All the essential information ahead of Sunday's Emirates FA Cup clash
The background
It’s time for Emirates FA Cup action again this weekend when the Hammers travel to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday for their fifth round tie.West Ham’s cup run has been a dramatic one already, with a late winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers in round three being followed by an even later winner against Liverpool last time out.
Slaven Bilic’s men needed a replay to defeat the Reds following a 0-0 draw at Anfield, and penalties looked like the method of settling the tie as the subsequent Boleyn Ground meeting stood locked at 1-1 in the final minute of extra time.
But then Dimitri Payet delivered an outstanding free-kick and Angelo Ogbonna leapt high to plant a header beyond Simon Mignolet and send the Hammers through.
Blackburn, meanwhile, were 2-1 winners at League Two Newport County in the third round, and they beat opposition from the same division, Oxford United, in the last 32.
They sit 18th in the Sky Bet Championship table, having picked up their first league win in nine attempts in midweek, when they defeated Fulham 3-0.
The history
This will be the first time the clubs have met since they were together in the top flight in the 2010/11 campaign.Then, the two games ended 1-1, with Thomas Hitzlsperger cancelling out a Jason Roberts goal at the Boleyn Ground. At Ewood Park, Junior Stanislas was the man to notch the Hammers’ equaliser after Ryan Nelsen opened the scoring.
The last five Blackburn-West Ham games have ended all-square, with the east Londoners’ last victory at Ewood Park coming in December 2007 when Dean Ashton scored the only goal of the game.
In the FA Cup, the teams met in the Hammers’ 2006 run to the final, when they won 4-2 at the Boleyn Ground. In all, they have been drawn together six times in the competition, with each side progressing three times.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
West Ham are light up front and at right back for this fixture, with Enner Valencia (ankle) and Andy Carroll (adductor) joining Diafra Sakho on the sidelines. However, Emmanuel Emenike is eligible to play from this round onwards.At right back, James Tomkins (calf) and Joey O’Brien (hamstring) are out injured, while Sam Byram is cup tied.
Manuel Lanzini returns to the fold after missing the majority of 2016 to date with a thigh problem.
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn’s on loan midfielder Jordi Gomez can feature after not being involved for parent club Sunderland earlier in the competition.However, fellow loanees Danny Graham and Matt Grimes are both ineligible after featuring for Sunderland and Swansea City respectively in the FA Cup this season.
Match info
- Sunday’s match referee is Jonathan Moss. He has taken charge of three Hammers games so far this term – the 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth and wins over Chelsea and Aston Villa. Of the four red cards he has issued in 2015/16, three of them have been in West Ham games. On Sunday he will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Mark Scholes. The fourth official is Kevin Friend.- West Ham won their last FA Cup meeting with Blackburn, 4-2 in the 4th round en route to the final in 2006.
- Overall, they’ve met 10 times in the competition (including replays), Blackburn winning three to West Ham’s two (5 draws). West Ham progressed via penalties from one of those draws.
- West Ham are unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions against Blackburn, with six wins followed most recently by five consecutive draws in a row.
- Michail Antonio scored twice in his last appearance against Blackburn Rovers, in a 3-3 draw with Nottingham Forest in the Championship last season.
Ticketing, coverage, travel and other info
- All 7,200 West Ham United tickets have SOLD OUT for this fixture.- Click here for the latest news on the trains and here for the roads.
- We’re set for a wet day in Lancashire on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 7C (45F)
- If you’re not heading to the game, make sure you keep up to date with all the action using our digital channels. The whufc.com Live Match Centre will have live audio commentary and text updates, in-running stats, photos and more. Meanwhile, you can get involved in the conversation on social using #BLAWHU