Chester v Barnsley: Upset possible, goals near-certain

Danny Wilson's Barnsley have slipped to 15th in League One

Michael Lintorn expects both teams to net when Chester and Barnsley have a second go at reaching the FA Cup third round...

Chester v Barnsley
Tuesday, 19:45
Live on BT Sport 1

Match Odds: Chester 4.67/2, Barnsley 1.9110/11, The Draw 3.7511/4

The BT Sport schedulers aren't deluded in sensing the potential for an upset in this FA Cup second-round replay, with Conference club Chester already empowered by their 0-0 draw at Oakwell.

Since their relegation from the Championship, Barnsley have struggled more against League One's weaklings than the division's elite, winning three of eight against the top ten compared to three in 12 against the teams below that.

Additionally, they exited the Capital One Cup at home to League One's bottom side Crewe, who have won just one of their 12 other away matches all season.

Chester triumphed at League Two promotion hopefuls Southend in the first round, beat second-placed Macclesfield and held third-placed Bristol Rovers as hosts in the fifth tier, and haven't been defeated at the Deva Stadium in over three months (P8 W6 D2 L0).

The Tykes can be laid at 1.9210/11 to earn the right to entertain Championship title challengers Middlesbrough.

Both Teams to Score

Though the initial fixture between these sides finished goalless, practically every game that the duo have contested either side of that points to the complete opposite outcome in the replay.

Scratch that 0-0 from Barnsley's record and their most recent five encounters ended 3-2, 1-2, 1-2, 1-1 and 1-3. There has been an even more generous spread of goals in Chester's previous five matches, which encompassed a 2-2, a 4-2, a 2-3 and then a pattern-opposing 2-0 which was swiftly corrected with a 1-1. Six of their past eight Conference outings passed without any clean sheets.

Next Goal

As discussed earlier, a Barnsley win isn't the foregone conclusion that their odds-on price suggests, but they have to be fancied to perform deadlock-breaking duties.

The Tykes notched first in a mighty eight of their last 11 games, despite being victorious in only three of those clashes. By contrast, Chester have set the pace in just one of their latest five Conference or FA Cup fixtures.

Best Bet: Back both teams to score @ 1.84/5
Other Recommended Bet: Back Barnsley to score first @ 1.674/6