Wrexham will travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers on Monday night, aiming for a notable victory in the FA Cup fourth round and their first appearance in the fifth round in 27 years.
Wrexham advanced to this stage of the competition after a convincing 5-2 win against Cambridge United, while Blackburn Rovers narrowly defeated Shrewsbury Town 1-0 in the previous round.
Match preview
In their previous FA Cup match against Blackburn, Cambridge’s Jack Lankester scored the opening goal within the first six minutes.
However, Blackburn quickly responded with a goal from Sammie Szmodics. Blackburn’s star player, Jon Dahl Tomasson, then stole the show by scoring an impressive hat-trick before half-time.
Further goals from Arnor Sigurdsson and Harry Leonard secured a comprehensive victory for Blackburn.
Although Blackburn has a rich history in the FA Cup, with six trophies to their name, their most recent triumph came back in the 1927-28 season.
They have struggled in recent years, suffering five consecutive third-round exits before reaching the quarter-finals last year, where they were eliminated by Sheffield United.
Since reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup, Blackburn has experienced mixed results, including a 4-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion and a 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town in the Championship.
Their defensive record has been poor, conceding multiple goals in seven out of their last eight matches.
Wrexham, on the other hand, secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Shrewsbury in the previous round, thanks to a goal from center-back Thomas O’Connor.
Prior to that, they had convincingly defeated Mansfield Town and Yeovil Town in earlier rounds. This is the first time since 2000 that Wrexham has reached the fourth round in successive seasons.
However, Wrexham has struggled to progress further in the FA Cup, failing to win a fourth-round tie since their memorable run to the quarter-finals in the 1996-97 season.
In their most recent League Two fixture, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Newport County, which dealt a blow to their morale.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Blackburn and Wrexham in the FA Cup. In their last league encounter, Wrexham emerged victorious with a 1-0 scoreline, although that match took place 41 years ago.
Team News
Blackburn recently signed Irish defender Connor O’Riordan, but he is cup-tied after featuring for Crewe Alexandra in this season’s FA Cup.
Hayden Carter and Harry Pickering both sustained hamstring injuries in their last match against Huddersfield and will be unavailable.
Ryan Hedges is still recovering from a long-term hamstring injury, while Sam Barnes and John Buckley are also unavailable. However, Tyrhys Dolan has returned from injury and is ready to play.
Wrexham will be without defender Will Boyle, who received a red card in their previous match against Newport County.
Eoghan O’Connell is expected to fill the defensive void. Left-back Jacob Mendy may be available again after Gambia’s early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Steven Fletcher, Andy Cannon, Anthony Forde, and the match-winner against Shrewsbury Town, Thomas O’Connor, are all sidelined with injuries.
Possible Lineups
Blackburn Rovers: (3-5-2)
Wahlstedt;
Rankin-Costello, Hyam, S. Wharton;
Brittain, Garrett, A. Wharton, Sigurdsson, Chrisene;
Szmodics, Leonard
Wrexham: (5-2-1-2)
Okonkwo;
Boyle, O’Connell, Cleworth, Tozer, McClean;
Evans, Jones;
Lee;
Dalby, Mullin
Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Wrexham
Both teams will make defensive changes due to injuries, which could result in an exciting match at Ewood Park. Blackburn has been inconsistent lately, both in terms of scoring and conceding goals.
However, Wrexham should put up a good fight and may find the back of the net at least once.
Ultimately, Blackburn’s recent errors should not hinder them too much, and they are likely to emerge as the victors with a 3-1 scoreline.
