Sheffield United v Blackburn LIVE commentary: FA Cup hero Ndiaye starts for hosts as English rivals consider trip to Wembley

Either Sheffield United or Blackburn Rovers will play at Wembley later this year in an FA Cup semi-final.

Championship teams are having good domestic seasons and can top it all off with a trip to the capital.

The Blades head for this one in second place in the English second tier and have seen off Millwall, Wrexham and Tottenham to get to this stage.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side have made the FA Cup quarter-finals twice in the last four seasons, but haven’t made the semi-finals since 2014.

Meanwhile, Rovers are fifth, nine points behind the Blades.

They reached this stage after beating Norwich, Birmingham and Leicester, as they picked up a 1-0 win over Heckingbottom’s men earlier this month.

Sheffield United vs Blackburn Rovers: talkSPORT coverage

This FA Cup quarter-final will take place on Sunday 19 March.

Kick-off at Bramall Lane is scheduled for noon.

talkSPORT 2 will have live coverage from Sheffield, with Ian Danter and former West Ham striker Dean Ashton providing commentary.

talkSPORT.com will also have all the best reactions from the tie.

To log in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 via the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen through the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Sheffield United v Blackburn Rovers: Teams

Sheffield United: Foderingham, Baldock, Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson, Lowe, Doyle, Berge, McAtee, Ndiaye, McBurnie

Subs: Davies, Basham, Bogle, Arblaster, Norwood, Coulibaly, Fleck, Jebbison, Sharp

Blackburn Rovers: Pears, Pickering, Hyam, Morton, Szmodzcs, Gallagher, Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hedges, Bereton Diaz, Travis

Subs: Kaminiski, Brittain, Edun, Dolan, S Wharton, Garrett, Phillips, A Wharton, Leonard

Sheffield United v Blackburn Rovers: what was said?

Blades boss Heckingbottom: “This week is a big week in the season, it could be a huge week in the season. It could also be a huge week in the players’ careers and a huge week in the club’s history, who knows?

“That’s the position we’ve put ourselves in and that’s what we’re playing for. That’s why we have to take advantage of it. We cannot be afraid of what is before us.

“We’re in a fantastic position in the league and in the FA Cup quarter-finals. We did the first game this week and now we have a big job on Sunday.

Sheffield United vs Blackburn Rovers: Facts of the match

• This is the first FA Cup meeting between Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers since the 1992-93 quarter-final, with the Blades going on penalties in a replay.
• Blackburn last overtook Sheffield United in the FA Cup in January 1897 – if they knocked out the Blades it would be the biggest gap between one team knocking out another in FA Cup history (126 years), beating Derby’s record against Barnsley (125 years and 343 days, 1897-2023), whose first victory came on the same day as Blackburn’s last elimination at Sheffield United (30 January 1897).
• This is Sheffield United’s third FA Cup quarter-final in the last four seasons – they lost their previous two, against Arsenal in 2019-20 and Chelsea in 2020-21, last progressing in 2013 -14 against Charlton Athletic.
• Blackburn have been knocked out in their last two FA Cup quarter-finals, in 2012-13 against Millwall and in 2014-15 against Liverpool, last reaching the semi-final in 2006-07. They haven’t reached an FA Cup semi-final playing outside the top flight since 1957-58.
• This will be Sheffield United’s 11th FA Cup quarter-final as they play outside the top flight, with only Southampton reaching more (13). They have progressed from three of their last four quarter-finals playing outside the Premier League, in 1997-98, 2002-03 and 2013-14.
• Sheffield United have won 13 of their last 16 FA Cup matches at home (L3), winning each of their last four games in a row. The Blades last had a longer home winning streak in the FA Cup between January 2002 and January 2005 (seven in a row).
• Blackburn Rovers have won all three of their FA Cup away games this season, in the third round against Norwich, in the fourth round against Birmingham and in the fifth round against Leicester. The last team to win four FA Cup away games in a season was Liverpool in 2014-15.
• It is only the fifth FA Cup quarter-final since the turn of the millennium between two second-tier sides and the first since 2012-13, when Millwall knocked out Blackburn after a replay. Sheffield United also featured in one of these, losing 1-0 to Sunderland in 2003-04.
• Six of Blackburn’s last seven FA Cup quarter-finals in which they have been drawn away from home have ended in draws, losing the other 3-0 to Arsenal in the 2000 campaign- 01.
• All nine of Sheffield United’s FA Cup goals this season have come from different players (Jebbison, Bogle, McBurnie, Norwood, Egan, Ahmedhodzic, Sharp, Berge & Ndiaye), with only Grimsby Town having more different scorers (10).