FA Cup second round, Friday night, live on BBC – this has giant-killing written all over it. Salford have had a rough patch but showed guts in the last round, while Orient arrive sitting comfortably mid-table in League One yet looking vulnerable on the road. The Peninsula will be bouncing and the home side will fancy their chances of causing an upset.

Salford normally line up 4-2-3-1 and sit deep, looking to spring forward quickly. Orient stick with a solid 4-2-3-1 as well but try to keep the ball a bit more. Styles should cancel each other out and make for a tight, physical battle.

Salford are shipping goals for fun at the minute (2.5 conceded per game across last ten) and are getting opened up far too easily. Orient aren’t exactly water-tight themselves but they do create more clear-cut chances, averaging 4.8 shots on target compared to Salford’s 4.2. Set pieces could be massive – Salford concede 0.8 per game from dead balls while Orient nick 0.4, so corners and free-kicks will be key battlegrounds.

Salford’s last ten: 3 wins, 1 draw, 6 defeats – 10 scored, 25 conceded, two clean sheets. They can nick results at home but defensively they’re all over the place.

Orient’s last ten: 4 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats – 18 scored, 16 conceded, two clean sheets. Inconsistent but capable of putting sides to the sword when they click, as the 4-0 at Burton showed.

Salford at home (last 10 competitive): win rate 50%, average 1.6 scored, 2.2 conceded. They’re tough to shift in front of their own fans.

Orient away (last 10 competitive): win rate 30%, average 1.5 scored, 1.8 conceded. Not travel-sick but rarely dominant.

Orient create similar chances to Salford but are far kinder defensively. That gap in xG against suggests the higher-division side should have the edge in quality.

The last five meetings have been split: Orient won 2-0 and 1-0 in 2022/23, Salford smashed 3-0 and 2-0 in 2021/22, and the other one finished 1-1. Home advantage has been massive – the side at the Peninsula has lost only once in those five.

Salford’s defence is leaking like a sieve and Orient have enough quality to punish them, even away from home. The cup magic will keep it competitive, but the League One side should just have too much.

Prediction: Salford City 1-2 Leyton Orient

Best Bet: Leyton Orient to win – the step up in quality and Salford’s defensive frailty make the visitors value.

Value angle: Both Teams To Score – Yes – 68% model chance and Salford always carry threat at home.

Alternative: Over 2.5 goals – 65% combined over rate in recent games.

Cards: Over 3.5 cards – both sides average over 2 bookings each.

Orient finding the net regularly; Salford struggling for goals.

Salford’s back line is a real worry.