Anstey Nomads vs Macclesfield — Tips & Analysis

Under 3: The first game between these two told the story. Anstey Nomads went to Macclesfield, played with ten men, and still came away with a 1-1. That is the shape of this replay too. Anstey have not been beaten at home in seven games there, and they let in under a goal a game on their own pitch. Anstey's keeper saved a Danny Elliott penalty in that first tie, after Courey Grantham had put Anstey ahead on 20 minutes. Macclesfield are the higher-level side and have lost just one of their last fifteen games. The catch is how they win. They have beaten a side by 2 or more goals only once in those fifteen games, and they score just over a goal a game on the road. Both sides had three days to recover. A replay that is level late tends to get managed rather than chased, because extra time is waiting. Another 1-1 looks the most likely score, and that keeps the goal count low. The risk sits with Anstey. Their own games are busier than this reads, with 13 of their last 19 producing 3 or more goals. If Macclesfield's extra quality turns one of those nights on, this goes wrong fast. We still want the quiet game, because the one meeting we have to go on was exactly that.