Good evening and welcome to live coverage of tonight’s three FA Cup fifth round ties with a place in the last eight up for grabs for the winners. The match between the two six-time winners Blackburn Rovers (last Cup win 1928) and Newcastle United (1955) will be our principal focus as John Eustace takes on Eddie Howe as Newcastle try to make it into the sixth round for only the second time in 18 years and open up a different route to a European spot next season given their injury travails, slump in league form and Saturday’s thrashing by Arsenal.
The second 7.45pm tie features Premier League Bournemouth, who have been to the quarter-final but no further in 1957 and 2021, taking on the Championship leaders Leicester City, winners for the only time in 2021. Andoni Iraola is certainly looking forward to it: “I think it’s a good chance for us. It’s a great chance, also a challenge, but a win tomorrow, I think it’s very nice to have the chance to be in the last eight, but also we know that it’s going to be a big challenge because we are facing a very big team.
“We don’t have a lot of time [to prepare], but I think Leicester are playing really, really well. I think they are showing that they are the best team in the Championship. I expect a very difficult game, but I hope we are at our best level and then we will have chances.”
Iraola confirmed defender Lloyd Kelly will remain unavailable for Bournemouth’s first FA Cup meeting with the Foxes, while Philip Billing will return from his three-match suspension after he was sent off in the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Finally, Man City, the holders, travel to ‘the Kenny’ to play Luton Town, who were finalists just the once under Syd Owen in 1959. No question of priorities for Pep Guardiola as he targets another Treble: “Tomorrow is a final, like every game in Premier League and of course in Champions League. The decisive part of the season is here ahead of us, in front of us, not far away, and we are going for it.
“It’s better to play for this than being 10th in the table and [having] no chance for that. The feeling is that if you lose – bye-bye. It’s so nice.”