Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Premier League Preview: Blackburn vs Liverpool

Since the shock sacking of Sam Allardyce, Rovers have averaged one point per game. The previous regime had a healthy 1.5 points per game average; a tally that would safely stave off relegation.

This has seen owners Venky's discard an expected 57 points finish for the new - far less comfortable - target of just 43 points.

For Kean to stand a chance of stay in good grace, this 33.3 per cent drop must be corrected. Unluckily for him, Rovers have only tasted victory once in this fixture in the last decade.

The executioner's sword may still be hanging over his head, but Joe Cole's last gasp winner has kept the wolves at bay for a few days at least.

Six points off the relegation zone, 11 points from the haloed Champions League places and a huge 16 points from Premier League leaders wasn't on the Anfield hierarchy's agenda when they gave Rafael Benitez the boot, though.

Much of the blame for this disappointing start can be placed on an away record that reads one win, two draws and six defeats. If the final category ticks to seven after Wednesday night, time could finally be up for Hodgson.

TEAM NEWS

Blackburn

The absence of defender Christopher Samba has cut the heart out of interim manager Steve Kean's team. Thankfully for the Scot, the centre-back could return from an ankle knock.

Ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson is still sidelined with a calf strain, while the match has come too soon for Jason Roberts' hamstring pull to heal. Keith Andrews remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury, with Phil Jones likely to be out for the rest of the season with a similar ligament problem.

Striker Nikola Kalinic will begin his three-match suspension after he was dismissed in the 3-0 defeat to Sunderland, while Brett Emerton is away at the Asian Cup.

Possible starting XI: Bunn; Salgado, Nelsen, Givet, Olsson; E Diouf, Hanley, Dunn, Goulon, Pedersen; M Diouf.

Liverpool

Steven Gerrard's enforced 70-minute appearance in the 2-1 victory against Bolton means the captain should be ready to start. The man he replaced, Raul Meireles, is likely to be out with an ankle knock.

The Portuguese joins Jamie Carragher on the sidelines due to the veteran's dislocated shoulder. Manager Roy Hodgson will hope injury-prone pair Fabio Aurelio and Daniel Agger came through their weekend run-out unscathed.

Possible starting XI: Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio; Maxi, Gerrard, Lucas, Cole, Kuyt; Torres.

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