In this year’s BFFA Cup Third Round all eight matches are inter-League fixtures. There are seven teams that have never made the Quarter-Finals, four of which are playing another so we will be making dreams come true for at least two managers next weekend. None of the previous winners remain in the competition so in April we will have a new Champion from these sixteen!
The draw for the fifth annual BFFA Cup gave us some tasty fixtures:
Banana Swans (38) -v- Wijnaldum Leviosa (30)
Last year both teams made the Quarter-Finals but this season fate has chosen to only let one get there again. These two will have fresh memories of playing each other in the First Round of the Europa League earlier this season. The only two times these teams have met – Banana Swans won both games, winning 105-87 on aggregate. In the last round, this pair put up a huge 140 points in total. Prepare for another high-scoring game.
Chucky Pad Warriors (29) -v- PSV Wide Open (28)
PSV are breaking their own records already, having never been to the Third Round of the Cup. Conversely, Chucky Pad are quite used to being here, they have twice got past the Third Round – in 2015 and 2018. The pair have met already this season in the Champions League. They go into this match having won one game each. Currently adjacent in the Best-ish table, this is the space where I say ‘this can go either way’.
FC Santa Barbara (19) -v- Cornballers FC (26)
The Europa League Champions will have a tough time against the team Second in League One. The Cornballers have only lost one of their last nine games and have scored 179 points in the last three. Both teams joined the Association in Season Two and both immediately won promotion to the Premier League. They have met a total of eleven times since joining, including a meeting in the Last 16 in 2016 where FCSB got the better of the Championship Champions, 47-34.
Glentoran FC (16) -v- K.H. Granitza Sting FC (8)
Both of these teams got here with big wins over higher league opposition. K.H. Granitza Sting took out the Champions League Champions 66-62 and Glentoran knocked out Branwellington 72-45. They’ve never played each other but they are both currently fifth in their Leagues and both are on a fresh two-game winning streak. They’ve also never been in the Last 16 until this weekend.
Mourinho-lo (39) -v- The Money Team (7)
Often the football gods can be cruel. Sometimes, managers overcome incredible odds only to be faced with another seemingly impossible challenge. Such is the case of Mourinho-lo. Despite struggling to climb up the table in League Two they’ve knocked out former semi-finalists AC Rey BC, reigning Champions Tralfamadore Zoo and now face the highest-placed team remaining in the competition. The Money Team are currently second in the Premier League but if this fixture was played out last week then the League Two side would’ve progressed. It can be done!
Smash & Grab (6) -v- RelicFC (32)
The highest-scoring team in the Premier League take on the fourth-overall highest scoring team last year. Both are very capable of racking up the big numbers, both scored 70 points in the last round! The bar for this game will be 46 – Relic FC has not won this season with a score less than 46 and has not lost with a score of more than 46.
stillluvQPR (10) -v- Mighty Fine Feeling (4)
First team out of the hat, the winners of the Jenny Dees’ Dance-Off Darby in the last round, stillluvQPR and their opponents Mighty Fine Feeling are both sitting third in their Leagues. While MFF are enjoying a turnaround in form for the better, stillluvQPR are winless since that last Cup victory. Last season they played four times in League One; MFF won all four on their way towards promotion.
Sugar Daddies (12) -v- Yer Man (24)
These are two teams that have also never reached the Last Eight, but one will next weekend. Last year Sugar Daddies (as ‘Tapped Up’) lost 38-34 to 4th Place Trophy (now ‘Cabezazo Increible’). Three weeks ago Sugar Daddies nearly doubled that score with a 61-42 win over than Harambe. Yer Man made it here last season with a 59-44 win over Branwellington before going out to Wijnaldum Leviosa.
The BFFA Cup Third round begins this week and any replays will be played on Gameweek 28. Remember – this week the games begin on Friday. Be prepared!
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