FA Cup: Blackburn Rovers v Manchester City match preview
A look ahead to this weekend's FA Cup clash at Ewood Park
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City will travel to Ewood Park this Saturday to face the Rovers for the first time in over a year.
Although hopes for the Championship were dashed at the end of last year, January isn’t looking as grim for Rovers. The team started 2014 on the right foot, with a strong 2-1 result against Leeds United on New Year’s Day.
Their new-found good luck may end this weekend with the FA Cup match against City, who have shown impressive skill this season and have won their last six matches against major rivals. Manuel Pellegrini’s side are in top form and will probably expect little resistance from Blackburn this weekend.
Gary Bowyer will have an uphill struggle ahead of him, especially as Blackburn has failed to win a game against City in the last seven years. The Rovers manager will rely on home advantage, striker Jordan Rhodes’ right foot and defender Scott Dann to avoid history repeating itself this Saturday.
City will turn up the heat with the excellent midfielders Yaya Toure and Fernandinho as an easy first choice to score key goals and put them one step closer to winning the FA Cup they narrowly missed out on last season.
KICK-OFF: Saturday, 12.45 pm
PAST THREE MEETINGS:
Man City 3 (Balotelli, Aguero, Dzeko) Blackburn 0, Premier League, February 2012
Blackburn 0 Man City 4 (Johnson, Balotelli, Nasri, Savic), Premier League, October 2011
Blackburn 0 Man City 1 (Dzeko), Premier League, April 2011
STATS:
Blackburn haven’t won a game against Manchester City since September 2007. That same year in March, in their last FA Cup match City, Rovers won the match with a 2-1 score at home.
The last title Rovers won was the Football League Cup in 2002.
Manchester City have won or tied in their last ten matches this season.
ODDS:
Blackburn Rovers to win: 13
Manchester City to win: 1.2
Draw: 5
TV: Live on BT Sport1 at 12.45, Highlights on ITV at 11.05pm.
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