Saturday's FA Cup predictions including Gillingham vs. Charlton

Alfreton vs. Walsall (Saturday, 12.30pm)

League Two outfit Walsall will be bidding to avoid a surprise exit in the second round of the FA Cup when they travel to National League North side Alfreton Town on Saturday afternoon.

Walsall secured their spot in the second round of the competition courtesy a 4-1 victory over Sheppey United, while Alfreton have had to win four matches to progress to this stage.

We say: Alfreton Town 1-2 Walsall

Alfreton have enough quality to make this a very uncomfortable match for Walsall, and we are expecting it to be a close affair in terms of general play and the scoreline. However, we are backing the League Two side to navigate their way into the next stage of the competition.

Maidstone vs. Barrow (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Locking horns for a coveted place in the third round of the FA Cup, National League South side Maidstone United will host League Two high-flyers Barrow at Gallagher Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Stones are impressing in the sixth tier and pushing for a return to the National League, while the Bluebirds are currently enjoying a record-breaking unbeaten run.

We say: Maidstone United 1-3 Barrow

Maidstone have won their last three matches at the Gallagher Stadium but will face their sternest test of the term against Barrow on Saturday afternoon.

The Bluebirds are in a sensational vein of form and will be fully confident of extending their winning streak to eight games with a comfortable success in Kent.

Wycombe vs. Morecambe (Saturday, 3.00pm)

A place in the FA Cup third round will be at stake when League One side Wycombe Wanderers welcome fourth-tier Morecambe to Adams Park on Saturday.

The Chairboys have lost their last two matches, while the visitors head to Buckinghamshire off the back of four consecutive defeats.

We say: Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Morecambe

With Wycombe experiencing a poor run of league form, their last three competitive victories have all taken place in cup competitions.

With that in mind, we think the Chairboys will do enough to claim a narrow win over a Morecambe side that has lost their last four matches.

Blackpool vs. Forest Green (Saturday, 3.00pm)

On Saturday, League One side Blackpool will welcome fourth-tier Forest Green Rovers for an FA Cup second-round tie.

The Tangerines will be looking to bounce back from a midweek defeat, while the visitors will try to end a three-game winless run.

We say: Blackpool 3-1 Forest Green Rovers

Despite suffering a defeat in midweek, Blackpool will be favourites to progress from this cup tie, and after winning five of their last seven competitive home games, we think they will claim a relatively comfortable victory over Forest Green Rovers.

Cambridge vs. Fleetwood (Saturday, 3.00pm)

League One strugglers Cambridge United and Fleetwood Town will be fighting for a place in the third round of the FA Cup when they meet at Abbey Stadium on Saturday.

Cambridge defeated Fleetwood 2-0 away from home in the league earlier this season.

We say: Cambridge United 1-1 Fleetwood Town

Neither team head into this game in strong form whatsoever, with both sides appearing to be set for relegation battles in League One. Cambridge will have no permanent manager in charge for this match after sacking Bonner, so could be a little disjointed.

As such, we can envisage a draw between two evenly matched outfits, which would give Fleetwood the advantage to progress to the third round with a home replay to come.

Bolton vs. Harrogate (Saturday, 3.00pm)

A ticket to the FA Cup third round is up for grabs when Bolton Wanderers and Harrogate Town butt heads at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Trotters cruised into the second round with a 4-0 thrashing of Solihull Moors, while their League Two counterparts marched to their own four-goal success, battering Marine 5-1.

We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Harrogate Town

Even if Evatt opts to shuffle the pack amid his side's League One title charge, a Trotters outfit who have given little away at the back in recent weeks should prove too strong for their lower-tier opponents on Saturday.

Failure to score against Oxford was surely only a minor blip for Bolton, who ought to have no problem breaching the Harrogate defence on a couple of occasions to sail into round three.

Crewe vs. Bristol Rovers (Saturday, 3.00pm)

In-form League Two side Crewe Alexandra host Bristol Rovers of League One in the FA Cup second round on Saturday.

