th round for their big game against Manchester City.

A good tie looks to be on the horizon, but it is the higher ranked Championship club I expect to come out on top.

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