Stoke City – Brighton

The hosts will be able to put up a fight

The representatives of the Championship and Premier League will face each other in Stoke-on-Trent in the FA Cup 1/8 finals. As much as Brighton are now a strong and competitive mid-table side in the English top flight, so much so has Stoke City fulfilled that role for some ten seasons. Right up to relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2017/2018 Premier League draw. The Potters crushed Hartlepool United 3-0 away at the 1/32 stage of the final, before leaving Stevenage 3-1 at home in the next round. Brighton's journey to the current stage of the National Cup was far more heroic. First, the Seagulls beat current Championship club Middlesbrough 5-1 away and then took on Liverpool at home in the 1/16 final. Although Klopp brought a rotated squad to the Falmer, it would be a mistake to call it an understudy. Salah and company got a 90+2 minute goal from Brighton that sent Liverpool out of the tournament. Before the meeting between Stoke City and Brighton, bookmakers suggested the away club as the clear favourite, with a win that can be bet at odds of 1.52. The hosts of the upcoming match in the Championship are not currently in any serious contention for anything. Stoke City are in 17th place, with no acute threat of relegation, nor any significant prospects of competing for a place in the top 6. As such, the Potters will be set for the match against Brighton as if it were their last fight. On Saturday, Stoke City lost at home to one of the representatives of the Championships play-off zone, Millwall. That said, the Potters showed a good level of play, possessing the ball 71% of the time and hitting twice as many shots towards their opponents' goal. Brighton are in eighth place in the Premier League and are more burdened by their upcoming opponents in the Championship. If the Seagulls press on, they could be close to the Eurocup zone thanks to the conceded meetings. In recent Premier League games, Brighton drew with Crystal Palace and lost at home to Fulham. It is likely that at this stage of the season, Stoke City could struggle against a Premier League midfielder to reach the quarter-finals. Let's bet on competitive football.