Blackburn Rovers

New Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill will take charge of his first full game for Sunderland this weekend, in a big clash against Blackburn Rovers at the Stadium of Light. With Steve Bruce getting the sack after a fairly mediocre season from the Black Cats, it promoted the return to football management for former Villa boss Martin O’Neill. Sunderland edge Blackburn by just one point in the Premier League, so this is going to be a massive match on Sunday. Sunderland haven’t managed to pick up a win in the last five league matches now, and have managed just two all season. Their last two matches have been huge losses for them, with 2-1 defeats against Wigan and Wolves, both fellow strugglers in the league, which has dropped Sunderland into big trouble. As for Blackburn, who are still sticking with the under fire Steve Kean despite on going protests from fans, they broke an eight game winless streak in the league with a 4-2 home win over Swansea last weekend. That too was only their second victory of the season and there look to be a long road ahead for both of these, but there are differences between the two. Blackburn’s defence has been horrendous this season, having conceded 32 goals all season, including at least one goal in all of their away matches this season. It has been four draws and three defeats on the road for Blackburn this season, but they have been better in front of goal than Sunderland by five goals. However, Sunderland look imminently more fixable, because they have a decent defence but just don’t score enough goals. Black Cats fans have only had one home league win to celebrate this season which came back in September. Since then it has been three draws and one defeat. So it is interesting to see which way this game will go and Paddy Power have launched a Money Back Special for your Sunderland v Blackburn betting.

If there are four or more goals in the match, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. Five of Blackburn’s seven away league matches this season have ended with four or more goals being scored, so this could be some pretty good coverage. Over in the First Goalscorer Market, Blackburn’s Yakubu who is on nine league goals this season, is at 13/2, while it is Sunderland’s Nicklas Bendtner who is trading as favourite at 11/2 in this market. In the Correct Score betting, a 1-0 or 2-1 win for Sunderland fetches 13/2, so there is good value around, especially with the cover from the Paddy Power Sunderland v Blackburn Money Back Special.

Sunderland v Blackburn Betting Odds at Paddy Power
Sunderland 10/11, Draw 5/2, Blackburn 3/1

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Saturday 29th October

Norwich v Blackburn

Both Norwich and Blackburn were expected to be fighting relegation this season but the Canaries are riding high in the top half whilst Rovers are currently propping up the foot of the table, they meet at Carrow Road tomorrow.

Paul Lambert is as astute as they come. He has worked under some fantastic managers during his playing career in the shape of Ottmar Hitzfeld and Martin O’Neill. The fact he sat his coaching badges whilst he was still playing meant that he could take a managerial job earlier than most. He has steadily progressed since taking the Livingston job in 2005 and he’s yet another Scottish manager plying his trade in the Premier League. Norwich has to wait until September to get their first win of the season but they have barely looked back since.A battling 2-0 loss at Old Trafford against Manchester United is their only loss in their last five matches so they seemed to have adjusted well to life in England’s top flight. Last weekends 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield would have been a massive boost as it proved to everyone connected with the club that they do deserve to be in the Premier League and they are capable of competing against the better sides, even away from home.

Blackburn have struggled for much of the campaign and manager Steve Kean has been under intense pressure from his own fans. Kean, however, does have the backing of the owners and a 4-3 extra time win over Newcastle in the League cup during the week would have helped his case and he will hope that his players can push on and carry their cup form, which has taken them to the quarter finals, into league duty – starting this weekend. Rovers have won just once from their first nine games, losing six of them, so they need to be harder to beat so that when they don’t play well, they can still pick up the odd point, especially on their travels. Last time out against Tottenham they lost an early goal but Kean will be satisfied with their immediate response as they got back into it only to lose it in the second half. Their last away match was their second draw on the road this season when they played another of the promoted clubs, QPR. A repeat of that wouldn’t be the worst in the world but Kean knows they need to start winning games to move off the bottom of the table.

Norwich have already seen off Sunderland and Swansea at home and look to be getting stronger as the season goes on. It can’t be underestimated how important it is for sides who have been promoted to get points on the board early so the fact they are coming into their own after a few games will be pleasing for Lambert who is sticking to his principals and playing attractive football with plenty of width in the side.

It may be to early to say this is a must win for Steve Kean but he is under pressure to deliver results. Managers rarely last long when the fans have turned against them and the only way to win them back is to get instant results. A bad result tomorrow and the knives will be out again.

Norwich are the side in form and were worth a point last week. It will be a different type of game tomorrow as the last couple of home matches will mean the crowd will be expecting them to go at Blackburn and gain another three points. Confidence is high at Carrow Road and I can see them being victorious again.

My Selection: Norwich to beat Blackburn

Best odds available: 21/20 available with PaddyPower

English Championship

Birmingham v Brighton

There were two divisions between Birmingham and Brighton at this stage last season but one relegation and one promotion means they meet tomorrow in the Championship and St Andrews.

Chris Hougton had an unenviable task when made manager of Birmingham City in the summer as the club had to get rid of their best players to pay large debts which so many clubs suffer as a result of a relegation from the Premier League. A shaky start to the season was to be expected such was the turnover of players and with the quality of some of those who left. However things are definitely looking a lot brighter for the Blues both at home and in Europe. Birmingham have actually won their last six matches in all competitions, four in the league and two away victories in the Europa League. The four wins in the league have been even more impressive as they have come against some of the bigger clubs in the league such as Leeds, Leicester and Nottingham Forest. Hougton will be demanding that his players continue to give their all and improve the chances of promotion challenge come the end of the season. Tomorrow’s match takes on significant importance despite being so early in the season as they can move into the play-off positions with a win and would have at least one game in hand over most sides as well.

