Poor Peterborough United. Here we have a team that has had to fight, and scratch and claw its way into the third round proper of the FA Cup. It had to fend off a challenge from seventh division Chesham United in November then needed 120 minutes in December to see off Notts County. Its reward? It gets to travel to Stamford Bridge to play against a Chelsea team that just wrapped up one of the best runs in the history of English soccer.
This FA Cup duel will go down Sunday, January 8, 2016, at 10 a.m. ET at Stamford Bridge. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea -530
Peterborough United +1400
Draw +635
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
Typically, laying -530 isn't the best idea in the world in soccer, knowing that it takes scoring a goal to get the job done, and that isn't the easiest thing in the world when the team you're playing against has a best case scenario as a scoreless draw. It's obvious that Peterborough is going to park the proverbial bus in front of its own net and hope to hold off Chelsea for the full 90 minutes, perhaps sparking some scares with a counterattack or two along the way.
The Asian Handicap tells the tale of a match that most figure will get out of hand. Chelsea is laying two goals and is on the verge of being set at -2.5. The total of 3.5 pretty much suggests that the most likely final scores are 2-0, 3-0 and 4-0.
Key Injuries
We just can't imagine that Antonio Conte is going to care all that much about the FA Cup, especially since the biggest title of all in the Premier League is still very much so there for the taking. That said, Chelsea doesn't have any European competitions to deal with, so perhaps this might be a worthwhile distraction from the main goal. That said, John Obi Mikel, John Terry and Marco van Ginkel are all almost certainly not going to suit in a match of this little consequence, especially knowing that even a reserve side should prevail over a middling League 1 side that probably won't stand any chance for promotion this season.
Recent Form
Peterborough has been the king of the draw of late. The team has struck for three straight 1-1 finals against Scunthorpe United, Coventry City and Gillingham. The optimist will realize that this team hasn't lost a match since November 22, though it goes without saying that this is going to be a massive jump in class even if the Blues don't go with their best roster.
Chelsea's winning streak is over. A run of 13 straight wins in the Premier League came to a halt on Wednesday against Tottenham. The Spurs were the better team for sure in that match, and there is a real fear that that could be the start of a turn in the other direction for a club that has a history of being awfully streaky.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
It's just so darn hard to make a case for a team that is seventh best in the third division in England, some 50 slots in the pecking order behind Chelsea to even remotely hang in there on the road at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are laying two goals, and they're laying two goals for a reason.
But be very, very wary, Blues backers. This is a team that has been seen out of the FA Cup in recent years by some bad, bad clubs, including two seasons ago when third division Bradford City netted four goals in this very stadium to walk away with a spot in the fifth round of the tournament.
We don't think that Peterborough actually stands a chance of eliminating the Blues, but there's no way we're laying these two goals. Take them with pride, and know that Chelsea is very likely going to sleepwalk through this one.
FA Cup Odds: Chelsea 1, Peterborough 0
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