Arsenal and Blackburn have locked horns in the FA Cup twice in the last decade and the Rovers have been given a thumping on both occasions. On Saturday Mark Hughes’ men travel to the Emirates for a fifth round tie and, judged on the results of the two meetings between these sides already this season, the visitors could be in for another hiding.
 
The Lancashire side won’t have fond memories of their first trip to Ashburton Grove as they were given a battering in a Premiership fixture – the Gunners won 6-2 – and, despite the fact that Arsenal went down to 10 men after just 13 minutes at Ewood Park last month, they still came out on top, winning by two goals to nil, the highlight of which was a breathtaking Thierry Henry strike.
 
Matches between these sides are invariably rather heated, and Hughes has attempted to adopt a similar strategy against Arsenal to that which Sam Allardyce has implemented so successfully with his similarly robust Bolton side. However, the Rovers have not managed to pull it off as well as Bolton, and Arsene Wenger’s men are starting to become immune to ‘rough house’ tactics. And the Gunners ended their Reebok Stadium hoodoo when beating Bolton 3-1 after extra time in their fourth round replay there on Wednesday evening.
 
Indeed, an impressive feature of this Arsenal side is their determination and resilience. They were a goal down against Wigan and not playing particularly well in a league game last weekend, but such was their tenacity that they pulled a result out of the fire and collected three points.
 
Arsenal often need to go a goal down in their games before really finding their stride. And what is it with Arsenal and the final 15 minutes of their matches? Nine of their last 14 Premiership goals scored at the Emirates have come within the last 15 minutes – the Gunners do like skating on thin ice!
 
Blackburn will welcome back Morten Gamst Pedersen, who has recovered from an ankle injury, while former
Arsenal player David Bentley is making a name for himself at Ewood Park. This duo often under-perform in away fixtures, which is concerning as they are the Rovers’ two most creative outlets within the squad, but Pedersen in particular can often conjure a goal out of nothing, and Arsenal’s defense will need to have their wits about them.
 
It will be interesting to see Wenger’s team selection, as Arsenal travel to Holland to face PSV in a Champions League fixture on Tuesday evening. But even if the manager opts to field his young guns while resting the likes of Henry, the spirit within this current Arsenal squad is so strong that I believe that they will quite simply outclass Blackburn in any case. Unbeaten in their last 11 matches in all competitions, expect Arsenal to enhance that record on Saturday,
 
Clashes between these two sides are generally good for goals – and with this likely to be a fiercely competitive cup tie, I’m expecting much of the same this time. The value option in my opinion is to side with 4-6 in the total goals market at 13/5 with VC Bet. I also have a funny feeling that this match will end in a 3-1 win for Arsenal. Given that it’s just a notion, a small stake is advised - but at 11/1 with Portlandbet it’s definitely worth chancing.
 
Verdict - 2.50pts 4-6 in the total goals market @ 13/5 (VCbet) & 0.50 pts Arsenal 3-1 in the correct score market @ 11/1 (Portlandbet)