Brighton were the opposite to Birmingham as they had a very positive close season after running away with the League One title last season Moving to a new Stadium added to the Euphoria whilst the signing of quality players such as Craig Mackail-Smith and Vicente was the icing on the top. This good feeling carried over to the start of the season as they were unbeaten in their first eight matches in all competitions, a run of form which yielded seven wins a draw. With form like that they had many people thinking of a second automatic promotion (something Norwich achieved last season), including their own fans. Unfortunately for the Seagulls fans things have tailed off in recent weeks as they haven’t won in their last eight matches – losing five of them. Poyet’s problems were further increased after influential midfielder Gary Dicker was carried off in their most recent defeat against West Ham on Monday night.

Birmingham have played five games at St Andrews in the league and have won four of them. The only team who have come away with anything were Barnsley who were only denied by a late Chris Burke goal. Home form is always important in the Championship so Hougton will be pleased that his side are difficult to beat on their own ground and will be determined to continue that tomorrow.

Brighton will be hoping that their good football and excellent passing game can provide something this week. They had an incredible amount of possession on Monday night but chances were few and far between for having so much of the play. West Ham got an early goal and basically sat on their lead inviting their opponents on to them. Brighton were not up to the challenge that night so Poyet must decide whether he changes something or sticks with what has gotten them so far over the last 12 months.

Birmingham have a bang in form striker with Chris Wood scoring four goals in his last five matches and he will be up against a side he was on loan at last season. Brighton may well be wishing they still had him as they have scored just three goals in their last five games. A team that can’t score can’t win games so I’m taking Brum to notch their seventh successive victory tomorrow.

My Selection: Birmimgham to beat Brighton

Best odds available: 11/10 available with Ladbrokes

English League One

Preston v BournemouthTen points and 12 places in the table seperate Preston and Bournemouth but there are few easy games in League one and the away side will be hoping to upset the odds tomorrow at Deepdale.

Phil Brown is one of the more colourful characters in the game and there’s rarely a dull moment when he’s around. He can also produce a team to challenge in both League One and the Championship which is what he’s doing with Preston North End. He couldn’t save them from relegation last season but he’s been charged with the task of getting them straight back into the Championship at the first time of asking. A run of six straight victories and seven out of eight was enough to put them into contention for automatic promotion but things have stalled of late and they are without a win in their last five league games. It means they currently sit out of the play-off zone but their is a long way to go and recent performances have certainly not been terrible – they have also played two of the current top four so although there is plenty of room for improvement to get to that stage there has been enough shown thus far to be optimistic. Their home form is pretty strong as they have won four of their seven matches at Deepdale and are scoring plenty of goals with an average of more than two goals per game at home.

Bournemouth are in their second season in League One and as is common in these leagues, they are finding the second season more difficult than the first. Eddie Howe, who led them to the division, has obviously left for pastures new and the role of manager was handed to Lee Bradbury who was a player at the time. His side currently sit in the relegation zone but with the league being so tight throughout, a couple of wins could see them leap right up the table. It’s trying to find consistency which is the problem for the Cherries as they have won back to back games just once this season. They are difficult to beat however as they have lost just one of their last six matches which will definitely be a source of comfort for Bradbury and the Bournemouth supporters who will both be keen to move away from the relegation picture as soon as possible.

Bournemouth have performed better on the road this season compared to at home so the visit to Preston will not hold too many fears for them. Wins against Leyton Orient and Exeter will have bolstered their confidence when playing on their travels and Bradbury will be hoping for more of the same.

Preston’s only other defeat other than Sheffield United was against Colchester back in August so it promises to be an entertaining game for those attending. Neil Mellor and Iain Hume have forged a good partnership and will be hoping their goals can get their side back on to the winning trail.

I don’t think there will be much in it but I’m going for another home win here.

My Selection: Preston to beat Bournemouth

Best odds available: 10/11 available with Skybet

The Club:
Blackburn Rovers have to be looking for much better than last season. It was a strange season for Rovers, with Sam Allardyce getting the boot when new owners took over, only for caretaker boss Steve Kean to take over full time after a solid stint in charge. One of the most interesting things about Blackburn Premier League betting is seeing what direction they actually go in. Will they bide their time and make their youthful enterprises the back bone of their team and avoid the temptation of over paying for experienced veterans? If they avoid the latter then they should be ok. There is a lot of work to do at Ewood Park, because they have been going backwards, and they need to somehow shake off that battling image and starting getting known for their style of football. The basics are there, but they need to be guided by a very steady and very firm hand. Of course, a lot of success will come down to finances, and while many were expecting a summer splash at Ewood Park, there has been an air of caution, but perhaps some very wish, shrewd dealings which will pay off in the long term.

