Post by Stortfordspur on Mar 11, 2007 10:10:23 GMT
Ewood Park
Sunday, 11 March
Quarter-Final
Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Replay date (if required): Monday, 19 March, 1945 GMT
Coverage on the BBC Sport website and BBC Radio Five Live
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackburn will be without David Dunn (suspended) but Congo striker Shabani Nonda is set to return after illness.
Andy Todd is still out after undergoing an operation on his injured knee.
Manchester City's Emile Mpenza is pushing for his first start as Georgios Samaras and Bernado Corradi were both ineffective in the defeat by Wigan.
Darius Vassell (hamstring) and Paul Dickov (toe) could also come into contention after being sidelined through injury.
News conference: Blackburn boss Mark Hughes
News conference: Man City boss Stuart Pearce
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackburn (from): Friedel, Emerton, Henchoz, Khizanishvili, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Berner, Bentley, Tugay, Mokoena, Pedersen, McCarthy, Roberts, Nonda, Brown, Derbyshire, Gallagher.
Man City (from): Weaver, Richards, Dunne, Distin, Ball, Trabelsi, Barton, Ireland, Beasley, Samaras, Corradi, Isaksson, Jihai, Dabo, Vassell, Hamann, Dickov, Sturridge, Mpenza, Miller.
BIG-MATCH FACTS
606: DEBATE
Give your thoughts on the match at Ewood Park
BLACKBURN ROVERS are plotting to knock out a third Premiership club this season, in order to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for only the second occasion since 1960, and 18th time in their history. Having breezed past Everton in the third round at Goodison Park, and adopted ultra-defensive tactics against Arsenal in the last 16 before beating them in the Ewood Park replay with a late effort from "goal-per-round" Benni McCarthy, Mark Hughes' side now prepare to host Manchester City.
Rovers have already 'doubled' City in the Premiership with an aggregate score of 7-2. They were bottom of the table when they entertained them in mid-September and gained their first victory of the season.
Blackburn Rovers 4-2 Manchester City - Match report
Manchester City 0-3 Blackburn Rovers - Match Report
Blackburn are unbeaten in seven League encounters against City. They go into this north-west derby on a five-game undefeated run, having conceded just one goal in the five games. They've won their last three in League and Cup, and kept three consecutive clean sheets in front of the home supporters.
Mark Hughes was the only player to have picked up four FA Cup winners' medals in the 20th century. He tasted success with Manchester United in 1985, 1990 and 1994 and with Chelsea in 1997. But he is not the only player to have collected four - indeed in the previous century three players picked up five each.
Hughes is hoping to steer his side to the silverware for the seventh time in their history, and the first in 79 years. They last figured in the Wembley showpiece in 1960, after defeating Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals. They then lost 3-0 to Wolves in the final. Their only semi-final appearance since was two seasons ago, when beaten 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium, by eventual winners Arsenal.
MANCHESTER CITY take a diversion from the Premiership, where they sit immediately above the relegation zone, separated from the bottom three by some six points. Home victories over Sheffield Wednesday in the third round replay and Southampton in the fourth round, and the 1-3 eclipse of Preston at Deepdale in the last 16 have been interspersed by four League defeats. Now Stuart Pearce's men prepare to face Premiership opposition for the first time in this Cup run.
The four times winners and four times losing-finalists are making a second successive appearance in the last eight, and attempting to reach the semi-finals for the 11th time in their history. They were knocked out by eventual runners-up West Ham at this same stage twelve months ago. City last lifted the silverware 38 years ago, beating Leicester 1-0 in the final. On the way, they eliminated Blackburn with a 1-4 victory at Ewood Park in the fifth round on 24 February 1969. Francis Lee and Tony Coleman scored a brace a piece. It was the fourth and most recent occasion these clubs had been drawn together in the FA Cup, and the third time in a row City had knocked out their Lancashire rivals.
Stuart Pearce is one of those managers who knows what it's like to play in the FA Cup final and suffer defeat. The City boss collected a runners-up medal with Nottingham Forest in 1991, when his free kick (conceded by Paul Gascoigne's reckless challenge on Gary Charles) put Forest ahead. Spurs equalised through Paul Stewart, and then won the trophy courtesy of Des Walker's own goal in extra time. Pearce was also a losing finalist with Newcastle in 1998, when the Magpies found themselves unable to prevent Arsenal from achieving the League and Cup double.
