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Tipping columns

Expert FA Cup and EFL predictions and free football tips from Dan Childs

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's FA Cup fourth round and EFL matches

Blackpool manager Mick McCarthy
Blackpool manager Mick McCarthyCredit: Stephen McCarthy

When to bet

Kick-offs 3pm

Best bets

Blackpool or draw double chance
1pt 8-5 BoyleSports, Hills

Carlisle
2pts 11-10 Hills

Gillingham or draw double chance
2pts 20-21 BoyleSports

Oxford
1pt 7-5 bet365, Hills


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Southampton v Blackpool

Blackpool are having a tough time of it in the Championship, but they were resounding 4-1 winners over Premier League Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup earlier this month and could claim another top-flight scalp on Saturday afternoon.

Premier League basement boys Southampton are odds-on to see off the Tangerines at St Mary's but the fourth-round tie comes at a difficult moment for the Saints because it is sandwiched between the first and second legs of their EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle. Nathan Jones's side travel to Tyneside on Tuesday with a 1-0 deficit to overturn and just four days later they face a league fixture at Brentford.

The Saints' busy schedule will be a challenge for Jones to navigate and he could give some of his key players a breather against Blackpool, who will be eager to impress the new manager, Mick McCarthy.

The postponement of last Saturday's league match against Huddersfield has afforded McCarthy just over a week to assess his squad - and he might have been pleasantly surprised by the quality at his disposal.

Blackpool boast some good attacking players, including striker Jerry Yates and winger Josh Bowler, who is is on loan from Nottingham Forest.

The Tangerines have registered some decent away results this season – including 3-3 draws at Burnley and Sheffield United – and could cause another cup shock this weekend.

Rochdale v Carlisle

Carlisle have raised a few eyebrows with their presence in the League Two promotion race but they are equipped to stay the course and should add another three points to their tally at the expense of rock-bottom Rochdale at Spotland.

Paul Simpson is in his second spell as Carlisle manager and has lifted the Cumbrians to fourth place in the fourth tier.

Carlisle are the division's top scorers with 42 goals, 16 of which have been scored by veteran centre-forward Kristian Dennis.

The Cumbrians have won four of their last five games and take on a Dale side low on confidence and short of centre-backs with Sam Graham and Ethan Ebanks-Landell serving suspensions.

Both were sent off in last Saturday's 2-0 loss at fellow strugglers Hartlepool and their absences make a difficult task even tougher.

Swindon v Gillingham

League Two strugglers Gillingham are reaping the benefits of an aggressive January recruitment strategy and can build on successive victories by taking at least a point from their trip to promotion-chasing Swindon.

A much-improved Gills side, featuring a new-look front two of Tom Nichols and Oli Hawkins, can avoid defeat against the sixth-placed Robins, who triumphed 5-0 at home to Grimsby last time out but haven't registered back-to-back wins since September.

Burton v Oxford

Oxford need to put a winning run together to reach the League One playoffs and they can make a start by defeating second-bottom Burton at the Pirelli Stadium.

Karl Robinson's side have won two of their last three games and look too strong for the Brewers, who have suffered heavy losses away to Morecambe (0-5) and at home to Shrewsbury (0-4) in their last two league fixtures.

Accumulator

Luton 4-9, Exeter 7-4, Shrewsbury 17-20, Stockport 10-11
£1 acca returns £13.99 with bet365

First goalscorer

Jordan Rhodes Coventry v Huddersfield
at 9-1 BoyleSports

Huddersfield striker Jordan Rhodes has scored two goals in his last four games and his finishing qualities could be demonstrated against mid-table Coventry at the CBS Arena.


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