Leicester City v Blackburn Rovers live goal updates
Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of Leicester City against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round.
With European qualification out of the question in the Premier League, the FA Cup is City's last chance of glory this season, and they have a fine opportunity to reach the quarter-finals on Tuesday night. They will be favourites to progress at home to a Championship side in Blackburn.
In their two previous fifth-round matches under Rodgers, City have won 1-0 thanks to late headers, beating Birmingham through Ricardo Pereira in 2020, and then Brighton through Kelechi Iheanacho in their run to the trophy in 2021. That's also the scoreline by which they reached this stage of this year's competition, with slender wins over Gillingham and Walsall.
Blackburn, meanwhile, overcame two fellow Championship sides in Norwich and Birmingham to get to this point. They are nine unbeaten in all competitions and sit in the play-off places, and so will provide City's sternest test in the FA Cup so far.
We are live at the King Power Stadium to bring you action, analysis, and reaction. Kick-off is at 7.30, with team news due at 6.30.
Team news - Six changes18:33
28 minJordan Blackwell
For the past 10 minutes or so, Blackburn have probably been the better side, and City have struggled to get out of their own half.
They're experimenting with Ricardo in a defensive midfield position when they have the ball and it's not helping, as it means the defence have one fewer player to pass to.
18 minJordan Blackwell
That's a huge chance for the visitors as the work it down the right and find Szmodics in acres in the box. Iversen gets down well to save with his feet.
Moments earlier, Thomas, who is already on a booking, slips to give Gallagher a chance that Iversen saves.
15 minJordan Blackwell
The reason Rodgers prefers Ward over Iversen is because the Welshman is better with his feet. And a poor kick from Iversen leads to a Blackburn chance that Faes has to block.
At the other end, City are denied by Pears again as Barnes slips in Vardy, whose powerful shot is saved by the Rovers keeper.
8 minJordan Blackwell
It's lovely football from City as Dewsbury-Hall carries it forward and pings it into Vardy, who lays it off to Praet first time. He sets Tete up, with Pears savin his curling shot.
The rebound comes back to Praet in the area and it looks for all the world as if he will score, but he fires it straight back at Pears.
The third shot from Tete is blocked by a Blackburn defender.
City probably should have scored there.
4 minJordan Blackwell
The visitors are more than happy to knock it around at the back, even when under pressure in their own box from Vardy and Praet. That helps them get the first chance of the match, with Amartey blocking a cross that Iversen collects when the rebound comes in.
At the other end, the first shot of the day goes to Ricardo, who comes forward and pulls a grass-cutter a couple of yards wide.
1 minJordan Blackwell
We are under way!
A place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup is up for grabs.
19:32Jordan Blackwell
The two teams gather in the centre cirlce for a minute's applause for John Motson, the legendary commentator who died last Thursday.
19:28Jordan Blackwell
Kick-off is just around the corner.
It's chucking it down here.
19:26Jordan Blackwell
It's been nine years since City and Blackburn faced off, playing out a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park in March 2014. The City scorer that day? It was of course Jamie Vardy.
But, he's only scored four goals this season, last netting in the win over MK Dons in December.
19:22Jordan Blackwell
We'll get a confirmed update from Rodgers after the game, but the reports in Belgium suggest Tielemans will miss four to six weeks with ligament damage he sustained to his ankle in Saturday's loss to Arsenal.
A quick look at the stats shows City don't do that well without him. In the 21 games he hasn't started since making his debut four years ago, City have won five, drawn four, and lost 12, and so average less than a point a game when he's not in the 11.
18:37Jordan Blackwell
There's no place for top scorer Brereton Diaz, who is suspended.
18:33KEY EVENT
There are six changes in total for City as Iversen, Ricardo, Amartey, Thomas, Soumare, and Vardy come in for Ward, Castagne, Souttar, Kristiansen, Ndidi, and Iheanacho.
Vardy is captain, while there is no place for Maddison in the squad. Read more here.
City (4-3-3): Iversen; Ricardo, Amartey, Faes, Thomas; Soumare, Praet, Dewsbury-Hall; Tete, Vardy, Barnes.
Subs: Smithies, Souttar, Kristiansen, Castagne, Mendy, Ndidi, Marcal-Madivadua, Iheanacho, Daka.
16:04Jordan Blackwell
What's intriguing about this year's FA Cup is just how many non-Premier League teams have made the last 16. They've mostly been split up in the fifth round, but it could mean there's a bit of open field come the quarter-finals, especially if any of the three remaining big-six sides are toppled.
Here's a rundown of all of the fixtures in the fifth round:
Stoke v BrightonLeicester v Blackburn.Fulham v LeedsBristol City v Man CitySouthampton v GrimsbyBurnley v FleetwoodMan Utd v West HamSheff Utd v Tottenham
16:01Jordan Blackwell
There will be changes tonight, Rodgers has confirmed, with two of his starters already named.
The manager said both Ricardo and Soumare would be in the 11 to take on Blackburn. For Ricardo, it's a first start of the season, and for Soumare, it's a first start in nearly two months.
The French midfielder is looking to re-establish himself as the club's first-choice defensive midfielder, as he was during the good run before the World Cup. But, to do so, he needs to start doing the "dirty" side of the game again.
“It’s picking up where he left off before he got injured,” Rodgers said when asked what he wanted from Soumare, who turned 24 on Monday. “He really took on board the defensive aspects of the game.
“The football side is not a problem to him, but the Premier League demands that you have to run back and track runners and do all the dirty things of the game. It’s important.
“He got up to speed in that. I remember the game away at Everton, where he was outstanding. That’s always a real test of a player there, with and without the ball, and he came through that. That was a big sign for me that he was progressing really well.
“Unfortunately he got the injury and it just takes a wee bit of time settling back onto the field. Again, he gets the chance to come in to start and he knows what we expect of him.”
