(Football news) The visitors come into the game coming off a 4-1 Premier League loss at Arsenal, while Blackburn’s most recent game ended in a 1-1 draw with Norwich City in the lower division of English football.

Six FA Cup titles have been won by Blackburn: in 1884, 1885, 1886, 1890, 1891, and 1928. They have also advanced to the competition’s final two times, in 1882 and 1960.

Rovers won’t consider this competition a top priority this year, but they’ve scored plenty of goals in the FA Cup 2023–24, defeating Cambridge United 5-2 in the third round and Wrexham 4-1 in the final. 

John Eustace’s side will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Norwich in the Championship on Saturday afternoon, which made it three straight draws in the second tier of English football.

Blackburn are currently 16th in the Championship table, 16 points off the playoff positions, so it is going to be difficult for them to challenge for promotion this season, and they are only actually four points outside of the relegation zone at a vital stage of the campaign.

Rovers have lost their last two matches against Newcastle, which have been in the League Cup and FA Cup, with the team’s last success over the Magpies coming in a Championship clash in January 2017.

Newcastle, on the other hand, will go into the game coming off a 4-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal, which put an end to the Magpies’ five-game winning streak.

Currently ranked eighth in the Premier League, Eddie Howe’s team will find it challenging to contend for Champions League football in the 2024–25 season, as they are 10 points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth place and 15 points behind Aston Villa in fourth.

Though the next few weeks will be critical in ensuring the club secures European football of some form, winning an FA Cup under the new ownership may not be an opportunity that presents itself too frequently. 

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