Football is Mathematics
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League 18
UEFA Europa Conference League 18
Premier League 10
LaLiga 8
Bundesliga 9
Serie A 10
Ligue 1 9
Eredivisie 9
Liga Portugal 7
The first of three F.A. Cup 5th Round matches on Saturday takes us to the South Coast and The AMEX in particular as a Brighton side who are struggling for form as of late, play host to a Derby County outfit who are bidding for promotion from the Championship.
Brighton were viewed as a team that were comfortably in mid-table, unfortunately for them though results have now started to go against them and as a consequence they now find themselves in the battle to beat the drop.
The Seagulls have not won any of their last six league meetings and now find themselves just three points of clear of the relegation zone. While to make matters worse, they have also been leapfrogged by local rivals Crystal Palace.
Chris Hughton’s men now find themselves lying 14th in the Premier League at table at present and although there are teams in more immediate danger right now, it does seem as this is a squad that has lost anything in the way of momentum.
Thankfully this weekend offers the club a brief respite, as the focus shifts to cup action and the visit of a Derby County side who under the stewardship of former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard find themselves on the fringes of the Championship play-offs.
It’s just goal difference which sees the Rams on the outside looking in as they occupy 7th, while Bristol City who have hit a real purple patch in terms of form – winning their last six league games in a row has moved into the final play-off position.
But the Championship is certainly a war of attrition and with more than a quarter of the season to go, there will still be plenty of twists and turns before we know which three teams will make it to the promised land of the Premier League in May.
And it is here that the two respective managers Chris Hughton and Frank Lampard will need to ask themselves, just how much they need the additional fixtures that come with a prolonged run in the FA Cup.
For Brighton the focus now is finding those all-important league points to keep themselves above water, while for Derby it’s all about earning a top six finish in the Championship and a subsequent play-off place.
Therefore, does the F.A. Cup now become something an unwanted distraction? On one hand it can certainly be viewed as that, on the other it can also foster some much needed momentum which can then hopefully be transferred to a league schedule.
And because of those arduous league schedules there are no longer replays in the 5th Round of the FA Cup, therefore there has to be a winner on Saturday afternoon. Extra-time and Penalties are on standby should they be required.
Derby have already knocked out one Premier League outfit this season, as Southampton fell by the wayside in the 3rd Round. Do not be all that surprised if they managed to add another scalp on the way to the Quarter-finals.
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Flamengo are unbeaten in all of their last 14 matches in Copa Libertadores
Over 2.5 goals have been scored in Aluminij W's last 11 matches in SZNL Women
Mashal Mubarek are on a run of 11 consecutive defeats in their domestic league
Santos Laguna have achieved a run of 5 straight wins in Liga MX
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SL Benfica have managed to win by at least 2 goals in their 4 most recent clashes in Europa League
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No defeats can be found in The New Saints's 16 most recent games in Premier
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Borussia M'gladbach have seen over 2.5 goals in their last 9 games in all competitions
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PSBS Biak Numfor have lost by 3 or more goals their last 6 Liga 2 games in a row
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In their last 4 Vtora Liga matches, Chernomorets 1919 have won by 2 or more goals
Chengdu Qianbao haven't lost a match in 47 of their last 56 matches in Super League
AEK are unbeaten in their last 30 Super League games
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Qingdao Jonoon are on a losing streak of 11 straight matches in Super League
Spezia have won 9 consecutive games in Serie C
In their 8 most recent games of Nacional B, Tristán Suárez have succeeded in keeping a clean sheet
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We have seen 5 consecutive defeats by a margin of 2+ goals in the most recent Ligue 1 run of Troyes
Chengdu Qianbao haven't lost a match in 47 of their last 56 matches in Super League
AEK are unbeaten in their last 30 Super League games
In their last 20 games in all competitions, Northampton Town have a poor record of just 2 wins
There have been under 2.5 goals in Deportivo Espanol's last 16 Primera C Metropolitana games
The New Saints have achieved a run of 12 straight wins in Premier
Qingdao Jonoon are on a losing streak of 11 straight matches in Super League
In their 8 most recent games of Nacional B, Tristán Suárez have succeeded in keeping a clean sheet
Levadiakos haven't succeeded in scoring a goal in their 8 latest games in Super League
PSBS Biak Numfor have lost by 3 or more goals their last 6 Liga 2 games in a row
Ross County have won by a margin of 2+ goals in 5 of their most recent matches of League One











