League Two side Salford City welcome League One Leyton Orient to the Peninsula Stadium on Friday night in the second round of the FA Cup.
Salford made a flying start to the campaign, as they were victorious in six of their opening nine League Two encounters (W6-D1-L2), but Karl Robinson’s men went on to lose five of their next eight (W2-D1-L5).
However, the Ammies put a halt to their three-match winless run at the weekend, as they secured a dramatic 4-3 victory over Crawley Town, moving them up into the playoff places.
Leyton Orient appeared to be suffering from a playoff hangover, as the East London side won just three of their opening 11 English third-tier matches this term.
However, Richie Wellens’ men have gone on to win four of their next seven (W4-D1-L2) to move up to 13th in the League One table, just four points outside of the playoff places.
The latest of those victories came at the weekend, as they claimed an impressive 0-4 win away at Burton Albion.
How the bookies view it: O’s marginal favourites
Despite playing a division above, Leyton Orient are only marginal favourites to advance to the third round, with bet365 pricing them at 4/5 to qualify.
Salford are 19/20 with bet365 to reach the third round, whilst it’s 13/5 for the match to go to extra time and potentially penalties.
Head to head: Three on the spin for Orient?
These two clubs last met in the 2022/23 season when Leyton Orient were last in the fourth tier, with the O’s winning home and away against the Ammies.
Players to watch: Connolly to continue his hot streak?
Aaron Connolly has been in fine form for Leyton Orient this season, with the ex-Brighton attacker scoring nine goals in 20 appearances in all competitions.
The Irishman has found the back of the net in three of his last four and seven of his past 11 appearances, and is an appealing 8/5 at bet365 to get on the scoresheet once again on Friday night.
Think you’ve found odds that look too good to be true? Explore our Value Betting guide and learn when a price is genuinely favourable.
Predicted line-ups:
Both clubs are expected to name lineups similar to those that started their respective league victories last weekend.
Salford City: Young, Turton, Oluwu, Garbutt, Cesay, Butcher, Grant, N’Mai, Harris, Udoh, Stockton
Leyton Orient: Cahill, Craig, Beckles, Happe, Simpson, Clare, Abdulai, O’Neill, Wellens, Connolly, Ballard
Anything else catch the eye?
Goals seem the best way to approach this cup tie, with Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals paying 19/20 at William Hill.
Leyton Orient’s opening nine League One tussles on their travels this season have averaged an eye-catching 3.78 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals paying out in seven (78%) of them, including six of their last seven (1-4, 3-2, 1-2, 3-4, 0-1, 1-4 & 4-0).
Five of their previous seven have also produced goals at both ends, whilst 10/14 (71%) of Salford’s home matches in all competitions have also seen both teams score.
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