FA Cup football - Preston vs Chelsea

Holders Chelsea travel to Preston in the FA Cup in today`s early kick-off hoping to keep alive their treble-winning aspirations. The West London club are second in the Premier League on goals scored with a game in hand and have already reached the last sixteen of the Champions League. Now they continue their defence of the FA Cup against a side who have been mediocre this season and currently lie in seventeenth place in the Coca-Cola Championship.

The visitors are understandably favourites for the match at 1/4 (bet £40 to win £10 profit) leaving Preston as underdogs at 12/1. The Championship side have only won one of their last eleven league games but should be boosted by their 7-0 win over Colchester in the last round of the this competition. Chelsea have won four of their last six in all competitions and have won their last two games 5-0 and 7-2. The draw is at 5/1.

The bookmakers seem to think a comfortable win for the visitors is in order and have made a 2-0 win to Chelsea the favourite score for the game at 11/2, with 1-0 at 6/1 and 3-0 at 8/1. A 1-1 draw is at 11/1 and 0-0 is 14/1, with a shock 1-0 win for Preston available at 28/1.

France striker Nicholas Anelka is favourite to open the scoring tonday at 7/2,ahead of twenty year-old team-mate Daniel Sturridge at 4/1, Frank Lampard at 5/1 and eighteen year-old Italian forward Fabio Borini at 11/2.  Preston`s best chance of scoring the first goal of the match is Chris Brown, pried at 12/1.

Chelsea are 4/5 to lead at both half-time and full-time tonight and 7/2 to win the match after drawing at half-time, with the bookmakers offering 9/1 that both halves end in a draw. Preston are 25/1 to be winning at both half-time and full-time and the hosts are 28/1 to win after the scores are level at the interval.

Carlo Ancelotti`s team have been made favourites for the FA Cup this season and are priced at 3/1, while Preston are given almost no chance at 400/1.

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