Players/Manager:
Well, Blackburn have been chasing young Scot Duncan Goodwillie from Dundee United to try and bolster their ranks, but there has not been much movement. This is all a little surprising to be honest, because when the new owner came in, they were very clear about having a direction in which they wanted to take the club. The new Venky owners wanted Champions League in four years, and they nearly ended up with Championship football instead. That was after somewhat bizarrely gave Steve Kean the full time managerial position, which turned into a bit of disaster, as they only just avoided relegation. The owners said they would bide their time in handing out the managerial position, but you felt that there may be someone more established coming in, as opposed to someone testing the waters for the first time. Maybe they saw it as a brave move, but Kean won’t have a lot of time to turn things around next season. Despite selling off prize asset Phil Jones to Manchester United, Blackburn have not gone out and splashed out big in the transfer market, which is something they need. They have targeted some younger talent in Ruben Rochina and Mauro Formica, so perhaps they are looking to build a future with youth and in playing a better style of football.

Last Season: 15th
Finished fifteenth in the league last year, and was seriously flirting with relegation. There has to be more to come from them, and it will start at the back. Yes, they had Phil Jones, but there is still enough solidity in defence to stand tall again and keep enough out to give them plenty of chances to pick up points. They were let down badly by some poor attacking play and poor finishing. They need to be more adventurous but did pull out the results when they needed them most, going four matches unbeaten in the run in. Four points above relegation was enough, but nowhere near the standing where the owners want them to be.

2011/12 Blackburn Rovers PRemier League Betting Projection:
What Blackburn have going for them is a very good defence, and with Paul Robinson between the sticks, there is a high degree of competency there. Now, looking at Blackburn, things may not be as dire as last season suggested, as there is promise there. Yes you want to see just a little mature creativity coming from the midfield, and that is where they need their youngsters, the ones they have and the ones coming in to step up. This is a matter of youth over experience to push Blackburn forward. They also need to find a way to score goals as they have not go a lot in them. Jason Roberts and Nikola Kalinic struggled last year, but you can take a step backwards and blame the midfield for a lot that. There is a lot of trust to be placed in Kean and to get him to take the team forward playing youthful, enterprise football. The stodgy, slow football they played last season is going to see them in trouble otherwise. Really need to splash some cash and bring in a quality striker and they will immediately look better. Fifteenth in the league was terrible for them, and so will look for a mid table finish this year. It will be a step in the right direction.

Finishing Position: Mid Table

Premier League Relegation Odds:
7/2 at Totesport

First Three Fixtures
August 13th:  Blackburn V Wolves
August 20th: Aston Villa v Blackburn
August 22nd: Blackburn v Everton

BACK TO 2011/12 PREMIER LEAGUE GUIDE
 

Four teams beginning with the letter ‘W’ and three teams beginning with the letter ‘B’ make up the seven sides that will be scrapping against relegation between now and the end of the season.

Blackpool’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday night means that the Tangerines are now the second favourites for the drop, with the bookies quick to slash the odds on Ian Holloway’s team. A few weeks ago, you could have got 3/1 about the seaside club and now the best price is even money (bet365).

Blackpool’s next Premier League match is a trip to Ewood Park to face another side who are firmly at the wrong end of the table and Rovers have lost four of their last five matches. Perhaps they will be made to pay for sacking Sam Allardyce midway through the season and Steve Kean has been given the dreaded vote of confidence.

Blackburn were available at 12/1 for the drop when Allardyce was relieved of his duties, although those odds have now shrunk to 10/3 with bet365 and the Lancashire side are just two points above the relegation zone.

The third ‘B’ in a pickle is Birmingham City, the Carling Cup winners who seemed drained when it came to facing West Brom last Saturday and their 3-1 defeat means that Alex McLeish’s team now occupy a berth in the dreaded drop zone.

McLeish is worried that a long season might be taking its toll, especially as they remain in the FA Cup with a quarter final match at home to Bolton taking place this weekend. Wednesday’s trip to Everton is more important and City are 5/2 (Sportingbet) to be relegated.

However, it is the four teams beginning with the letter ‘W’ that are among the first five in the Premier League relegation betting and the writing appears to be on the wall for Wigan Athletic.

Roberto Martinez’s team are now four points adrift of safety with an inferior goal difference to the teams directly above them and the Latics will need to win five of their remaining nine matches to stand any chance of survival. The best odds about them being relegated is 2/7 with bet365.

It was West Ham United that seemed doomed at the start of 2011 and the board allegedly tried to bring in Martin O’Neill to replace Avram Grant, although the latter remains in charge and has seen his team comprehensively beat Liverpool and Stoke.

The Hammers aren’t out of the woods by a long stretch and a Birmingham draw / win at Goodison Park would leave them back in the bottom three. Perhaps they are a value bet to go down at odds of 13/8 (Coral).

Then we have the two Black Country teams – West Brom and Wolves. The Baggies have made a decent start under Roy Hodgson, having collected five points from three matches and they are out to 15/8 (Skybet) for relegation. Wanderers are shorter at 5/4 (Skybet).

Saturday 4^th March

English Premier League

Fulham v Blackburn Rovers

 Mark Hughes faces another one of his former clubs a week on from visiting the City of Manchester Stadium as Blackburn Rovers travel to Craven Cottage tomorrow.

Fulham have been this season’s draw specialists with 14 to their name already. There are two ways of looking at it; one would be the fact they are hard to beat and do not lose many games, whilst the other viewpoint is that they struggle to win games. Either or, the end result is the same, a low points total which means they are still in contention for the drop. In recent weeks there have been signs of improvement, however, as the Cottagers have remained unbeaten through a difficult set of fixtures against Aston Villa and Manchester City away, as well as Newcastle and Chelsea at home. Hughes would have been frustrated that his side never came away with more than six points from those games as Fulham missed a last minute penalty against Chelsea which would have won them all three points. As well as not losing many games (just eight from 28 games) they also have one of the best defensive records in the league. Their total of 28 goals conceded is only bettered by the top four sides in the division, which certainly shows where their main strengths lie.

