It’s the eve of a new chapter in the BFFA history books. The BFFA Cup kicks off tomorrow, 3pm UK time, at Villa Park, at the GTech and at Stamford Bridge simultaneously. Sixteen teams will square off and hope to be worthy of a place in the Second Round.
Alleviate the Tedium #32 vs. Scott FC #39 (H1)
First meeting. ATT currently sit ninth in the Championship and are drifting after their two most recent losses. They will begin a difficult quest for cup glory by facing one of the easiest opponents. Scott FC haven’t made a line-up change since GW10, and it would be a shock if this deadweight team managed to be competitive this weekend.
Winners will play Hung Like a Bony #6 in the Second Round
Atletico Topo Chico #36 vs. BattleVAR Galactico #25 (F1)
The first game on the bracket graphic (top, LHS) creates an interesting fixture, definitely one to watch. The pair last met in Gameweek 8, in the first gameweek of the Champions League First Round, and ATC won by the narrowest of margins – just half-a-point. That 0.5 was literally the difference between the pair; ATC went to the Second Round with 6 League points and 173 FPts, while BVAR were knocked out with 3 League Points and 172.5 FPts.
A Dan Burn yellow card just seconds before Full-Time (90+7’) cost BVAR a place in the Second Round. A draw would also have put them through. However, in retrospect, if BVAR had made the next stage, the outcome would have been the same; either subsequent opponent would have won the tie regardless.
Before that ding-dong, ATC & BVAR had competed for League One in Season 9. BVAR won three of their four encounters, but finished below ATC in the final standings (5th and 3rd).
Bottom and battling ATC have prepared for this showdown by signing Rayan Vitor Simplício Rocha and Oscar Bobb, while 6th-placed BattleVAR have also picked up a promising Man City midfielder – Tijjani Reijnders.
Winner meets Gloopy Yarbles #12
East Loop United FC #40 vs. Borussia Teeth #34 (D1)
Two originals will face-off in the First Round when these two meet. They shared the DLF division, finishing 4th and 8th respectively. ELU took a place in the S2 Premier League and Borussia Teeth were entered into the new Championship division. They didn’t meet again until Season 10, where they took six points off each other in League One. The following season Borussia had the better of their exchanges, winning three but losing their most recent 49-39 (S11, GW33).
Both teams are in the bottom two in their leagues this evening, but like Tottenham Hotspur, Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth, Cup Glory might restore some team pride after a terrible league season.
Winners play ELU’s L1 rivals Bigger than Brolin #14 in R2
Peltier #26 vs. AI-Jiggery-Pokery #28 (A1)
First meeting. Of the sixteen teams in the First Round, Peltier and AI-Jiggery-Pokery represent two of the better-scoring outfits. Peltier are seventh in the Championship and free-rollers AI-JP are eighth in League Two. Whilst the gracious L2 gap-fillers may not have had the league season they wanted, a good Cup run might convince them to return next season as a fully-instated team.
Peltier have signed James Hill, James Justin and Matheus Fernandes ahead of kickoff. AI-JP have picked up big names Marmoush, Groß, and Casemiro. Certainly ones to watch out for.
Winners play Preliminary Version #10 in the Second Round.
Sporting Thrillhaus #37 vs. Gnonto Seed #38 (C1)
First meeting. Thrillhaus, ninth in L1, have just repeated their GW17 victory over in-form Stafford Stallions (were 7 wins from last set of 9) and are looking like they could return above the red line again. Gnonto Seed, tenth in the Champ., have now won three of their last four and will be coming into this game on the back of a 7-point win over ASG (who had beaten them by a massive 37 previously). So both teams will be preparing with good momentum. Thrillhaus will also have Kobbie Mainoo, a new signing, playing a lot of minutes and registering a lot of KPs, while Gnonto Seed have recently picked up Gabriel Jesus and Ruben Dias, both of whom have a high ceiling, especially on Cup weekends.
Winners face Slots Fired #7 in Round Two
Team Zizou #29 vs. Shams Army #31 (G1)
First meeting. Inter-League play is a curious thing. It highlights the differences between the divisions, the standard of opposition and the qualities of each team. In this case, one of the most pressing statistics is that the League One side (Army) are one place and one league above their lower-league opposition (6th in L1 vs 7th in L2), despite having scored fewer points and registered fewer wins.
Thiaw was the standout for Shams Army last week with his game-winning goal against Spurts, but overall they were twenty points shy of Team Zizou who had VvD (16 FPts) and Declan Rice (11.5) in their starting line-up. The week before Zizou also outscored the Army, but who knows what lies ahead!
Winners play Whiskey De Bruyne #2 in the Second Round.
Toastenham Hankdog #35 vs. Beyer Neverleusen #27 (B1)
Toastenham Hankdog have shared the points this season with Beyer’s sister club BtB, winning last week 45.5-26.5, but this will be the first time they’ve met Neverleusen. Neverleusen are currently seventh in the Premier League and just beat Smash & Grab #13 55-54. Toastenham are also seventh, in League One, but lost last week to GoFYS who managed to field three extra players.
Winners play Wrockwardine Wood Wolves #9 in the Second Round
Uncle Monty #33 vs. Bigo1 #30 (E1)
First meeting. Finally, we have two-time league champions Uncle Monty of the Championship facing the two-time league champions Bigo1. The latter, returning after a long hiatus, have rebuilt well from a slow first half to the season and are now on a seven-game winng streak that took them from 9-10 to 16-10, and third in League Two. Uncle Monty on the other hand were to of the second tier early on, but their fortunes wanedas we approached the new year. Their last six weeks have been up and down (3-3); their most recent game was a 2-point loss to the league leaders (Caicedo and Dalot both getting booked and both returning just 0.5). A tough draw for this pair: winners play Housewives Favourite #1 in the Second Round.
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