Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United Preview: Red Devils continue FA Cup defence

Manchester United continue the defence of their FA Cup crown on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round.

United looking to continue their good run

The Red Devils won the FA Cup for the 12th time last season when they defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 in the final at Wembley and they will be looking to continue their progress this time around as they face their third EFL Championship opponent in a row.

Jose Mourinho's side have confidently seen of Reading and Wigan Athletic in the previous rounds 4-0 at Old Trafford but it will be different this time around as they play away from home against a Rovers side who sit second bottom in the Championship table.

The visitors will be the favourites for the game given the good form the team is on in recent times with only one defeat since November in all competitions against Hull City in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg last month.

Rovers are not a side to be taken lightly

On the other hand, it has been a real struggle this season for Rovers as they are in a real relegation scrap in the Championship after their latest defeat against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday evening.

Despite this though they will be really up for this game to cause a cup upset and they will have received confidence after defeating Queens Park Rangers and Blackpool in the previous rounds.

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Visitors have good memories of this fixture in recent years

The last time these two sides met at Ewood Park saw United win the game 2-0 back in 2012 with the goals that day being scored by Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young.

The sides last met in the FA Cup in the 1984/85 season when United also won that game 2-0 thanks to goals from Gordon Strachan and Paul McGrath.

Team News

In terms of team news for the game, Owen Coyle will be without Hope Akpan and Elliot Bennett for the game due to suspension after both received bans following the 2-1 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in midweek.

Lucas Joao will also miss the game due to being cup-tied, while Tommy Hoban and Corry Evans are still not fit for game after recent injuries and Sam Gallagher also misses out after receiving 12 stitches for a knee inury picked up in midweek but the hosts are expected to play the strongest side they can.

Mourinho could also be without a few players for the game due to injuries.Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are all doubts for the game after missing Thursday's UEFA Europa League game against St Etienne.

Phil Jones though will be hoping to play some part in the game after returning to training recently after a missing a few games with a foot injury, while Luke Shaw is pushing to be giving a chance in the team after being overlooked for the previous four games.

Mourinho has also confirmed that he will play as strong a team as he knows how important each competition is for United.