Blackburn Rovers currently sit bottom of the form table in the Premier League with just one win from their last six matches. It’s testing times for their new boss Stewart Kean who was a surprise appointment when getting the job before Christmas. If history tells us anything in football it’s that new owners, especially one’s pumping millions into a club, are not the most patient of folk. Kean will be only too well aware of this and will be under no illusions as to what needs to change if he wishes to lead Rovers in the Premier League next season. Like Fulham, Rovers are very much involved in the relegation dogfight as the season moves into its final quarter. It’s been on their travels where Blackburn have really struggled as well as they have lost 10 of their 14 matches on the road – only Wolves have lost more games away from home in the league. They have, in actual fact, lost eight of their last nine games in all competitions away from home.

Fulham are beginning to get their key players back, Bobby Zamora withstanding, Hughes now has more depth to his squad then he has since taking the job. They have more goal scoring options which can only be a good thing as they fight against the drop. Zoltan Gera, Moussa Dembele, Andy Johnson and Eidur Gudjohnsen really need to start taking more responsibility when on the park and chip in with more goals to support top scorer Clint Dempsey. Rovers also have a plethora of options going forward but few of them chip in with enough goals to move Blackburn away from danger. When your top scorer is only on five goals, you need to worry.

Fulham have only lost three games at home all season, and whilst they have only won five, they remain strong opponents and difficult to get the better off at the Cottage. Their wins have also come against sides in and around them or below them in the table. With Rovers on such a bad run of form on the road, I fancy Fulham to take a big step to Premier League safety tomorrow.

My Selection: Fulham to beat Blackburn Rovers

Best odds available: 3/4 available with Paddypower

English Premier League

Newcastle United v Everton

Everton have to pick themselves up after being knocked out of the FA Cup by reading as Newcastle will prove stern opposition tomorrow as they get back to league business.

Life after Andy Carroll has been nothing but eventful at St James’ Park. The comeback from 4-0 down against Arsenal was unarguably the most entertaining and one of the all time greatest matches in Premier League history whilst they have gone four games unbeaten since losing to Fulham at the beginning of February. Alan Pardew will no doubt be pleased by the resilience shown by his players in the midst of a lot of media attention and fans criticism for the sale of their former number 9 to Liverpool on the last day of the January transfer window. One man who has certainly stepped up to the plate is Leon Best. Hardly given a chance since his move to the club over a year ago, Best has done well since coming into the team as a regular starter in January. He has scored five goals in nine league games including a hat trick against West Ham. Although not completely safe from relegation, Newcastle are still in a comfortable enough position heading into the latter months of the season. In ninth position with 36 points, another couple of wins should see them safe for another season and a chance to spend the £35m burning a hole in Mike Ashley’s pocket.

Everton have been this season’s biggest enigma by far and must be a source of great frustration for their manager Davie Moyes. Their season could be summed up by their FA Cup exploits in recent weeks. Despite knocking out Chelsea in replay on penalties, and looking every inch potential winners of the competition, they undone all their hard work during the week as they were knocked out by Championship side Reading at Goodison Park. So many times this season, you expect them to kick on and put together a strong run of form like they have in previous season, only for them to hit a brick wall. It’s the main reason as to why they are fighting against relegation as opposed to challenging for a European place. Moyes has openly admitted that he is disappointed with the lack of consistency and will demand that he and the supporters get a big performance tomorrow after the disappointment of midweek.

For me, Newcastle still lack some firepower upfront. As well as Best has done since taking over Carroll’s mantle, he’s still very much a novice at this level. Kevin Nolan remains a threat, especially at set-pieces but they can’t continue to rely on the former Bolton man for goals. Everton do a much better job of sharing goals around the side. Three players have scored at least five league goals this season with Tim Cahill their top scorer with 9 to his name, despite missing a month due to the Asian Cup.

Aside from losing 2-0 to Bolton in February, Everton have done relatively well on the road recently. A narrow defeat to Arsenal was preceded by a very good derby draw with Liverpool. Their most recent away game was in the FA Cup replay at Stamford Bridge where they acquitted themselves really well. I like the balance Everton have, especially away from home. I also believe Moyes is an excellent manager and his players will be desperate to prove something to him after Tuesday night. Although you have to have a bit of faith and go against the form table a little, I think Everton are attractively priced to win all three points tomorrow.

My Selection: Everton to beat Newcastle United

Best odds available:  15/8 available with Victor Chandler

Scottish Premier League

Celtic v Hamilton

After an eventful Old Firm Scottish Cup replay, Celtic return to league action against Hamilton on Saturday hoping to stretch their league at the top of the table.

Three sending offs, fisticuffs in the tunnel, arguments between both benches…just another derby day in Glasgow. That was the case on Wednesday as Celtic kept their treble bid alive after defeating arch rivals Rangers 1-0 at Celtic Park. Neil Lennon’s side had been in tremendous form before crashing to a 2-0 defeat against Motherwell last Sunday. They responded with Wednesday success but know that the most important prize of all remains the SPL Championship. Currently five points clear but having played two more games than Rangers, anything but a win would be unwelcome, if not disastrous at this stage of the season. 10 wins from 14 home matches is good form but it certainly needs to continue with 11 games of the season left.

