Blackburnvs.Burnley

The Clarets are sitting in second place in the Championship table, while Blackburn are 10 points further back in fifth position.

Match preview

Blackburn may occupy a top-six spot in the second tier, but they have seen their automatic promotion hopes dented by a four-game winless run.

John Eustace's side have taken just two points from four matches since they recorded a 2-0 home victory over Luton Town on December 14.

Blackburn suffered narrow defeats against Millwall and Hull City, either side of a 2-2 draw against Sunderland, before they rescued a point in their New Year's Day clash against Leeds United.

Danny Batth scored a dramatic equaliser just moments after Leeds' Pascal Struijk looked to have won the game with an 88th-minute penalty.

After ending Leeds' nine-game winning home run, Rovers will now return to Ewood Park for Saturday's East Lancashire derby, with the visitors looking to claim their first win over Burnley since recording a 1-0 Premier League victory in March 2010.

However, that may be easier said than done due to Blackburn's recent inconsistency at home, with their last seven home league games producing two wins, two draws and three defeats.

Burnley will head into the weekend in second place after winning 13, drawing 10 and losing just two of their 25 league games this season.

The Clarets have put together a 12-game unbeaten run since losing to Millwall on November 3, although they have had to settle for goalless draws in their last two outings against Middlesbrough and Stoke City.

While they were unable to take maximum points from those two games, they will be pleased with the fact they have now recorded three consecutive clean sheets, highlighting one of the key factors behind their promotion push.

In fact, Scott Parker's side have conceded just nine goals in 25 Championship matches this season, giving them the best defensive record in the division.

They will now be looking to produce a strong away performance on their travels, having recorded five clean sheets in their previous six road trips.

Burnley will hope their resolute defence can lay the foundation for another strong derby performance, as they look to extend their 10-game unbeaten run in head-to-head meetings with Blackburn (W6, D4).

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

W

W

L

D

L

D

Burnley Championship form:

D

W

W

W

D

D

Team News

Blackburn are unable to call upon Lewis Travis and Arnor Sigurdsson due to hamstring and calf injuries respectively.

The pair are joined on the sidelines by Scott Wharton, Harry Pickering and Hayden Carter, who are ruled out with knee problems

Midfielder Todd Cantwell will have to be assessed after he missed the recent draw against Leeds through illness.

As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon Enock Agyei, Jordan Beyer, Manuel Benson, Aaron Ramsey, Mike Tresor and Nathan Redmond.

Former Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri will start a three-match ban after being sent off for violent conduct in the latter stages of Wednesday's draw with Stoke.

Parker could make a number of changes to his starting lineup, with Bashir Humphreys, Josh Laurent and Zian Flemming all pushing for recalls.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Pears; Brittain, Hyman, Batth, Beck; Tronstad, Baker; Cozier-Duberry, Hedges, Dolan; Ohashi

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Humphreys; Cullen, Laurent; Sarmiento, Brownhill, Anthony; Flemming

We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Burnley

Burnley have proven to be a tough team to beat, having avoided defeat in each of their last 12 Championship matches.

Written by

Ben Sully

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