MARKUS Olsson goes head to head with his identical twin tonight knowing he will never hear the end of it he if finishes on the losing side.

Markus should be recalled to the Blackburn Rovers team for their Ewood Park clash with a Norwich City side expected to feature his younger brother Martin.

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The Olssons, 26, have lined-up alongside each other in the past, most recently when they played together at Rovers before Martin’s £2.5m move to Norwich in July 2013, but it is the first time they will have faced each other.

Markus, who was rested for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Blackpool, had not given it much thought until the calls started coming from a familiar number.

“The last couple of days I have begun to think about it because my brother has been calling me,” said Markus, who was born a minute earlier than Martin.

“He’s looking forward to it because he was here for so many years.

“What has he been saying? I can’t say that here but let’s just say he’s been talking a bit too much!

“That’s why I want to make sure that he won’t be talking that much!

“He knows it’s going to be a difficult game. He knows how it is to play at Ewood Park.

“Now he sees we’re strong at home and sees what we’ve done in the FA Cup as well.

“We’ve had Premier League teams over here this season and we’ve not shown them any respect so we won’t do that tomorrow as well.”

Martin suffered his second relegation in three years last season when Norwich followed Rovers down from the Premier League.

But Markus, who like Martin is a full Sweden international, believes the Canaries are a top-flight team in all but name.

And on current form it would appear they are set to make an instant return there.

Since Alex Neil took over the Carrow Road reins Norwich have hauled themselves within four points of the automatic places and 12 above Rovers.

“It’s not easy mentally to cope with when you’re relegated,” said Markus, who admits he is unlikely to have too many one-on-one duels with Martin tonight given they both play left-back.

“It happened with him here and it happened with him at Norwich but he’s a good professional and now he’s trying to get Norwich promoted.

“They had a dip a couple of months ago but you can see the quality they have.

“But the Championship isn’t easy and we’ll try to give them a good game when they come over.”

For the first time this season Markus watched on from the bench as Rovers lost further ground on the play-offs by failing to beat rock-bottom Blackpool on Saturday.

“To play every game is something every player wants to do,” said Markus, one of the frontrunners for Rovers’ player of the year award.

“I don’t want to rest but if the manager doesn’t play me one game I will respect his decision to take me out of the team.

“It was his decision to not play me on Saturday and I respect that because it’s a lot games.”