Hamilton are in big danger of being cast adrift of the rest at the bottom of the table Seven points behind and on level games with St Mirren, things look bleak for Billy Reid and his players. With just two wins all season, and none of those at home, it doesn’t take Columbo to see where they have to improve. You can sympathise with Reid and his plight as he has had to sell off his best players to doting admirers in recent seasons. James McCarthy, James MacArthur and Brian Easton have all left for England and have yet to be replaced with any real quality. Alex Neil is also a big miss as the captain has been injured for much of the season. All things considered, however, they don’t score enough goals, they concede too many and they are lacking in quality – there usually is only one outcome for those sort of traits.

Celtic have a big squad at their disposal and have the luxury of making changes ahead of tomorrow’s game. Anthony Stokes is likely to come back into the side after missing out on Wednesday, whilst Joe Ledley and Fraser Forster should also return after missing out through suspension. Stokes is the key one however as he is Celtic’s top scorer and the one capable of scoring from any situation. He has already netted against Hamilton this season and having not scored since the middle of February, will be keen to add to his tally of 12 league goals. Celtic have an exemplary home record against Hamilton in the Premier League having won four from four with 13 goals scored and just one conceded. I expect this to continue tomorrow.

My Selection: Celtic (-2) to beat Hamilton at a best priced 9/5 available with Coral

Anthony Stokes to score and Celtic to win available at a best priced 5/6 available with 888Sport

Saturday 29^th January

English FA Cup

Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers

One of five all Premier League ties takes placed at Villa Park on Saturday as a rejuvenated Aston Villa play host to in-form Blackburn.

Gerard Houllier has had to endure a tough few months since taking over as Villa boss after Martin O’Neill’s resignation. Player unrest, unhappy supporters as well as a clear downturn in results, had some pundits calling for his head. That was a fortnight ago and that’s a long time in football. After a club record fee of £24m was paid for Darren Bent, and a couple of back to back wins against Manchester City and Wigan, things are beginning to look a lot brighter. The FA Cup always brings with it excitement and hope and that’s exactly the way Villa fans will be looking at it. With little or no chance of getting anywhere near the European spots at the end of the season, and already knocked out the League cup, the supporters need something to look forward to and Houllier and his players will be under no illusions that a home tie against a club such as Blackburn is an excellent opportunity to advance.

Blackburn Rovers are the latest Premier League club to have been taken over by an obscenely rich consortium. Sam Allardyce paid the price for not being attractive enough in the new owners’ eyes and was swiftly replaced with a relatively unknown in Steve Kean. Kean was Chris Coleman’s assistant for the last seven years but has been entrusted with the task of forcing Blackburn into European contention in the coming years. He has started relatively well as the club have climbed to seventh in the table and have won three of their last four in all competitions.  He has looked the strengthen as well with new arrivals in the shape of Jermaine Jones from Schalke and a former fans favourite, Roque Santa Cruz who was brought in from Man City. With the money available to Kean set to soar in the summer, it will be a matter of time before the Blackburn Rovers squad is transformed and the new arrivals will flood the squad.

When you consider the players still playing for Villa, then it’s a massive surprise to see them struggling as they have been. Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stewart Downing are all English internationalists from recent seasons and have undoubted quality. As well as Bent, Jean Makoun has also arrived at the club to bolster the squad for the remainder of the season. Currently on their best run of the season to date with three wins and a draw from their last four, things are beginning to look up.

Rovers have a pretty poor record when travelling to the Midlands to take on Villa in recent seasons. Last year’s 1-0 victory was their first success in eight. The sides met in the FA Cup last season as well, in the third round. Aston Villa came out on top that day with a 3-1 victory.

I’m a firm believer in the ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ line of thinking. Villa have plenty of class about them and even without Darren Bent, who is cup tied as he played for Sunderland in the previous round, I still fancy the home side to come out on top in what promises to be an entertaining match.

My selection: Aston Villa to beat Blackburn Rovers

Best odds available: 10/11 available with Stan James

Scottish League Cup

Celtic v Aberdeen

Either Celtic or Aberdeen can take a step closer towards the first piece of silverware in Scottish football this season as they clash at Hampden Park.

Celtic face Aberdeen just one week on from their league match at Celtic Park last Saturday. The home side ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Anthony Stokes. Since that match, both sides have recorded victories with Celtic brushing aside 3rd placed Hearts 4-0. It was a scintillating performance by the Hoops who turned in their best performance of the season on Wednesday. Stokes notched a double whilst James Forrest and Paddy McCourt also got on the score sheet. It made it 12 games unbeaten for Neil Lennon’s side, with seven wins and five draws. Another impressive statistic is the fact that they have only conceded one goal in their last eight matches. It’s an astounding record and one which they will hope can continue. Two young men can take a lot of credit for the shutouts with goalkeeper Fraser Forster and centre half, Thomas Rogne, at the heart of the defence.

Aberdeen were featured a couple of weeks ago in these previews and the job Craig Brown and Archie Knox have done thus far, is growing. Apart from the defeat at Celtic Park last Saturday, the Dons were victorious against St Mirren 2-0, whilst they also defeated Inverness Caley Thistle last time out by the same score line. Brown was pleased with the effort, organisation and discipline his side showed in defeat to the current league leaders last weekend. However, they rarely threatened the Celtic goal and struggled to make any clear cut chances. If they wish to be successful tomorrow, it’s something which has to change. One man who is capable of causing problems at the National stadium tomorrow, is Nick Blackman. The young striker followed Brown to Aberdeen from Motherwell and scored his first goal for his new club on Wednesday night. He has proved he can mix it with the best in the SPL in the early part of the season but the Dons will have to do without his services as he has previously played in the competition with Motherwell.

