Wycombe v Tottenham Tips: Back Lamela to be booked in Buckinghamshire
The final FA Cup tie of the fourth round presents another David v Goliath match-up as Wycombe welcome Tottenham to the Adams Park Stadium this evening.
Thus far, the giants have prevailed but not all have with ease. Goals courtesy of Gary Madine, for Blackpool, and Panutche Camara, for Plymouth, cast uncertainty over Premier League sides Brighton and Sheffield United’s narrow victory’s.
Elsewhere, Wolves could only edge past Chorley of the National North whilst League Two Cheltenham Town were just ten minutes away from arguably the greatest upset in the competition's history. However, with all four sides meeting their demise, the gauntlet has been passed on to the Chairboys and with it the dwindling flame of an FA Cup upset will either diminish or ignite.
When it comes to extinguishing hope, you could not have cast someone more apt then Jose Mourinho, the man simply loves to play the villain. In the round previous, his much-changed side thrashed minnows Marine and Spurs’ supremo is expected to field a similar side this evening with the likes of Joe Hart, Carlos Vinicius and Erik Lemela all getting the nod.
For the hosts, seven players remain from the side that went toe to toe with Tottenham at Wembley in a seven goal thriller four years ago. Paul Hayes and Garry Thompson emerged as defining figures from that clash while Joe Jacobson and Adebayo Akinfenwa also played significant roles. Anthony Stewart, Dom Gape and Scott Kashket also featured.
Gareth Ainsworth knows the odds are stacked against his side tonight but will draw confidence from the fact that his opposite number has been on the receiving end of four cup upsets during his time in England. Perhaps, the most famous of which being when Barnsley bested his Chelsea side that featured the likes of John Terry, Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka. Wycombe have every chance of becoming Mournho’s fifth domestic cup blemish as they are expected to name a full-strength side.
I have delved into the player shots and card markets and picked out three selections at odds of 7/2, 13/2 and a long-shot at 232/1.
- Harry Winks 1+ Shot on Target @ 7/2 with Betfair
- Dom Gape to be carded @ 13/2 with Betfair
- Harry Winks 1+ Shot on Target, Dom Gape & Erik Lamela to be carded @ 232/1 with Betfair
Harry Winks has had to endure limited opportunities in the Premier League this season but his quality remains clear for all to see and with him in line for a start tonight I expect him to shine once more.
The Enfield academy graduate has been an integral part of Tottenham’s Europa League campaign, during which he has averaged 1.4 shots per game. Winks has accumulated a total of seven shots in the competition and it is no coincidence that the majority of which have come against sides deploying a low block.
With Ainsworth expected to use similar tactics this evening I wouldn’t be surprised to see the majority of Spurs’ shots to come from deep and given how technically gifted Winks is you would bank on him to find the target.
The only other bookmaker to price this bet us is Ladbrokes and they have him at 12/5.
As mentioned, Dom Gape featured when the sides last met in this competition and he was one of the seven players to have their name taken that night.
Although he is yet to pick up a caution this campaign, he did receive a straight red card vs Brentford in the League Cup. With five league games under his belt, he tops his side's charts in terms of defensive output, averaging; 2.6 tackles, 2.4 interceptions and 1.2 fouls per game.
Tonight, Gape will be anchoring his side's midfield meaning that he will be opposing Gareth Bale, Erik Lemela and Lucas Moura in what will be a star-studded Spurs line-up. You would imagine that the gulf in class will be amplified and Gape’s position at the heart of the action combined with his aggression makes him a prime candidate for a yellow.
Betfair and Paddy Power’s price of 13/2 does seem a little audacious for the reasons outlined above and the fact that the same bet is as short as 7/2 with bet365.
You can combine these two selections with an Erik Lamela card using Betfair’s same game multi feature to create a 232/1 longshot.
Tottenham’s Argentine is expected to get a rare start tonight, he has only started twice in the EPL this season and was carded once. In total, Lamela has featured from the off on four occasions this campaign, during which he has averaged three fouls per game and this aggression may stem from this lack of game time. Therefore, tonight I expect him to be as hungry as ever to impress.
Good luck if you are backing any of these selections and please gamble responsibly.