The hosts are well in the mix for automatic promotion, while Rovers remain without a permanent manager following the sacking of Joey Barton over a month ago.

We say: Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Bristol Rovers

Crewe are in excellent form and have proven difficult to beat over the past two months, even against sides in the division above.

With Mangan potentially coming to the end of his spell in caretaker charge of Bristol Rovers, seeing them into the third round would be a huge achievement after a more-than-respectable set of results in charge, but this looks like it could go to a replay.

Peterborough vs. Doncaster (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Peterborough United will play host to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday as the teams battle for a place in the FA Cup third round.

Saturday's meeting is just the second FA Cup tie between the two sides, with the hosts coming out on top in the second round of the 1982-83 competition and heading into the weekend as favourites at home to fourth-tier opposition.

We say: Peterborough United 3-1 Doncaster Rovers

Doncaster Rovers do have the quality to challenge their higher opposition away from home, but in what we see as an intriguing contest, the Posh should have too much, particularly in attack, and we fancy them to come out on top and advance to the third round.

Gillingham vs. Charlton (Saturday, 3.00pm)

The FA Cup's second round will be played out this weekend, and Gillingham will be hoping to pull off a cup upset when they take on Charlton Athletic at Priestfield Stadium on Saturday.

Gillingham are currently in seventh place in League Two after 20 matches, while the visitors are 10th in the League One standings and carrying excellent momentum into this encounter.

We say: Gillingham 1-2 Charlton Athletic

Charlton have found good rhythm over the last month and are carrying all the momentum coming into this match. They have been the superior side in this encounter in recent times as well, and we fancy they will be the ones to progress to round three in this competition.

Stevenage vs. Port Vale (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Stevenage will attempt to extend their unbeaten run to 10 competitive matches when they face fellow League One side Port Vale in Saturday's FA Cup clash.

The visitors, meanwhile, will head into the second-round tie off the back of an underwhelming run of form after winning just one of their last six matches.

We say: Stevenage 2-1 Port Vale

Although Stevenage will be prioritising their promotion push, we still think they have the quality and belief required to get the better of their opponents, who have lost three of their last five competitive games.

Newport vs. Barnet (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Fourth-tier Newport County will welcome National League Barnet to Rodney Parade on Saturday for an FA Cup second-round tie.

The two sides have met on two previous occasions in the main competition, with the Welsh hosts coming out on top most recently in the second round of the 2015-16 edition.

We say: Newport County 3-1 Barnet

While Barnet are in the midst of a rut in their league campaign, they do still have the tools to pose a threat to Newport County, particularly going forward.

We anticipate them causing problems for the Exiles but ultimately see the hosts booking their place in the third round given their superior quality all over the pitch.

Oxford Utd vs. Grimsby Town (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Oxford United boss Des Buckingham will look to claim the first win of his tenure when his side welcomes Grimsby Town to the Kassam Stadium for Saturday's FA Cup tie.

Grimsby boss David Artell is also hoping to secure his maiden victory after seeing his side play out a draw with MK Dons in his first game in charge.

We say: Oxford United 3-1 Grimsby Town

Oxford are overwhelming favourites to advance from Saturday's encounter, and we expect the U's to live up to that tag by claiming a relatively comfortable victory over a Grimsby side that has failed to win a single away game this season.

Sutton vs. Horsham (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Following their reinstatement into the competition, non-league Horsham will travel to take on fourth-tier Sutton United on Saturday in the FA Cup second round.

The hosts progressed to this stage with a first-round victory over AFC Fylde, while their visitors fell short against Barnsley but find themselves reinstated with their opponents removed from the competition.

We say: Sutton United 3-1 Horsham

While Horsham's display at Oakwell showed that they can certainly take the game to higher opposition and cause problems, we do not anticipate them pulling off another similar result this weekend, and while they may cause problems for Gray's side, Sutton should have what it takes to come out on top on home turf and book their place in the third round.