Lennon may look to shuffle his pack tomorrow as he has predominantly used the same players in recent weeks. He will have to replace James Forrest who misses out through injury, but there is no shortage of players ready to step into the wide position. Freddie Ljungberg has yet to start a match since joining earlier this month; McCourt will feel his goal on Wednesday should see him restored to the starting XI whilst Niall McGinn played the full 90 minutes last weekend. However, they may all be thwarted by the signing of Kris Commons from Derby. The Scottish internationalist signed on Thursday and will be eager to impress his new manager, colleagues and supporters.

Celtic have an enviable record over Aberdeen in recent seasons and they definitely have momentum going into tomorrow’s match. Neil Lennon won a treble as a player at the club and is only too well aware of the importance of this competition in the quest for all three trophies in his first season as manager. With such strength in depth going forward, and the confidence of players such as Stokes and his strike partner Gary Hooper, I’m predicting Celtic to win this win with a bit to spare.

My selection: Celtic (-1) to beat Aberdeen

Best odds available: 5/4 available with BlueSquare

Aston Villa v Blackburn:  An interesting all Premier League clash in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Villa Park. Villa of course went shopping and landed striker Darren Bent from Sunderland, who made an immediate impact by scoring the winner on his debut against Manchester City in the league. It has been a tough season for Villa, and Gerard Houllier really hasn’t had the big impact at the club as was hoped. Villa were a solid top six team in the league last season, and at the moment, they still have worries about relegation in the back of their mind. However, they seem to be getting things together just a little bit better. What Villa are, is a young side, and that was sort of forced upon them by a terrible catalogue of injuries this season. They have had to go young, and with every match comes experience, and they have looked quite a youthful and exciting team at time, playing some attractive football. The biggest problem with them, is that they have lacked a punch up front. With Emile Heskey missing from action a lot, and Gabriel Agbonlahor also absent for a large part of the season, Villa just have not had the goals in them, and remain one of the Premier League’s lowest scoring teams. Their defensive record has not been much to shout about either, shipping 40 goals in their 24 matches. Villa have picked up back to back wins in the league now, and there are clear signs that they are going to be ok in the end. The arrival of Darren Bent should only help their cause further, being able to grab those vital goals when needed. Blackburn have also shown some improvement since their takeover. Rovers are up to eighth in the Premier League at the moment, and since being taken over, there is an air of stability at the club. They will probably spend in the summer, and Steve Kean, who stepped in when the new owners got rid of Sam Allardyce, has been charged with managing the team permanently. Blackburn have won three of their four last games now and look as if they are going to improve. Tough to pick a winner out of this one, but home advantage here, and a spirited performance in front of their home crowd, should just squeeze Villa through. Probably worth looking at coverage on a draw as well here too.

Aston Villa to win: 5/6 at Paddy Power
Draw: 11/4 at Victor Chandler
Blackburn to win: 18/5 at Victor Chandler

Outright FA Cup Winner Odds
Manchester United: 4/1 at Unibet
Arsenal: 5/1 at Unibet
Manchester City: 5/1 at BetFair
Chelsea: 6/1 at BetFred

Sunday 12^th December

English Premier League

Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers

It’s derby day at the Reebok Stadium as high flying Bolton entertain a Blackburn side managed by Sam Allardyce who oversaw a very successful spell whilst in charge of Wanderers.

When previewing Bolton’s home match against Newcastle last month, I spoke about how much an influence Owen Coyle’s style of football and innovative methods have turned round the fortunes of a club going stale. His positivity, forward thinking and general enthusiasm for the game has been the key factor in Bolton’s excellent start to the season. Sitting in 6^th placed, ahead of illustrious clubs such as Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa, and just a couple of wins off a Champions League position, it really is a stark contrast from where they were this time last season under Gary Megson. Heading into the festive period on the back of just one defeat in six, confidence is high amongst the players and fans. Their run of games between now and the New Year may have looked quite daunting in previous years, but they should hold no fears for a vastly improved side. Tomorrow’s match may well set the tone for the future games as not only is it a derby, but also because they lost last time out so it will be a test as to how they can recover from that.

Sam Allardyce will be no stranger to his surroundings tomorrow as he spent eight years as manager of Bolton. Winning promotion and establishing the club as a Premier League side was no mean feat when you consider the resources he had to work with compared to others. There are similarities to his approach with Blackburn now as there was to when he was Bolton boss. He prefers the one striker up top with players around him and also seems to be willing to mix some industry with invention. Labelled a long ball manager for much of his career, he has never bothered with criticism from various sources. It’s unfair to say that his success is based purely on brute strength. At Bolton he had several creative players and Blackburn is no different. The likes of David Dunn, Morten Gamst Pedersen and El Hadji Diouf are very good footballers and provide Rovers with a spark. Of course this is balanced out with some real fighters and grafters but they’re still a decent enough football side and that’s backed up with the fact there’s been 29 goals in the last 9 games involving them.

