Blackburn Rovers vs Newcastle United

Ewood Park is the venue as Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United go head-to-head in an exciting FA Cup fifth-round tie.

New Blackburn manager John Eustace has endured a false start to his tenure at Ewood Park as a 1-1 home draw against Norwich City last weekend condemned him to a four-match winless run at the beginning of his career in Lancashire (D3, L1). Another underwhelming result left the Riversiders stranded only four points clear of the Championship relegation territory, perhaps highlighting the significance of picking up a result in the FA Cup fifth round. Blackburn crashed Premier League opposition out of this stage of the competition last term and will be looking to replicate that success, bidding to advance into the quarter-finals for the first time since the 1920s. However, taking on Newcastle in the FA Cup has historically spelled trouble for Blackburn as they’ve lost seven of their nine previous ties (W2).

On the other hand, Newcastle United’s topsy-turvy start to 2024 hit a new low at the weekend as Arsenal thumped them 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium, halting their mini-revival (W3, L2). Back on the road again, the Magpies won’t feel overly concerned about leaving St James’ Park after winning both FA Cup away ties this season ‘to nil.’ FA Cup fifth-round specialists should have a walk in the park here, having progressed from this stage in their last eight attempts, most recently in 2019/20. Maintaining that record at Ewood Park would see Newcastle match a piece of history, as it’d mark their third consecutive H2H victory for the first time in over 40 years.