National cups are something special for many teams and supporters. Today's match will decide whether it's Darlington or Chester that keep their silverware dream alive.
There have been little to rest for the hosting team, as they performed in a Vanarama National League North match only four days ago. At least it's nice to return home after that away game at Brackley Town.
Darlington form and stats
Darlington was eliminated in the 2nd round last season in the FA Cup.Two defeats in a row at home hurts for Darlington, their manager A. Armstrong and the supporters. There are certain expectations for improvement.
Darlington are returning here after visiting Brackley Town in a Vanarama National League North game and winning with a 3-1 scoreline.
2-2 away at Blyth Spartans before that.Darlington have prepared for this season with one friendly games versus mixed opposition. Results from training matches should always be treated with caution, but the takeaways from these one matches are 0 victories, 0 draws and 1 losses. In these games, Darlington have scored 1 goal and conceded 5 times.
Chester form and stats
Chester's mission in FA Cup last season failed in the 4th round qualifying.With two straight losses from their last two away games, Chester are hoping that it's time for some travel points again.
Chester play their second straight away game, having lost the previous one 1-4 to Chorley.
A home win before that, celebrating 3-2 vs Alfreton Town.Just as the home team, Chester have been through a few friendly games in the intense training period that just finished. The results from these training matches are 5 Chester wins, 1 draw and 3 losses.
Head 2 Head
Head-to-head totals (for the prior four meetings): Darlington won one game, zero matches ended in a draw and Chester have three wins. Over 2,5 goals / under 2,5 goals: two / twoTop Goalscorers
  W. Hatfield 3 goals |  L. Charman 3 goals | J. Cassidy 2 goals |
Darlington missing players
Chester missing players
| Darlington | Chester | ||||||
| Total | Home | Statistics | Stat | Away | Total | ||
| 25 | 14 | Played | P | 13 | 25 | ||
| 11 | 5 | Won | W | 4 | 11 | ||
| 3 | 2 | Drew | D | 3 | 5 | ||
| 11 | 7 | Lost | L | 6 | 9 | ||
| 47 | 29 | Scored | S | 24 | 48 | ||
| 38 | 22 | Conceded | C | 26 | 42 | ||
| 96% | 93% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 92% | 92% | ||
| 84% | 86% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 85% | 84% | ||
| 68% | 71% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 85% | 76% | ||
| 44% | 50% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 54% | 44% | ||
| 28% | 36% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 38% | 32% | ||
| 56% | 64% | BTTS | BTTS | 85% | 68% | ||
| 28% | 29% | Clean Sheets | C S | 15% | 24% | ||
| 20% | 14% | Failed to Score | F T | 8% | 16% | ||
| 5 | 6 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 5.8 | 5.6 | ||
| 3.6 | 4.1 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 4.5 | 4.9 | ||
| 1.6 | 1.2 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 0.9 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | Red cards | R C | 1 | 3 | ||
| 12.6 | 15 | Shots (avg) | S ( | 10 | 9.8 | ||
| 5.3 | 6.3 | Shots on Target (avg) | S O | 4.7 | 4.4 | ||
| 36% | 33% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 39% | 44% | ||