Seeking a noteworthy FA Cup scalp to reach the fifth round for the first time in 27 years, Wrexham travel to Ewood Park to lock horns with Blackburn Rovers on Monday night.
Jon Dahl Tomasson's men pummelled Cambridge United 5-2 to make it to round four, while their League Two counterparts edged past Shrewsbury Town 1-0 in the third phase.
Match preview
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The Ewood Park spotlight briefly belonged to Cambridge's Jack Lankester during their third-round battle with Blackburn, as the 24-year-old opened the scoring within the opening six minutes before also laying the ball on a plate for Sully Kaikai to notch the visitors' second.
Sammie Szmodics had opened Blackburn's account for the day in between Cambridge's pair of strikes, though, and the Rovers talisman soon stole Lankester's thunder by completing a terrific treble before half time, and further strikes from Arnor Sigurdsson and Harry Leonard sealed an emphatic victory.
A dominant force in the FA Cup during the late 19th century, Blackburn have six trophies glistening in their cabinet, but their most recent FA Cup crown was won all the way back in the 1927-28 season, and they suffered five consecutive third-round exits before reaching the quarter-finals last year.
Sheffield United would be the ones to send them pecking in the 2022-23 last eight - Wrexham can therefore empathise with their hosts when it comes to being put to the sword by the Blades - but the thrashing of Cambridge represents Blackburn's only win from their last eight contests in all tournaments.
Since advancing to round four of the FA Cup, Tomasson has overseen a 4-1 humbling at the hands of West Bromwich Albion and 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town in the Championship, leaving Rovers in an unsightly 17th place, and seven of their last eight games have seen the hosts ship multiple goals.
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Another knockout upset is therefore not beyond the realm of possibility should Wrexham expose Blackburn's defensive shortcomings on Monday night, but attacking fireworks did not fly during the Red Dragons' third-round meeting with Shrewsbury, where centre-back Thomas O'Connor was the hero with the game's only goal in the 72nd minute.
Prior to that nervy third-round beating, Wrexham also asserted their dominance on Mansfield Town and Yeovil Town in the earlier stages and can now look ahead to successive fourth-round ties for the first time since 2000, although they were also added to Sheffield United's list of victims at this stage last year.
The Red Dragons have now tried and failed on three occasions to win an FA Cup fourth-round tie since a memorable run to the quarter-finals in 1996-97, and their morale levels took a hit in their last League Two fixture on January 20; a heated affair with Newport County saw Will Boyle sent off and Wrexham fall to a 1-0 defeat.
By virtue of their beating at Rodney Parade, Phil Parkinson's team squandered the chance to leapfrog Stockport County at the top of the League Two table as they were subjected to just their fifth defeat in any tournaments since the start of September, four of which have come on their travels.
Both sides will be entering unchartered territory on Monday, though, as Blackburn and Wrexham have never butted heads in the FA Cup before, and the Red Dragons emerged victorious by a 1-0 scoreline in their last league meeting, although that was 41 years ago.
Team News
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On Wednesday, Blackburn announced the signing of Irish defender Connor O'Riordan on a permanent deal, but the 20-year-old has already featured for Crewe Alexandra in this season's FA Cup and is therefore cup-tied for the remainder of Rovers' run this season.
Tomasson will rue not having O'Riordan available to make his debut this weekend, as both Hayden Carter and Harry Pickering sustained hamstring injuries in Saturday's stalemate with Huddersfield; the latter will be back in a few weeks, but the former is facing months of rehabilitation.
The defensive duo join Ryan Hedges in the treatment room as the 28-year-old rehabilitates from his own long-term hamstring injury, while Sam Barnes and John Buckley are unavailable too, but on a much-needed positive note, Tyrhys Dolan is now ready for action again after a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
Wrexham will also be forced into a defensive rejig at Ewood Park, as owing to his 18th-minute red card in the loss to Newport for a high challenge on Shane McLoughlin, Boyle is out through suspension.
Eoghan O'Connell should fill the rearguard void for Wrexham, who could have left-back Jacob Mendy available again after his Gambia side crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations without a single point to their name.
Injured trio Steven Fletcher, Andy Cannon and Anthony Forde remain absent, and they have now been joined in the infirmary by Shrewsbury match-winner O'Connor, who is nursing a foot fracture.
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Wahlstedt; Rankin-Costello, Hyam, S. Wharton; Brittain, Garrett, A. Wharton, Sigurdsson, Chrisene; Szmodics, Leonard
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Boyle, O'Connell, Cleworth, Tozer, McClean; Evans, Jones; Lee; Dalby, Mullin
We say: Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Wrexham
Enforced defensive alterations on both ends should give rise to an exciting affair at Ewood Park, especially given Blackburn's propensity to both score and concede, but Rovers' rearguard woes should not prove too costly on Monday.
Wrexham ought to put up a good fight and should come up with the goods in the attacking third on at least one occasion, but a Blackburn side with plenty of recent errors to rectify should prove too strong for the League Two promotion-chasers.
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Ben Knapton
