Computer game tips West Brom for the FA Cup
Not for Sports Interactive the makers of 'Football Manager 2008', any talk of the 'romance' of the Cup.
The PC version of the game was given two weeks to go through all the data regarding the four semi-finalists – Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion, Barnsley and Cardiff.
And its conclusion: West Brom beat Cardiff 2-1 in extra-time in the final to take the Cup back to The Hawthorns for the first time since 1968.
However, the Baggies first have to overcome a penalty shoot-out against Portsmouth, the only Premier League side left in this season's competition, in Saturday's first semi-final.
According to the computer game, Robert Koren opens the scoring for West Brom from a first-half penalty before Nwankwo Kanu, a former West Brom player, draws Pompey level.
Extra-time is "pretty much a non-event" and when the game goes to penalties Sulley Muntari, Pompey's spot-kick hero in their 1-0 quarter-final win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, shoots straight at the keeper.
Portsmouth defender Glen Johnson then misses the decisive penalty and the Baggies go through.
Sunday's second semi-final between Cardiff and Barnsley is set to feature an "incredibly dire" first-half.
The second period sees the Welsh side get on top and when Rob Kozluk gives away a penalty in extra-time, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scores from the spot to take Cardiff through.
And so to the final where West Brom's Roman Bednar scores in the 10th minute before Cardiff's Stephen McPhail equalises 21 minutes from time.
But Slovenia midfielder Koren, who in reality has scored nine goals this season, proves the Baggies hero once again to seal victory with just a few minutes of normal time remaining.
Betting enthusiasts and bookmakers alike, you can't say you weren't warned.
But for others on Saturday, their only punt is likely to come from the rather less exhaustive method of sticking a pin in the list of runners for Britain's Grand National horse race.
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