Saturday Accumulator

The perceived wisdom that a small side will be utterly distracted by a great Cup run has been thrown out the window by the ever-underestimated Stoke City. Their reaction to a wonderful 5-0 FA Cup semi final triumph over Bolton has been a follow up 1-1 draw at Villa Park and a 3-0 hammering of Wolves. Tony Pulis deserves all the credit he gets for creating an accomplished side who never rest on their laurels. In many ways, the Potters should be the prototype for Blackpool; they have shown what a small, unfashionable promoted side can achieve at the highest level. The problem for Ian Holloway is that his side lacks the tough grittiness of Saturday’s opponents. The Tangerines’ run of no wins in seven, even with the last three having been at Bloomfield Road, suggests the points will be leaving with the away side on this occasion.

Sunderland exorised a few ghosts at the Stadium of Light last weekend with a 4-2 win over Wigan that finally ended their long barren run. With the monkey off the back of the Black Cats, they can start to re-establish their home as the fortress is was, not so long ago. A mid-table clash with Fulham provides an excellent opportunity to get that ball rolling, as the two teams line-up with relegation fears finally pushed to the back of their minds. The Cottagers don’t travel particularly well - one away win all season is poor even if a host of draws have been mustered. In contrast, Sunderland have won more than they have lost at home, even with their horrific 2011 form. If this game was played 10 times Sunderland would be expected to win more than half the time on their own patch. This makes the Bluesquare odds of 13/8 on the home win very enticing.

For our final pick we drop down a division to a side that may be as low as League One come August. This may not sound encouraging, and Sheffield United have seemingly left their ‘great escape’ far too late, but consecutive 3-2 wins have shown that the fighting spirit remains alive at Bramall Lane. The Easter Monday triumph at Reading was truly remarkable. The Blades came from 2-0 down to an in-form promotion chasing side to seize the most unlikely of victories. With a mathematical chance of survival still to play for on Saturday, United have a big win over Barnsley next on the agenda. The Tykes don’t travel well at the best of times, but with nothing at all to play for, they are there for the taking. Backing the Blades completes a tasty 13/1 treble with Bluesquare.