MX23RW : Friday, November 8 09:40:45| >> :120:11494:11494:
[monks data]
Blackburn logo
Championship
Jan 31, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Fulham logo

2-1

Marshall (12'), Rhodes (61')
FT(HT: 1-0)
McCormack (66')

Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs. Fulham

Sports Mole takes a closer look at the build-up to Saturday's match between Blackburn Rovers and Fulham.

Delight quickly turned to disappointment as Blackburn Rovers suffered defeat on their return to Championship action earlier this week.

Just a few days after causing a shock by beating Swansea City 3-1 in the FA Cup, Rovers slipped to a 2-0 loss as Darren Bent fired Derby County to victory.

Gary Bowyer will be hopeful that his side can get back to their best this weekend as they welcome Fulham to Ewood Park, but it's not just on-field matters that have been stealing the headlines this week.

As Bowyer looks to keep his squad focused on their Championship form, the Blackburn boss has been forced to accept that both Rudy Gestede and Jordan Rhodes could leave the club before Monday's transfer deadline.

In truth, without the striking duo Blackburn probably wouldn't be sitting in 10th position with an outside chance of reaching the playoffs this season, but a possible promotion bid will receive a huge boost if the club manage to keep hold of them.

Both players were on the bench in the loss to Derby, but they could be recalled as they look to get the better of a Fulham side that are unbeaten in four matches in all competitions.

Fulham head into the weekend just two points behind Blackburn as they jostle for position in mid-table, and they received a boost with the completion of deals off the pitch this week.

Highly-rated centre-back Dan Burn signed a new one-year extension with the club, while Jazz Richards could be set for his debut after joining on loan from Swansea.

A goalless draw with Sunderland in the FA Cup should have kept the squad's confidence high a week a go, but Kit Symons is likely to make changes for the return to league action.

Ross McCormack, Hugo Roallega and Burn are among the names who could return to the starting lineup for the Cottagers, who could be in the top half by the end of the weekend.

Blackburn:

Form in Championship: WLDLDL
Form in all competitions: DWLDWL

Possible starting lineup: Steele, Baptiste, Hanley, Kilgallon, Olsson, Marshall, Lowe, Evans, Conway, Rhodes, Gestede

Fulham:

Form in Championship: WLLLWW
Form in all competitions: DLDWWD

Possible starting lineup: Bettinelli, Stafylidis, Burn, Bodurov, Richards, Christensen, Dembele, Tunnicliffe, Fofana, McCormack, Rodallega

Sports Mole says: 1-1


ID:202130: cacheID:202130:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5080:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Craig Conway of Blackburn Rovers controls the ball from Craig Bryson of Derby County during the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn Rovers and Derby County at Ewood Park on September 17, 2014
Read Next:
Preview: Derby vs. Blackburn
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland149322391430
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd149321871128
3Leeds UnitedLeeds147522291326
4Burnley146621761124
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom14572148622
6Millwall146441712522
7Watford147162222022
8Middlesbrough146351816221
9Swansea CitySwansea14545119219
10Blackburn RoversBlackburn145451616019
11Bristol City144731819-119
12Norwich CityNorwich144642320318
13Derby CountyDerby145361818018
14Stoke CityStoke145361718-118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds145361724-718
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd144551717017
17Coventry CityCoventry144371819-115
18Hull City143651518-315
19Luton TownLuton144371621-515
20Preston North EndPreston143651420-615
21Cardiff CityCardiff144371320-715
22Plymouth ArgylePlymouth144371425-1115
23Queens Park RangersQPR141761223-1110
24Portsmouth141671327-149


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!