These derbies are normally blood and thunder affairs but there is reason to think that this may not be the case tomorrow. Bolton have transformed their style of play this season whilst Blackburn have been much more expansive in recent weeks. Blackburn have a fantastic record over their neighbours in recent years as they have not tasted defeat to Bolton since 2006. The last time they lost at the Reebok was more than 10 years ago. It’s a staggering record but one I wouldn’t get too hung up on.

I have been very impressed with Bolton throughout the season, even last week when beaten by Man City they tried to create and never resorted to long ball tactics. They can, if they wish, mix it with physical sides though which they will need to do tomorrow. Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander are in excellent form and both will prove to be a real handful for the Rovers defence who have conceded too many of late. It is because of that I am going to side with the home side.

My Selection: Bolton to beat Blackburn

Best odds available: 11/10 available with Paddy Power

Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers Betting Tip & Odds: This should be a banker for your football betting on the weekend. Rovers have a very poor record at Old Trafford, and United are still on their unbeaten run this season. United have Wayne Rooney back fit and raring to go again, and is line to face the United crowds, to whom he apologised for his contract saga, and promised them that he had no intention of crossing over to Manchester City. That’s all water under the bridge, and he’ll be worth backing to get amongst the goals in a United home win. Wayne Rooney First Goalscorer: 11/4 at SportingBet (see promotion below)

Manchester United to win: 2/7 at Paddy Power
Draw: 5/1 at SkyBet
Blackburn Rovers to win: 12/1 at Bet365

EPL Match Preview: Manchester United are happy campers at home. They have an unbeaten record there this season, in fact they haven’t been beaten at home or away this season, but often United show what, say Arsenal don’t. A dig-deep ability to grind things out when everything is on the line. They have been pushed hard at times, have struggled for victories on the road, but still don’t break. They have bent a lot this season, but they still won’t break. Wayne Rooney returned to the starting line up for the midweek Champions League match at Scottish Champions Rangers, and a late penalty kick by him sealed a 1-0 win, in an otherwise lack lustre performance from the Red Devils. That has been the problem with United this season, they have lacked the quality to finish games off. The old ruthless Manchester United would never have had this problem, and it hurting them this season. Even though they are unbeaten, they have failed to capitalise on Chelsea’s defeats for the season, and are only sitting level with the London Club. Having drawn half of their fourteen matches this year, indicates something not quite right with Manchester United. It is largely down to the lack of world class players in the midfield. Up front United should be, and will be OK. If Rooney is back fit again, sooner or later you know he is going to get in amongst the goals well. Dimitar Berbatov, despite a good start in Rooney’s absence, fell away badly becoming a bit anonymous again. But United have plenty of options up front, to change things up, even though none of them are in Rooney’s class to be honest.

In that midfield area, United will be with Darren Fletcher, who is injured and there is just not good enough service going forward, and not enough protection of the back line going the other way. The first choice centre half pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic return after sitting out the Rangers match for a rest. This is another match which should be cut and dry for Manchester United. They have a strong record against Blackburn, not losing any of their last nine games against Rovers. United are still looking for that spark to put some pressure on Chelsea and Arsenal. They are not far away from being a better team, but there are weaknesses there at the moment to exploit, especially in the midfield. However, a home game against Rovers should bring the three points necessary to take United to the top of the league on Saturday, with Chelsea not playing until Sunday. Most importantly of all, United haven’t been playing well, certainly not with any consistency or flow, but they are still right in the title race. They won’t go away, and you know that they are only going to get better. There doesn’t appear to be any immediate danger of them losing their home record for the season, with Blackburn trundling along in their mediocrity.

There may be better times on the horizon for Blackburn Rovers, having been taken over by new Indian owners. That will have secured their feature, plus given them a little spending cash for the summer transfer window. Boss Sam Allardyce is one of the great characters of the game and never afraid to speak his mind. It is the same forthright approach that Blackburn take to their games, and they are going along nicely at the moment with three wins out of four matches. They have lost three of their last six matches though, which isn’t so good, and why they are hanging around mid table. Still, it does show some sign of improvement  though after a poor start to the season where they only won two out of their first ten matches. Morten Gamst Pedersen is their big threat up front, and is club top scorer in the league with four goals. However, no Blackburn player has scored more than one goal away from home this year, and they have historically struggled on their trips to Old Trafford. One win in sixteen matches there, really doesn’t instil much confidence of another twist and turn happening this season. You can expect a hard working appearance by Rovers, one which will battle and try their best to hold on, and take advantage and any weaknesses United have by taking a direct approach to goal. It is unlikely to be enough though.

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Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Blackburn 0, Manchester United 0
Manchester United 2, Blackburn 0
Manchester United 2, Blackburn 1
Blackburn 0, Manchester United 2
Blackburn 1, Manchester United 1

Manchester United have an 86% win percentage at home in the league this season
Blackburn Rovers have a 29% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Manchester United are on a streak of seven home matches without defeat
Blackburn Rovers are on a streak of five away matches with no draw

Manchester United have scored 17 goals, and conceded 5 at home
Blackburn Rovers have scored 9 and conceded 12 goals in their away matches

Manchester United average 2.4 goals per match at home this season
Blackburn Rovers average 1.7 goals per match away from home this season

Manchester United have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Blackburn Rovers have scored the majority of their goals in the 16-30 minute bracket

Manchester United have opened the scoring in 64% of their matches
Blackburn Rovers have scored first in 65% of their matches

Manchester United 2010/11 top scorer: Berbatov, 6
Blackburn Rovers 2010/11 top scorer: Gamst Pedersen, 4

Manchester United 2010/11 Season Form: P14 W7 D7 L0 GF28 GA15 Pts 28 (2nd)
Blackburn Rovers 2010/11 Season Form: P14 W5 D3 L6 GF17 GA18 Pts 18 (11th)

Saturday 18^th September

English Premier League

Blackburn Rovers v Fulham

Both Blackburn and Fulham will have aspirations of a top half finish at the very least this season so tomorrow’s clash at Ewood Park will be a good indicator for both managers.

