FA Cup: Schumacher Under the Microscope Against Brighton

Stoke City vs Brighton & Hove Albion

The most prestigious cup in all of football lore has reached its most hectic stage. Tons of marquee matchups will be showcased in the third round of the FA Cup, but one tie that will surely catch the eye of football fans is the rematch between Stoke City and Brighton.

These outfits went on a stellar run last term, which culminated in their thriller match in the 5th round.

This time around, both clubs are currently facing different narratives in their domestic forms, but they share the same hunger and desire to have yet another amazing campaign in the FA Cup.

Stoke’s new manager will make his debut and will be under the microscope all throughout, while the Seagulls look to continue their convincing form even without their FA Cup hero Kaoru Mitoma.

Talking Points

Who will fill Mitoma’s shoes?

The Japanese winger will forever be remembered by Brighton fans as their FA Cup hero after sending the mighty Reds home in the fourth round of the prestigious tournament last term.

Kaoru Mitoma is the Seagull’s ace in the FA Cup due to his involvement in their past ties. The winger scored two goals and claimed two assists in their last five FA Cup appearances. And it took a herculean effort from the formidable Manchester United to keep the 26-year-old stop his onslaught.

Unfortunately for Roberto De Zerbi and his team, Mitoma suffered an ankle injury during their 1-1 clash with Crystal Palace before Christmas. “We lost Kaoru for around six weeks – four, five, six weeks.” De Zerbi confirmed.

But even though the Japanese international is still recovering from his devastating injury, he was still called up by Samurai Blue to represent Japan in the Asia Cup. This is a testament to his skill and importance on the pitch. His availability for Japan still looms in the air.

Now that Mitoma is sidelined, who will Brighton lean on this year? The obvious answer is João Pedro, who leads the club in goals this season and who is more than capable of leading his team to strong FA Cup 2024 results.

Steven Schumacher keen on keeping the ball rolling

Newly appointed head coach Steven Schumacher had his hands full as soon as he stepped in as the man at the helm for the Potters. Well, he passed his first few trials by staying undefeated in the Championship since his appointment, and now he will dip his toes in the FA Cup as they host Brighton & Hove Albion at Bet365 Stadium.

Also, the football world is well aware that the transfer window is already wide open, so Schumacher having a hectic start with the Potters is an understatement. But grace under pressure is always one of the traits one would want as a head coach, especially for a gritty team like Stoke City.

If that isn’t stressful enough, Schumacher and his new outfit will brave the budding Brighton without some of their key contributors due to injuries.

The Potters have a winning history against the Seagulls at home, and it will be interesting to see if Schumacher can keep this narrative alive.

History

This upcoming FA Cup tie will be a rematch between these two clubs, with Brighton bested Stoke with a 1-nil victory at Bet365 Stadium last campaign. Both outfits went on a terrific FA Cup run last term, as they met each other in the 5th round of the tournament.

The Seagulls have historically struggled in away games against Stoke City, winning just one out of their last 18 away games against Stoke across all competitions.

But Brighton have always been a tough adversary in the FA Cup for the past few years, having lost just one of their last seven FA Cup third-round bouts.

In recent form, Stoke City keep on striving in the Championship, where they are taking it one matchday at a time. They’re steady in the lower half of the table, but they’re slowly building momentum, going undefeated in their last five league games.

Meanwhile, the Seagulls are on a surge in the top flight, overtaking Manchester United in the league table before the calendar year ended. They’re on pace to climb a few more spots in the Premier League thanks to their late resurgence in 2023.

Betting Tip

The visiting Brighton are rightfully the favourites to come out as the victors in this FA Cup clash, as per the FA Cup 2024 betting odds. The Seagulls are priced at 1.48, while Stoke are respectfully at 4.10 as the underdogs with 4.10 to draw.

Even though Brighton have historically struggled when visiting Stoke City, the Seagulls have made strides over the past few weeks in the Premier League. Thanks to their late push in 2023, they find themselves at the seventh spot in the top flight standings, which is why SBOTOP justly have Brighton as the favourites.

A price of 1.48 to win will surely garner some excitement from punters, but it doesn’t hold enough value to push them to the edge of their seats. But a line that definitely would is the First Half 1X2 for Brighton at 2.03.

These clubs are polar opposites in terms of their domestic form, and Brighton boasts one of the most convincing offences in the Premier League. With Stoke struggling in the Championship, having Brighton up by halftime isn’t such a lofty ask.

 

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