Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is relishing the prospect of a long-awaited Wembley appearance after injury robbed him of the chance three years ago . The Reds made three trips to the national stadium in 2012 after winning the League Cup and losing the FA Cup to Chelsea , but the Brazil international missed all of them with a serious knee injury sustained in the previous November . But having played his part in the 1-0 quarter-final win at Blackburn , Lucas is hoping to get his chance in the last-four encounter with Aston Villa on April 19 . Lucas Leiva ( right ) celebrates with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers after getting to the FA Cup semi-final . Lucas ( left ) challenges Markus Olsson as Liverpool beat Blackburn 1-0 in the FA Cup quarter-final replay . Lucas can play his first game at Wembley in a Liverpool shirt when they meet Aston Villa in the semi-final . 'Unfortunately I got an injury before we got to Wembley so I missed [ the chance to play there ] , ' he said . 'Hopefully I 'll be fit and be able to play at Wembley . I 've never played there , so it will be a very good experience and after many years here , to have that chance is amazing . ' I think everyone could see how hard we worked . We knew it was going to be a very hard game in difficult conditions , but I think we did well and we are so happy to get to Wembley and hopefully get to the final . ' Victory over Blackburn intensified talk of the team giving captain Steven Gerrard , who departs for Los Angeles Galaxy , the perfect send-off as his birthday falls on the day of the final . However , the midfielder was suspended for the tie at Ewood Park and it was Lucas 's compatriot Philippe Coutinho who made the difference with a 70th-minute strike , having scored a brilliant last-minute winner in a fourth-round replay at Bolton . Coutinho has arguably been Liverpool 's best player over the last five months having not only finally seemed to have grown in stature as a playmaker but also adding goals to his armoury . ' I have known him for a very long time and I know what he 's capable of doing , ' Lucas told liverpoolfc.com . 'He 's becoming an even bigger player for the club and he 's got a long way to go in terms of age and experience , but he 's already right there with the top players . ' Another player whose form has taken a significant upturn during that period is goalkeeper Simon Mignolet , who produced two excellent saves to keep a clean sheet against Rovers and even stopped opposite number Simon Eastwood scoring what would have been the most dramatic of equalisers after the Rovers keeper came up for a throw-in in added time . The Belgium international has overcome his early-season wobbles when he seemed to be the cause of much of Liverpool 's defensive frailties . He admits victory over Blackburn was important after back-to-back Premier League defeats put a huge dent in their Champions League aspirations . 'After the result against Arsenal there was n't much time to think because we knew there was going to be a game on Wednesday , ' Mignolet said . 'So we had to recover well , put the focus to Blackburn and then make sure that we did the things we wanted to do . ' I think the lads and the team responded really well , did their jobs and did what the gaffer asked us to do , and we managed to get the result we wanted . 'We needed to bounce back after two disappointing results against Manchester United and Arsenal and we did that . 'We gave something back to the fans , who have got something to look forward to now as well with a trip to Wembley . Philippe Coutinho ( right ) scored the decisive goal for Liverpool , drilling a low shot in off the far post . Simon Mignolet ( left ) produced another commanding display in goal for Liverpool at Ewood Park . Mignloet praised the Liverpool supporters and is targeting reaching the final of the FA Cup . 'They stand behind us at every single away game , they turn up in numbers and it 's always nice to play in front of that crowd . 'They pushed us forward and they have something to look forward to now with a big game at Wembley . Hopefully we can get to the final as well . ' As a result of Liverpool 's semi-final involvement their league match at Hull scheduled for that weekend has been rescheduled for Tuesday , April 28 at the KC Stadium .
Lucas Leiva was injured for Liverpool 's two Wembley games in 2012 . He hopes to feature in the semi-final against Aston Villa on April 19 . Simon Mignolet believes victory over Blackburn vital after three defeats . READ : Steven Gerrard 's FA Cup dream at Wembley remains a reality . CLICK HERE for all the latest Liverpool news .