Blackburn vs Sunderland Match preview

England - Premier League: Blackburn vs Sunderland

These teams will meet for the second time in just three days, having played a Carling Cup match on Wednesday. Blackburn won the match at the Stadium of Light but this match will be much more important for both sides. Both teams are in poor form lately and this will be the chance to kick-start their campaigns.

Blackburn want to end the poor run

Blackburn has been struggling lately and the poor run of results saw them slip in the dangerous zone. Paul Ince still has a lot of problems with injured players, thus his job is even more difficult. Rovers haven’t won the Premier League match for quite a while and they will be hoping to end the poor run against Sunderland. The team will be encouraged by the Carling Cup win on Wednesday, although both managers rested some of the first team regulars in that match. Ince was delighted to see Roque Santa Cruz back in action, as the Paraguayan came on in the second half and managed to score the opening goal. Santa Cruz will start the match on Saturday and that will be a big boost for the hosts. However, just when Ince though he had sorted the problems in the centre of defense, Vincenco Grella got injured and he could be out up to four weeks. With Reid and Dunne also injured, Andrews and Tugay are his only options in the centre of the park. Ooijer and Emerton are still recovering from injuries but they should be in contention for the starting places.

Sunderland is in problems

Sunderland is in all sorts of problems after their fourth successive defeat. After losing three straight Premier League games, the Black Cats were beaten by Blackburn in the Carling Cup and the team’s confidence is now very low. They are under a lot of pressure to improve the results and problems with injuries only add to the growing list of concerns. The team is struggling to find their form and even though they are creating chances, their finishing is very poor and Keane now has a very difficult job in front of him. Striker Kenwyne Jones is still not fully fit and he was expected to miss the Carling Cup match on Wednesday. He managed to play almost entire game but still remains doubtful for this match. McCartney and Waghorn are still injured, while keeper Craig Gordon remains injury doubt. Keane has even been contemplating whether to recall winger Carlos Edwards from loan at Wolves, as the injuries have significantly reduced his options, but he opted against it and now teenage midfielder David Meyler could be in line for a shock debut at Ewood Park.

Betting verdict

Both teams are in poor form lately and have a lot of problems with injured players. With the players low on confidence, this could be a very scrappy game and defensive mistakes could decide the outcome of the match. Maybe the hosts are closer to winning this match but we still feel that draw is the most likely result.

Our tip: Bet 1 on Draw
Odds 3.2 at
Bookmaker: Gamebookers

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