Crawley welcome Leeds United to Broadfield Stadium in a huge Third Round clash on Super Sunday of 2020-21 FA Cup.
With 62 positions between Crawley and Leeds in the football pyramid, the Red Devils will be looking to cause a cupset against a team which doesn’t boast a strong FA Cup record in recent seasons.
Team News
Crawley have no injury concerns with a full squad available for selection by manager, John Yems after beating Bolton last weekend to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches.
Leeds could welcome Liam Cooper back from an abdominal injury which sidelined the Scottish defender in recent weeks.
Diego Llorente (groin) is also set to be in contention but Gaetano Berardi, Robin Koch (both knee), Adam Forshaw (hip) and Tyler Roberts (unspecified) are ruled out.
Stat Attack
- This is Crawley’s first-ever meeting against Leeds in all competitions.
- Crawley have lost all three previous FA Cup clashes against Premier League opposition (L3).
- Leeds have won just one of their last four FA Cup matches against lower league opposition (W1, L3).
Prediction
Crawley come into this game unbeaten in their last nine outings across all competitions yet have kept just nine clean sheets in all competitions this season, which will be a concern against a strong attack-minded Leeds team who are unstoppable on their day.
FA Cup though hasn’t been kind to the visitors when up against lower league opposition despite looking simple on paper in recent seasons, offering hope that we could well see a cupset if Marcelo Bielsa’s squad rotation backfires.
This match though is a game that Leeds should comfortably win if can rediscover their clinical edge of recent games which was absent at Tottenham last weekend, especially given the defensive deficiencies of Crawley although the hosts will try to make this as tough as they possibly can.
Prediction: Crawley 1-3 Leeds
Result: Crawley 3-0 Leeds