Aiming to cause a major FA Cup upset this weekend, Marine AFC travel from Merseyside to Yorkshire to face League One side Bradford City on Saturday afternoon.

The Bantams head into the cup tie without a league win in their last few outings and on the back of a weekend defeat to local rivals Huddersfield Town, while the Mariners are also winless in three matches and have slipped to 18th in the National League North table.

Match preview

Bradford City will be looking to reach the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in two years when they welcome opponents from three divisions below them.

The Bantams, now led by Michael Duff following Graham Alexander's departure to Preston North End, have enjoyed some memorable cup runs over the past decade, with their journey to the quarter-finals in the 2014-15 season a notable highlight.

In January 2015, Bradford travelled to Stamford Bridge to face Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, producing one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history as they came from two goals down after 38 minutes to secure a remarkable 4-2 victory over a side competing in the Champions League at the same time.

At the time, Chelsea were top of the Premier League while Bradford were sixth in League One, leaving 49 places between them, 20 fewer than the gap separating the Bantams from their upcoming opponents.

More recently, Bradford are still in League One, although just one win in their last five league matches has seen them slip out of the playoff places and down to seventh, seven points behind the division's leaders.

As for Marine, they make the trip to Valley Parade without a win in their last three matches, having followed a draw against Oxford City with defeats to Chester and Buxton in the National League North.

Indeed, Bobby Grant's side last tasted victory in the FA Cup, when a 2-0 win over Hartlepool United secured their place in the first round proper.

Like their upcoming opponents, the Mariners have enjoyed a famous FA Cup occasion of their own, with their 2021 meeting with Tottenham Hotspur at Rossett Park remaining a standout moment in the club's history.

The third-round tie, also against a Mourinho side, took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and ended in a 5-0 victory for Spurs, with Carlos Vinicius scoring a 13-minute hat-trick.

The 161-place gap between the clubs was the largest in FA Cup history, while the sale of 32,202 "virtual tickets" raised more than £300,000 for Marine.

Since that memorable occasion, the Mariners have spent three consecutive campaigns in the National League North, where they have won just five of their opening 14 matches this season and sit 18th, only one point clear of the relegation zone.

Bradford City form (all competitions):

Marine AFC FA Cup form:

Marine AFC form (all competitions):

Team News

Duff was always likely to make changes for a cup tie against opposition three divisions below Bradford, but injuries sustained in the defeat to Huddersfield could limit his options.

Adam Phillips was introduced at half-time in that match but was forced off four minutes from full-time after picking up an injury, making him unlikely to feature on Saturday.

Phillips will join Stephen Humphrys and Josh Neufville in the treatment room.

Captain Antoni Sarcevic was sent off during the Yorkshire derby last weekend, but he is available for the cup tie as his suspension only applies to league fixtures.

As for the visitors, Grant could name the same starting XI that lost 4-2 to Buxton on Halloween.

Goalkeeper Jack McIntyre has made 11 appearances this season and kept two clean sheets, and he is expected to start between the posts at Valley Parade.

Finlay Sinclair-Smith has provided four assists and scored twice in the National League North this season, and he could feature in attack alongside Charlie Jolley.

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Dawson; Pennington, Baldwin, Pratt; O'Keeffe, Sarcevic, Pointon, Touray; Powell, Beesley, Swan

Marine AFC possible starting lineup:

McIntyre; Drysdale, Butler, Wardle, Whittingham; Raikhy, Whelan, Darby; Sinclair-Smith, Jolley, Simms 

We say: Bradford City 4-0 Marine AFC

With 69 league places currently separating the sides, Bradford are clear favourites to progress and should have too much quality for their non-league visitors.

Marine will hope to make life difficult for the hosts, but we expect the Bantams to take control and secure a comfortable victory.

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