Blackburn Rovers play host to Preston North End on Saturday afternoon looking to strengthen their position in the Championship playoff places.
While Rovers currently sit in fifth position in the standings, North-West rivals Preston are down in 17th spot despite collecting four points from two games.
Match preview
© Reuters
After conceding seven times against a rampant Fulham on November 3, Tony Mowbray would have cut a frustrated figure in the dressing room, contemplating whether his squad were capable of bouncing back from such an embarrassing evening.
However, that capitulation has proven to be the catalyst for better things to come, Rovers collecting 10 points from a possible 12 and posting back-to-back clean sheets.
On the back of eight goals being scored against Sheffield United, Bristol City and Peterborough United, Blackburn came out on top at playoff rivals Stoke City last weekend, prevailing courtesy of a second-half Reda Khadra strike.
While Rovers only hold a two-point cushion in the top six, the result saw them move ahead of the Potters and establish a five-point gap over eighth position.
Although Ben Brereton Diaz's three-game scoring streak came to an end at the bet365 Stadium, Mowbray would have been delighted with Khadra continuing his recent upward trend after being relatively ineffectual since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion.
© Reuters
Preston head into this contest sitting 12 places adrift of their North-West neighbours, but the gap will be reduced to five points with victory on rival territory.
Such a scenario highlights the competitiveness of the second tier, and Frankie McAvoy will have total confidence that his side can continue their recent resurgence.
A 2-1 comeback at Middlesbrough was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to leaders Fulham, Ched Evans again getting on the scoresheet as he continues to prove his worth in attack.
While clean sheets need to follow with just one being kept in nine outings, McAvoy will argue that maintaining their strength of character will be the difference between a mid-table spot and challenging for promotion.
- W
- L
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Second-choice goalkeeper Aynsley Pears is expected to deputise for Blackburn stopper Thomas Kaminski, who suffered an abdominal injury last weekend.
Mowbray will give consideration to selecting the same outfield players, but Daniel Ayala could come back into the defence if he shakes off an ankle injury.
Joe Rothwell is also expected to be fit, despite the midfielder being withdrawn against the Potters.
Evans is likely to be handed a start in the Preston XI, potentially taking the place of Sean Maguire.
Tom Barkhuizen and Andrew Hughes will be assessed after both sustaining injuries last weekend, but Patrick Bauer is back in contention and should start.
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Lenihan, Van Hecke, Wharton; Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell, Pickering; Buckley; Khadra, Brereton Diaz
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Van den Berg, Bauer, Lindsay; Barkhuizen, McCann, Whiteman, Earl; Browne; Evans, Riis
We say: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Preston North End
Having gotten back on track in recent games, Preston will fancy their chances of causing an upset at the home of their rivals. However, we cannot back against Rovers, who could edge this contest by the odd goal in three.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Blackburn Rovers win with a probability of 45.28%. A win for Preston North End had a probability of 28.67% and a draw had a probability of 26.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Blackburn Rovers win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.16%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.07%) and 2-0 (8.18%). The likeliest Preston North End win was 0-1 (8.46%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.38%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Blackburn Rovers in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Blackburn Rovers.