Sam Allardyce has completely transformed Blackburn Rovers since replacing Paul Ince. He has brought in a flux of players and has reverted to building from the back in order to make his side hard to beat, especially at home. They have started this season pretty well with a win on the opening day against Everton which was then followed by an unlucky defeat away to Birmingham despite taking the lead in the second half. A home reverse against Arsenal, where they more than held their own, was trumped by a very good away point against Manchester City last time out. In every game they have played this season, they have caused their opponents big problems, which is a compliment to Allardyce, as every one of their games has been against a completely different style of play.

Mark Hughes was the man the Fulham board chose to replace Roy Hodgson after he departed for Liverpool during the summer. Hughes has sought to use the majority of Hodgson’s players and pretty much his 4-4-1-1 system. Carlos Salcido and Moussa Dembele have been the two most notable additions with the former replacing Paul Konchesky who followed Hodgson to Anfield. The new manager, however, has recently been dealt a blow with the news that their talisman, Bobby Zamora, will be out for five months after breaking his ankle last weekend in a challenge with Wolves captain, Karl Henry. Zamora has been in phenomenal form for the best part of two seasons which culminated in an England call up last month. Fulham will almost certainly have to change their style with his continued absence.

 Before losing to Arsenal last month, Rovers had only lost one match at Ewood in the whole of 2010. It’s testament to how hard to beat they are now when the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton have all come away with either a defeat or a draw. Fulham, on the other hand, have a horrendous away record in recent times. Their last win on the road in the league was August 2009, a total of 20 fruitless, away trips. That being said, they are still unbeaten this term with three draws and their win over Wolves last weekend. Two of those draws have been earned on the road against both Blackpool and Bolton so it’s another trip North to see if they can end their away day hoodoo.

Mark Hughes had a successful spell in charge of tomorrow’s opponents in the middle of the decade taking them into Europe and on several domestic cup runs as well as a couple of finishes in the top eight. He will be well aware of what his new club will be faced with on Saturday from Allardyce’s Blackburn. With Zamora out, it will be no surprise to see Dembele as their sole striker with a packed midfield behind him. Blackburn may well recall their star player, David Dunn, who has been struggling for fitness after injury. Dunn has a bit of quality which can light up a lot of dour matches and it may just be that his creativity is needed against Fulham tomorrow who have proven to be stuffy opponents thus far.

Blackburn currently sit a couple of points behind tomorrow’s opponents despite playing pretty well. They will know that a loss tomorrow and they will be cast adrift of that top ten pack already. Allardyce will be targeting these sort of games as ones which should deliver three points and it is my belief that they will succeed in doing this

My selection: Blackburn to beat Fulham

Best odds available: 11/10 available with several bookmakers including Skybet

English Championship

Barnsley v Derby County

Barnsley have made a flying start to the season and will look to continue their good form with another home win at the expense of visiting Derby at Oakwell.

Mark Robins came in during the season last year and although his arrival was not spectacular, there was enough about it to suggest that this season Barnsley would be a different proposition for the other teams in the Championship. He has got his new side playing attractive football which was no more evident than in their excellent 5-2 victory over local rivals Leeds on Tuesday night. Despite trailing early on, Barnsley came roaring back and completely dismantled their more illustrious opponents in a breathtaking manner. It was their third home win of the season in the league after getting the better of Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace. Key to their good form has been winger Adam Hammill. The former Liverpool trainee has been in excellent form with three goals already. He was subject of much interest over the summer but he has remained at the club where his stock will only grow higher.

Derby started the season very brightly with a good away win at Elland Road over Leeds. That, however, is their sole victory to date whilst they have only managed one other point in a draw at home to QPR. Nigel Clough will be disappointed as he was expecting his side to challenge for the play-off’s this term. Of course that expectation is not dead, but the signs look ominous. A disillusioned support is growing increasingly impatient and two defeats against Sheffield United and Hull City without even managing a goal, has only heightened that. The next six games may will make or break their season and Clough’s reign as manager. The first of those is obviously tomorrow and it’s not exactly been a happy hunting ground for Derby, they have only won once of their last six visits.

Barnsley have further strengthened their attacking options with the loan signing of Gary O’Connor from Birmingham. The Scotland striker was surplus to requirement s at his parent club with the arrival of several new attackers over the summer so he has moved temporarily. He scored on his debut against Leeds and will be looking to add to his tally on Saturday. Derby will once again look to Kris Commons for a spark to ignite their season. The little midfielder is their main source of goals, both scoring and providing, so a lot rest’s on his shoulders.

I think Barnsley have a great chance of gaining a fourth home win of the season against an indifferent Derby side. The visitors have used 6 strikers already this season with only one goal between them, and funnily enough, that striker was Rob Hulse who has moved on to QPR. With that kind of drought upfront, added to Barnsley’s confidence, it ‘s a home win for me.

My selection: Barnsley to beat Derby

Best odds available: 23/20 available with 888Sport.