FA Cup 4th round: Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers - Andy Neild's big match preview

SWISS international Stephane Henchoz has the ability to become a key figure in Gerard Houllier's French Revolution, according to Rovers boss Tony Parkes.

The classy 25-year-old has taken time to settle at Anfield since his £3.5 million switch from Ewood in the summer.

But after shaking off a succession of injury problems, he is now starting to forge an impressive understanding with Finnish defender Sammy Hyypia.

And Parkes, for one, believes the former Ewood old-boy has what it takes to become an Anfield legend in his own right, as Rovers prepare to face Liverpool in the FA Cup tonight.

"It was a big blow to lose someone like Stephane in the summer because he's a Premiership player," said Parkes.

"He's a quality player - there's no doubt about that - and I'm sure he'll do well for Liverpool.

"I don't know how well he's combined with Sammy Hyypia because he hasn't played that many games because of injuries.

"But, in time, they will make a very good pair."

Henchoz admits it will be strange lining up against his former team-mates.

But there'll be no place for sentiment at Anfield as Liverpool look to capitalise on Manchester United's absence from this season's competition.

"Of course, there's a little bit of emotion for me - but not too much," said Henchoz.

"In football you can change clubs quite often so playing against old teams can happen a lot.

"But we've set our sights on winning the FA Cup so the tie against Blackburn is vital for us.

"Nobody was more sorry than me to see them relegated at the end of last season.

"But I'm a Liverpool player now and my job is to stop them tonight. "It's a good draw for us because we are at home.

"But I know it won't be easy because Blackburn are a much-improved side under Tony Parkes and they'll be keen to show people they are on their way back."

Henchoz has played in just a dozen games for Liverpool since recovering from a summer operation.

But that has coincided with a Reds revival which has seen the club climb to fifth in the Premiership.

And now Houllier's foreign legion have started to find their feet, he feels the Anfield giants are ready to bring the good times back to Merseyside.

"We have started to play quite well under Gerard and there's a lot of confidence in the team now," said Henchoz.

"All the new signings are starting to blend together and Liverpool are starting to show signs that they can be a force to be reckoned with again."

But Henchoz still has an affection for Rovers after they gave him his big break in the English game.

And although his two-year stint ended in relegation, he feels the Ewood club were the victims of bad luck.

"When I first arrived, we were very solid at the back and I enjoyed a good partnership with Colin Hendry.

"A year later I thought we also played very well at the start of the season but we had a lot of bad luck and bad results, which I didn't believe reflected our performances.

"Then, when the manager changed, we had a very good run after Christmas but we were hit by injuries.

"At one stage, I remember we had 10 players out injured.

"That's too many, even for the best teams to cope with, and in the end we lost too many games.

"But in Tony Parkes, they have a very good man and a very nice person as manager.

"And I am sure he is capable of doing a good job and bringing success back to the club."

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