English FA CUP
2009-01-04 - Gillingham vs Aston Villa
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: England, FA Cup
Sunday 4th January 2009 - Kickoff 13:30
Gillingham
League Two Gillingham will look to cause a big cup upset when they entertain Aston Villa, a side aiming to break into the top 4 of the Premier League and a chance to play in the Champions League next season.
Gillingham sit in 10th position in League 2 with a 9-7-7 record, scoring 32 goals and conceding 33. However, the Gills have a solid home record where they are 7-4-1, with 23 goals scored and only 7 conceded.
Gillingham have not won any of their last 4 games but they will be buoyed with only 1 defeat in their last 7 games. They have an 8 game unbeaten run at home, but they have only won 1 of their last 4 games there. A big concern for Gillingham will be the fact that they have no clean sheets in their last 9 games. The Gills won 2 away games to reach this stage of the competition, but they have been beaten at home in 2 cup competitions already by a team in a higher League- Colchester won here in the Carling Cup and the LDV Vans Trophy.
Barry Fuller and Garry Richards are suspended for this game which means Mark Bentley, a midfielder by trade, will have to play at centre back. Nicky Southall cannot play as he is cup-tied.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa are 4th in the Premier League with a 11-5-4 record, scoring 33 goals and conceding 22. Away from Villa Park, they have a fantastic record of 7-0-3, scoring 17 goals and conceding 11. I also feel Martin O'Niell will be looking for some sort of a run in this competition, especially after 2 consecutive 3rd round exits, both at the hands of Manchester United. Villa also have the UEFA Cup to look forward to.
Villa are unbeaten in their last 8 domestic games and they have won 4 of their last 5 of those games. Another reason to feel positive about this Villa side away from home is the fact they have won 4 straight away games in the Premier League. They have only conceded 2 goals in those 5 games.
Martin Laursen and John Carew are still out and Carlos Cueller joins them. However, Villa are expected to start their strongest team that is available.
Head to Head
These 2 sides have only ever met 2 times in competition, and this was back in the 70s so will not be relevant here. For interest, Villa and Gillingham drew here while Villa won at home.
Prediction
Gillingham will need to perform very highly if they wish to gain anything from this game, but there will be no doubt that their fans will be up for the game. They have been very strong at home in the league, but this will be a whole new ball game for this side.
Aston Villa have indicated that they are taking this competition very seriously and there will be no desire to have to play a replay so O'Niell will pick a side to do the job here. I think Aston Villa really fancy their chances of beating any team in a one-off game which is what these cup games are.
I cannot look beyond a Villa win and they have such a strong away record that I feel they will get the victory here. Gillingham will make it tough for them and it might be tight for a while, but I think Villa can win with something to spare in the end.
The Pick :
Gillingham 0-2 Aston Villa
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take Aston Villa to WIN
