Arsenal v Blackburn Preview

Little more than sixty hours after both sides have faced stiff tests away from home Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers lock horns in the televised FA Cup fifth round tie at Ashburton Grove tomorrow.

Blackburn will be buoyed by the two away goals they grabbed in a narrow UEFA Cup defeat in Leverkusen, whilst the Gunners will be on a high having overcome bogey side Bolton at the Reebok.

Arsenal face a Champions League test in Eindhoven next Tuesday so Arsene Wenger will once again shuffle his increasingly youthful pack. It would be a surprise if the likes of Henry, Fabregas, and Hleb were to be in the starting line-up.

Long-term casualties Gallas and Van Persie will also be absent, but the form shown by the ‘squad players’ in recent weeks mean that Gooners will still be anticipating a positive outcome to the contest.

Blackburn will arrive in North London without Pedersen, Savage, Ooijer, Reid and Derbyshire and their squad depth will be severely tested. They do however boast in-form Benni McCarthy up front and a former Gunner, David Bentley, who will be keen to embarrass his former employers.

The sides have met twice in recent months and Arsenal grabbed all six Premiership points, winning 6-2 at the Grove in December, before producing a 2-0 raid on Ewood Park last month. The last FA Cup meeting of the pair resulted in a 3-0 semi-final victory for the Gunners just two years ago.

It’s tough to make a compelling case for anything other than a home win. The wily and experienced midfield pairing of Dunn and Tugay will need to roll back the years to nullify the probing of the Arsenal creators. Bentley and Emerton will have to put in a double shift on the flanks to support McCarthy and Nonda whilst denying the hosts space to attack the full-backs.

Yet Arsenal have been far from convincing in a number of home games this season. Eleven times they have had to come back from conceding the first goal in their impressive new abode, and Blackburn will be looking to quieten the crowd in the early stages.

All in all the armchair audience can rightly expect an intriguing encounter.