After seeing off Premier League opposition at Ewood Park in the last round, Blackburn have been rewarded with another tie at home to top flight opposition. Despite going behind to Swansea last month, Rovers responded to go on and win the game 3-1, meaning they reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the second time in three seasons. Their home form has been strong in general, this season, taking 24 points from their 15 home league games in the Championship. They are 10 points off the top six, however, which means Gary Bowyer may opt to play his strongest team, with a place in the quarter finals at stake.
Mark Hughes returns to a club where he enjoyed spells as both a player and a manager. He actually took Rovers to the semi-final of the competition when in charge but that will not be on his mind as he looked to progress to the next round with his current club. Stoke have already seen off lower league opposition in both their ties rather comfortably it has to be said. A 3-1 home win over Wrexham was followed by a 4-1 win at Rochdale but they will be expecting a more difficult match against a side much closer to them in terms of league standings.
Rudy Gestede was linked with a move away from Blackburn long before the transfer window even opened and the speculation proved to be enough to unsettle the striker, causing him to be left out of the staring line-up for several games. Now the window has closed and he will be at the club for at least the next four months, he’s likely to find himself back in favour. He done himself no harm at all when coming on in the midweek by setting up the winning goal. He’s also Rovers’ top scorer and their chances would be enhanced if he was to start.
Now in his second season in charge of Stoke, Hughes has overseen a big transformation during that time. They are still physical and impose themselves on the opposition but they are not as direct and look to play the ball on the ground a lot more. A change in personnel has obviously helped with that but the club were dealt a massive blow with the serious injury sustained by Bojan last month. He’s been a star since arriving in the summer and it remains to be seen whether or not they can replace his influence.
Both these sides will fancy their chances of progressing to the next round. Blackburn can point to a strong home record whilst Stoke have looked very assured against lower league opposition in this competition. As impressive as their win over Swansea was, it should be remembered that it came against 10 men. Hughes will be well aware of how many of the top clubs have already exited and he will see this as an opportunity to get to Wembley. It might not be as comfortable as it has been in previous rounds but I think the away side will have just about enough here.
Stoke 6/4 @ Betfred
