Rovers will hope to have their route to the latter stages mapped out as they look to improve on a poor recent record in the FA Cup.

Doncaster are the first lower league opposition for Rovers at this stage of the competition for five years, with Tony Mowbray having yet to make it beyond the third round in his near four years in charge.

This is the second meeting between the sides already this season, with Rovers having edged out the League One side 3-2 in the Carabao Cup in August that kicked off their 2020/21 season.

Birmingham City, Newcastle United and Hull City have all knocked Rovers out in the third round since they last made it beyond this stage in 2017, eventually reaching the last 16 before being knocked out by Manchester United.

However, not since the 2008/09 season have Rovers lost to lower league opposition in the competition, Leon Best scoring the only goal of the game for Coventry City in a fifth round replay in February 2009.

And Rovers will look to start their 2021 fixtures at Ewood with a victory to put them in the hat for Monday’s fourth, and fifth round, draws.

Should they make it beyond Darren Moore’s side, that will see their Championship fixture at Middlesbrough on January 23 re-arranged to make room for the fourth round tie, with round five pencilled in for a blank midweek in February.

Despite not making beyond the first hurdle in the last three seasons, since relegation from the Premier League, Rovers have actually performed well in the competition as a whole.

In 2013 and 2015 they reached the quarter finals, while in 2016 and 2017 they made it into round five.

While Mowbray handed his players three days off in the wake of the win at Birmingham, their 12th game in the space of 42 days, Doncaster have only just emerged from a period of self-isolation, and not played since December 23.

Rovers have added no new faces to their squad, but there are several pushing for involvement, with Mowbray having confirmed Bradley Dack and Lewis Travis as certain starters to help build their fitness as part of their respective injury comebacks.

The three loanees, Barry Douglas, Tom Trybull and Harvey Elliott, all have permission to play in the competition by their parent clubs, while Jacob Davenport will be keen to build on his first start in the win at Birmingham by getting more minutes under his belt.

John Buckley, Stewart Downing and Tyrhys Dolan are others who will come under consideration, but Mowbray has resisted making wholesale changes in the cup competitions previously.

Under-23s captain Joe Grayson is set to be added to the squad as defensive cover after Hayden Carter joined Burton Albion this week.

  • The FA have announced the fourth and fifth round draws will be made back-to-back to aid with fixture scheduling, and will take place on Monday, January 11 from 7pm. Rovers or Doncaster will be ball number 16 in the draw.