Newcastle travel to Ewood Park on Tuesday for their FA Cup third-round replay against Blackburn Rovers.
It took a late penalty from Matt Ritchie to rescue the initial tie for the Magpies, who had fallen behind at St James’ Park to a goal from Bradley Dack, which threatened to be the cause of a significant upset.
Rafael Benitez’s side, however, remain in the running to face Watford in the fourth round.
| Game | Blackburn v Newcastle |
| Date | Tuesday, January 15 |
| Time | 5:30pm GMT / 12:30pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed via ESPN+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBC | ESPN+ |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BT Sport 2, BT Sport 4K UHD and streamed via BT Sport Live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 2 / BT Sport 4K UHD | BT Sport Live |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Blackburn squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Raya, Leutwiler, Albinson, Fisher |
| Defenders | Mulgrew, Lenihan, Downing, Bell, Williams, Hart, Nyambe, Travis |
| Midfielders | Rodwell, Davenport, Reed, Evans, Rothwell, Smallwood, Gladwin, Lyons, Tomlinson, Bennett, Dack |
| Forwards | Conway, Brereton, Armstrong, Graham, Samuel, Nuttall |
Charlie Mulgrew and Derrick Williams may return after missing the weekend’s match against Millwall, while Corry Evans is a doubt.
Richie Smallwood, meanwhile, is available after a ban.
Possible Blackburn starting XI: Raya; Bennett, Lenihan, Rodwell, Bell; Travis, Evans, Reed, Dack; Armstrong, Nuttall
| Position | Newcastle squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Dubravka, Elliot, Darlow, Woodman |
| Defenders | Clark, Lascelles, Manquillo, Yedlin, Schar, Fernandez, Lejeune, Lazaar |
| Midfielders | Murphy, Shelvey, Ritchie, Atsu, Hayden |
| Forwards | Perez, Joselu, Rondon |
Newcastle are hampered by injuries heading into this match. Karl Darlow is still struggling and very unlikely to play, while Paul Dummett and Mohamed Diame are sidelined.
Jonjo Shelvey needs a fitness test and given Newcastle’s reticence to play a strong side in the first meeting, it would be surprising to see him feature.
Ki Sung-yueng and Yoshnori Muto are on international duty.
Callum Roberts could feature, three years after making his debut for the club, while youngsters Sean Longstaff and Freddie Woodman are tipped to figure from the off.
Possible Newcastle starting XI: Woodman; Manquillo, Sterry, Schar, Clark, Kenedy; Murphy, S. Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu; Joselu
Betting & Match Odds
Blackburn may be the Championship side, but bet365 have them priced as 6/4 favourites to win. Newcastle can be backed at 2/1 while the draw is 12/5.
Match Preview
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Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has made it clear that the FA Cup, for now, is not a priority for his team.
The Magpies fielded a weakened team when they first tackled Blackburn at St James’ Park and, after a 2-1 loss to Chelsea at the weekend, they find themselves in the Premier League relegation zone. Survival has to be their top priority, with a vital home encounter against Cardiff City to come at the weekend.
“The Premier League is massive. You have £130 million guaranteed if you are there,” Benitez said ahead of the replay. “Everyone is trying to manage the situation.”
“You have to be realistic. Who's in the final of the Carabao Cup? One of the top sides.
“And who can be in the final of the FA Cup? Now it’s even worse because the reserve team of one of these teams, they can beat another one.
“Who has a chance, a realistic chance? Teams in the middle of the table because they can have a go because they are safe. The other teams, you have to manage it really carefully.”
Blackburn Rovers, meanwhile, find themselves in the middle of the Championship table, having positioned themselves on the very fringes of the extensive dogfight for the playoffs.
Last weekend they scored twice in the last five minutes to dispatch Millwall, with Joe Nuttall and ex-Newcastle striker Adam Armstrong on target.
“We're playing a Premier League side,” Rovers manager Tony Mowbray said.
“The team know how tough the game is going to be but we always believe we can win, particularly at home.
“We have a level of belief that we can ask questions and put them on the back foot.”
Rovers, though, have lost their last three FA Cup ties against Premier League opponents, with Stoke their last victims in the 2014-15 campaign.
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