Famous FA Cup giant-killers Hereford host 2008 winners Portsmouth in a Friday night floodlit encounter. Cam Pope picks out a best bet.
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Football betting tips: FA Cup
1pt Portsmouth to win to nil at 13/10 (888 Sport)
Mid-table National League North side Hereford landed themselves a plum FA Cup first round draw against one of the biggest sides in the competition at this stage, but they are sure to have their work cut out if they are to prolong their run.
The non-league outfit have a romantic history to call upon and sealing their spot in the hat for the second round draw would be an ideal way to honour Wednesday's passing of the club's FA Cup icon, Ronnie Radford, whose thunderbolt strike helped dump Newcastle United out of the third round in 1972.
But standing in their way are a Pompey unit who have lost just once in seven outings across the league and EFL Trophy.
Danny Cowley's team are wedged firmly inside the League One play-off spots despite having played two games fewer than most of their top-half counterparts.
And though Hereford boss Josh Gowling make take some solace in the fact that Friday's guests were in action only days ago in the Trophy penalty shootout win over AFC Wimbledon, Cowley's seven changes for the Tuesday affair mean that his first string remains relatively fresh.
Couple that with the fact that pivotal engine room figures Tom Lowery and Marlon Pack are nearing returns, or even the eight-day gap before their next fixture against struggling Morecambe, and the signs point overwhelmingly towards a degree of freedom for the south coast side.
As such, I am backing the third-tier team to take control in similar fashion to their Trophy win over Aston Villa U21s in early October - a 5-0 rout - and see PORTSMOUTH TO WIN TO NIL at 13/10 as the standout pick.
To back that up even further, consider that Hereford have only won half of their six home league games to date. A Portsmouth unit riding the wave of momentum should have too much firepower for them on Friday night.
Hereford v Portsmouth best bets and preview
- 1pt Portsmouth to win to nil at 13/10 (888 Sport)
Score prediction: Hereford 0-4 Portsmouth (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Odds correct at 1645 BST (02/11/22)
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