BLACKBURN Rovers have been told history can repeat itself in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final showdown at Anfield with Liverpool.

Nathan Blake scored the winner the last time the two teams met in the FA Cup back in January 2000.

And Blake, whose memorable goal that afternoon secured Rovers’ place in the fifth round, believes another major upset could be on the cards.

Liverpool have won 13 and drawn five of their last 19 domestic matches and will be firm favourites to secure their place in the Wembley semi-finals.

But Rovers will go into the 158th meeting between the sides having already knocked out two of the Reds’ Premier League rivals on their way to the last eight.

Gary Bowyer’s Championship outfit won 3-1 at home to Swansea City in the fourth round before sweeping aside Stoke City 4-1 in sensational fashion at Ewood Park in the last 16.

And Blake, who scored 16 goals in 66 appearances for Rovers after his £4.25m move from Bolton Wanderers in October 1998, said: “I give Blackburn every chance of getting to the semi-finals.

“They will have gained massive confidence from beating Premier League teams and particularly from the way they beat Stoke.

“It wasn’t like, ‘we’ve got away with one here’, they took them to task and really put them to bed.

“The manner they won that game means they should go into the Liverpool match flying high with confidence.

“And, as every footballer will tell you, with confidence you can achieve anything.”

Rovers were coming toward the end of a run of just one defeat in 15 games when they arrived at Anfield for a fourth-round tie 15 years ago.

But, like they are now, they were a second-tier club, and were therefore regarded as firm underdogs for a clash with a Liverpool side who, like they are now, were riding high in the top flight.

But the Reds, featuring a 19-year-old Steven Gerrard, went down to a 1-0 defeat after Blake clinically converted a threaded through pass from Per Frandsen six minutes from the end of normal time.

“It’s a great memory, although I don’t appreciate you saying it was 15 years ago because that makes me feel ridiculously old,” laughed Blake, 43, who is now a media pundit and non-executive director with League Two team Newport County.

“It was great game, a real ding-dong battle, and we managed to get the result with myself scoring the winner.

“Everyone had written us off and I think Blackburn as a club had been written off at that stage.

“But we went to Anfield and, while I can’t say we were all over them at any time, we held our own and late on I managed to pick up a through pass from Per Frandsen and slot it in with my right foot first time.

“It’s something to tell your kids about and when you do something like that you write yourself into the history of a club. That is a really nice feeling and a genuine pleasure.”

Rovers were knocked out in the next round by Newcastle United, Alan Shearer returning to his old club to fire his new club to a 2-1 victory, and soon after their dreams of making an instant return to the Premier League following relegation disappeared.

But the arrival of Graeme Souness brought about a transformation in the club’s fortune and Blake was part of their squad that won promotion back to the top flight the following season before he moved to Wolves for £1.5m in September 2001.

“I really suffered from injuries when I went to Blackburn,” said the former Wales international.

“But I wouldn’t change my time there for a minute. It’s a fantastic club, a great place, and I still have friends there.”