After one of the most shocking FA Cup weekends in recent memory, Rochdale will be hopeful of another (slightly smaller) upset tonight as they host Stoke City in their 4th Round tie.

Bradford’s astonishing 4-2 over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and Manchester City’s loss at home to Middlesbrough were joined by Southampton and Tottenham both crashing out to lesser Premier League sides in a weekend that summed up what makes the FA Cup so great. Rochdale, who are sitting in 5th in League One, 2 places above that triumphant Bradford side, will be looking to emulate the Bantam’s impressive performance at Spotland this evening.

After a string of disappointing results, the Dale have 3 wins on the trot, and in recent years have put out Nottingham Forest and Leeds, so a result against Stoke isn’t out of the question. However, with an illness to manager Keith Hill preventing him from training with the team this week, Rochdale may be underprepared for their match against the 10th placed Stoke side.



Bar a loss to Arsenal, Stoke’s recent form has been solid, including 4 wins and a draw against Manchester United on New Year’s Day. Mark Hughes, whose side has just returned from a training camp in Dubai, will be confident he can overcome his lower-league competition, despite the likely absence of captain Ryan Shawcross who is out with a groin problem. They will also be missing top scorer Mame Biram Diouf, who is off at the African Cup of Nations with Senegal. Hughes will be hoping Jonathan Walters, equal to Diouf on 6 goals, can overcome his minor back problem to help boost Stoke’s underwhelming front line.

Rochdale have a trifecta of goal-scoring talent at the moment, with Matt Done on 13 goals at 10/1 fixed odds betting to score first, alongside Ian Henderson at 9/1 with 12 goals and Peter Vincenti on 11 goals at 17/2. Stoke, on the other hand, may have some issues in attack, as the aforementioned absence of Diouf leaves Walters at 11/2 to score first, with Peter Crouch on 5 goals at 9/2 and Bojan Krkic at 5/1 on 4 goals.

With the 5th Round draw on The One Show tonight at 7pm, the teams will know their next fixture should they progress before the game begins. Rochdale have never been beyond the 5th round, but with the potential for one of the most open FA Cups in years, the Dale may be buoyed if the draw goes their way this evening. However, our Spreadex clients are fancying a narrow Stoke win, at a Stoke/Rochdale (h) Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.8-1; and with the absence of Diuouf and a potential injury to Walters, Spreadex are offering a Total Goals spread betting quote of 2.55-2.75.