Sunday, 11 March
Quarter-Final
Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Replay date (if required): Monday, 19 March, 1945 GMT
Coverage on the BBC Sport website and BBC Radio Five Live
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackburn will be without David Dunn (suspended) but Congo striker Shabani Nonda is set to return after illness.
Andy Todd is still out after undergoing an operation on his injured knee.
Manchester City's Emile Mpenza is pushing for his first start as Georgios Samaras and Bernado Corradi were both ineffective in the defeat by Wigan.
Darius Vassell (hamstring) and Paul Dickov (toe) could also come into contention after being sidelined through injury.
News conference: Blackburn boss Mark Hughes
News conference: Man City boss Stuart Pearce
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blackburn (from): Friedel, Emerton, Henchoz, Khizanishvili, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Berner, Bentley, Tugay, Mokoena, Pedersen, McCarthy, Roberts, Nonda, Brown, Derbyshire, Gallagher.
Man City (from): Weaver, Richards, Dunne, Distin, Ball, Trabelsi, Barton, Ireland, Beasley, Samaras, Corradi, Isaksson, Jihai, Dabo, Vassell, Hamann, Dickov, Sturridge, Mpenza, Miller.
BIG-MATCH FACTS
606: DEBATE
Give your thoughts on the match at Ewood Park
BLACKBURN ROVERS are plotting to knock out a third Premiership club this season, in order to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for only the second occasion since 1960, and 18th time in their history. Having breezed past Everton in the third round at Goodison Park, and adopted ultra-defensive tactics against Arsenal in the last 16 before beating them in the Ewood Park replay with a late effort from "goal-per-round" Benni McCarthy, Mark Hughes' side now prepare to host Manchester City.
Rovers have already 'doubled' City in the Premiership with an aggregate score of 7-2. They were bottom of the table when they entertained them in mid-September and gained their first victory of the season.
Blackburn Rovers 4-2 Manchester City - Match report
Manchester City 0-3 Blackburn Rovers - Match Report
Blackburn are unbeaten in seven League encounters against City. They go into this north-west derby on a five-game undefeated run, having conceded just one goal in the five games. They've won their last three in League and Cup, and kept three consecutive clean sheets in front of the home supporters.
Mark Hughes was the only player to have picked up four FA Cup winners' medals in the 20th century. He tasted success with Manchester United in 1985, 1990 and 1994 and with Chelsea in 1997. But he is not the only player to have collected four - indeed in the previous century three players picked up five each.
Hughes is hoping to steer his side to the silverware for the seventh time in their history, and the first in 79 years. They last figured in the Wembley showpiece in 1960, after defeating Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals. They then lost 3-0 to Wolves in the final. Their only semi-final appearance since was two seasons ago, when beaten 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium, by eventual winners Arsenal.
MANCHESTER CITY take a diversion from the Premiership, where they sit immediately above the relegation zone, separated from the bottom three by some six points. Home victories over Sheffield Wednesday in the third round replay and Southampton in the fourth round, and the 1-3 eclipse of Preston at Deepdale in the last 16 have been interspersed by four League defeats. Now Stuart Pearce's men prepare to face Premiership opposition for the first time in this Cup run.
The four times winners and four times losing-finalists are making a second successive appearance in the last eight, and attempting to reach the semi-finals for the 11th time in their history. They were knocked out by eventual runners-up West Ham at this same stage twelve months ago. City last lifted the silverware 38 years ago, beating Leicester 1-0 in the final. On the way, they eliminated Blackburn with a 1-4 victory at Ewood Park in the fifth round on 24 February 1969. Francis Lee and Tony Coleman scored a brace a piece. It was the fourth and most recent occasion these clubs had been drawn together in the FA Cup, and the third time in a row City had knocked out their Lancashire rivals.
Stuart Pearce is one of those managers who knows what it's like to play in the FA Cup final and suffer defeat. The City boss collected a runners-up medal with Nottingham Forest in 1991, when his free kick (conceded by Paul Gascoigne's reckless challenge on Gary Charles) put Forest ahead. Spurs equalised through Paul Stewart, and then won the trophy courtesy of Des Walker's own goal in extra time. Pearce was also a losing finalist with Newcastle in 1998, when the Magpies found themselves unable to prevent Arsenal from achieving the League and Cup double.