Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United: Sky Sports pundit issues FA Cup prediction | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers have failed to win any of their last four matches in the league.

But Tuesday night offers the Lancashire outfit a distraction from their poor form in the Championship.

John Eustace’s side hosts Premier League team Newcastle United in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Rovers reached the quarter-finals of last year’s edition of the competition, and can repeat that feat again this season with a victory over the Magpies.

However, Eddie Howe’s side will pose a significant threat at Ewood Park midweek given their status as a top flight club.

Alan Smith expects Howe’s side to come through this game despite the potential for a cup upset that Rovers possess.

The former Arsenal striker believes the cup presents a chance for Newcastle to turn the tide of their poor league form, having slipped to ninth in the table after a 4-1 loss to Arsenal on Saturday.

“I think this will be an interesting game,” said Smith via NewBettingSites.uk.

“Newcastle have a strong affinity to the FA Cup but haven’t been doing too well in the Premier League so far this season.

“Blackburn flirted at the bottom of the Championship for a bit but, with their home fans, they might fancy it.

“Having said that, I think Newcastle will have enough in them to progress.”

Blackburn Rovers league position

It has been a difficult campaign for Blackburn, with Eustace replacing Jon Dahl Tomasson as manager amid problems behind the scenes at Ewood Park.

The 44-year-old has overseen one win, one loss and three draws from his first five games as manager.

While the team sits 16th in the table, the gap to the relegation zone is just four points with 12 games remaining in the campaign.

The drop to League One is still a very real threat for Blackburn this season, so perhaps the FA Cup clash with Newcastle will provide a welcome distraction to Eustace’s side.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have struggled to maintain the same competitive level as they showed last year.

Howe’s side earned a fourth place finish in the Premier League in the previous campaign, but are now 15 points behind fourth place Aston Villa with 12 games to go.

The Magpies were also dumped out of Europe at the group stage of the Champions League, finishing bottom of their group.

The FA Cup meeting between these two sides gets underway at Ewood Park at 7.45pm on Tuesday evening.

Blackburn have a shot at a cup upset this midweek

Blackburn are not in the best of form in recent weeks, but have proven difficult to beat under Eustace.

The new manager’s counter-attacking style of play may be suited to earning a big cup win over Premier League opposition.

Newcastle aren’t in the best of form at the minute, and have been quite inconsistent this season, so could be vulnerable.

Securing a place in the quarter-finals would be a great achievement, especially if they can do so by knocking out a top flight side on their way there, so there is every reason to give this game everything they can despite their league concerns.