FA Cup Quarter Final Replay: Blackburn v Liverpool

Last season there was the infamous Steven Gerrard slip which saw the title shout slip away from the grasp of the Merseysiders with only a few games left. This season the back to back defeats to top four challengers Manchester United and a whooping by Arsenal has seen their title challenge gone for this season. At the moment a top four finish wasn’t likely until Manchester City were upset at Palace on Monday night.

For Liverpool fans this will be an emotional season as they say goodbye to the Captain Steven Gerrard. Born in Liverpool and only ever having played club football for Liverpool he really has been a guy they have looked at and, sometimes relied on, to get them across whatever line they set themselves. It would be fitting, with a Premier League trophy now not in his future, that adding a third FA Cup would be a somewhat fitting end. Even to be in the Final, with it being at Wembley, home of England and in Liverpool colors, wouldn’t be a bad way to bow out of English football. However before they dream of waving goodbye to their club hero through tear stained eyes in London they have to get past Blackburn first.

Blackburn, who by the way have won the Premier League more times than Liverpool, are in decent form as they go into this game and will be no pushovers. The two clubs have met 128 times in the league with Liverpool winning fifty four, Blackburn thirty five. The really interesting comparison though comes in a game 57 years ago, in the FA Cup Sixth round when Blackburn hosted Liverpool.
Blackburn were also in the second tier when that game was played, but so were Liverpool. Blackburn ran out 2-1 winners on that day although Blackburn have never gone through against Liverpool when the game has required a replay, so there is some hope for you Liverpool fans.

To the actual game today though and Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will be without the man of the hour, Stevie G along with Martin Skrtel and Emre Can who are all suspended. Will this be the game that Mario Balotelli steps up and wins over the Liverpool faithful? It certainly could be but after ruling himself out of Saturdays game I am not entirely sure where his head is at the moment.

Blackburn are in a similar boat to Liverpool at this stage of the season, although maybe Liverpool have more right to target that top four finish. For Blackburn, currently tenth in the Sky Bet Championship, they are too far back to be targeting a playoff place and certainly safe from relegation. Blackburn have won this competition twice as many times as Liverpool but all but one were in the 1884-1891 ‘glory years’. Their most recent lifting of the trophy happened just ten years after the end of the First World War, beating Huddersfield in 1928.

Jason is a Freelance Soccer Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @PACityboy and www.facebook.com/jasonbardwell1979