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Coventry City vs Maidstone United betting tips
- Coventry -2.5 Asian handicap - 21/20 bet365
- Coventry to win to nil - 21/20 10Bet
- Ellis Simms to score any time - 10/11 bet365
Maidstone United will have another chance to upset the FA Cup odds when they take on Championship side Coventry City on Monday night (7.45pm, ITV4).
Whatever happens from here, this has been a memorable season for Maidstone, the first team from outside the top five divisions to reach the fifth round since 1978.
Coventry will not take their non-league opponents lightly, but they will also expect to book a spot in the quarter-finals without too much fuss.
Football betting sites reckon Coventry will make light work of their visitors, but can Maidstone keep the FA Cup magic going?
End of the road for plucky underdogs?
This has been quite the journey for Maidstone, who began their FA Cup campaign in the second qualifying round in September.
Victories over Steyning Town, Winchester City, Torquay United, Weston-super-Mare, Chesham United, Barrow, Stevenage and Ipswich Town have brought them to the point where they are aspiring to become only the second non-league team in history to reach the quarter-finals (after Lincoln City in 2016/17).
Maidstone were disappointed to be paired with Coventry when the draw was made. A home game would have been preferable, or a match against a Premier League giant at any ground.
It is true that George Elokobi’s side did beat Ipswich away from home in the last round, and the Tractor Boys are above Coventry in the Championship table.
But on the balance of play that afternoon, Ipswich were unfortunate to lose. It is hard to see Maidstone avoiding defeat on this occasion.
Coventry will be keen to bounce back from a surprise 3-0 home defeat by Preston North End last time out. A victory over Maidstone by a similar margin is worth consideration when looking at this game on betting sites.
For a bet on Coventry -2.5 on the Asian handicap to win, they'll need to beat Maidstone by at least three goals. Any other result and the wager will lose.
Coventry vs Maidstone Tip 1: Coventry -2.5 Asian handicap - 21/20 bet365
Coventry can keep clean sheet at home
Last Tuesday, Maidstone lost 2-0 to Aveley in the National League South. They are currently eighth in that division, immediately behind Hampton & Richmond and one place above Slough.
That emphasises how magnificently Elokobi’s side have done to make it this far. It also illustrates how unlikely they are to pick up a positive result at the CBS Arena.
Coventry will fancy their chances of shutting Maidstone out. Just five second tier teams have conceded fewer goals than the Sky Blues, while only Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City have registered more clean sheets.
Moreover, Maidstone have struggled on their travels of late. They have not won any of their last six league games at opposition stadiums. Their last National League victory on unfamiliar turf was more than three months ago.
With Coventry likely to dominate proceedings, it is hard to envisage Maidstone finding the back of the net with a Sky Blues' win to nil a possibility on betting apps.
Coventry vs Maidstone Tip 2: Coventry to win to nil - 21/20 10Bet
Simms can make mark against non-league opposition
Signed from Everton last summer, Ellis Simms has been in and out of the Coventry team this term.
Nineteen of his 34 Championship appearances have been starts, while 15 have come from the bench.
The 23-year-old striker has been a regular of late, though, featuring from the first whistle in four of Coventry’s last five league matches in the league.
Simms has notched three goals in his last six games and will view this as a golden opportunity to boost his tally for the season.
With the likes of Kasey Palmer, Haji Wright and Fabio Tavares supplying the ammunition and a sixth tier defence standing in his way (Maidstone have shipped 15 goals in their last six league outings on the road), Simms could oblige with a goal on Monday.
Coventry vs Maidstone Tip 3: Ellis Simms to score any time - 10/11 bet365
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
