Blackburn vs Aston Villa.

Blackburn v Aston Villa

Online Betting Odds and Football Match Preview

Saturday 7 February 2009,

Ewood Park

Kickoff: 15:00

 

Blackburn

 

Blackburn Rovers drew 0-0 away against Middlesbrough in their last league encounter, to make it six matches in a row since their last defeat (3-0 away against Wigan).

This run of six matches includes two wins and four draws, with Blackburn earning 10 points from a maximum of 24 available, whilst scoring 10 goals and conceding 4 goals in the process. The Rovers currently sit 18th in the Premier League table, although only 6 points separate them from 9th placed Fulham.

Blackburn signed El-Hadji Diouf from Sunderland this week. The Senegal striker will be reunited with Sam Allardyce, his former manager at Bolton Wanderers. The Rovers have loaned out striker Matt Derbyshire to Greek side Olympiakos until the end of the season and have released striker Jamie Clarke on a free transfer to League Two side Rotherham.

Blackburn were hit with the bad news this week that midfielder Brett Emerton will be out for the rest of the season after he suffered cruciate knee ligament damage in their last match at Middlesbrough. Keith Andrews is also in doubt after suffering a gashed leg in the same match.

Best Online Betting Odds for Blackburn: Bet on Blackburn to win at 3 from (see full betting odds further down the page)

Aston Villa

Aston Villa drew 0-0 with Wigan at Villa Park in their last league outing, ending a run of four straight victories. Had Villa won the match, they would have jumped to 3rd place on the league table and been equal on points with 2nd placed Liverpool.


Villa are on a superb run, having not lost a single match in their last twelve league outings. This run includes 8 wins and 4 draws for a total of 28 points gained from a possible 36. Aston Villa have scored 18 and conceded 8 goals during these matches, and they are currently sitting 4th on the league ladder, equal on points with 3rd placed Chelsea.

Aston Villa were quiet in the final few days of the January transfer window, with no new signings and the only exit being reserve team striker Sam Williams.

Aston Villa will be without Martin Laursen with an injured knee, although Nigel Reo-Coker is hopeful for a return after suffering a hamstring injury against Doncaster in their first FA Cup match. Both John Carew (back) and Wilfred Bouma (ankle) are hopeful for a full recovery and return to action after lengthy injury lay-offs.

Ashey Young is set to return for Villa after completing his three match suspension.

Best Online Betting Odds for Aston Villa: Bet on Aston Villa to win at 2.5 from , , or , (see full betting odds further down the page)

Prediction

Aston Villa thrashed Blackburn 4-0 in this corresponding fixture last season and were victorious over the Rovers 3-2 earlier this year at Villa Park.

In spite of a disappointing draw against Wigan in their last match, Villa should still be in high spirits after their recent impressive run. The return of Ashley Young to the side, as well as the possible return of Reo-Coker, Carew and Bouma, should greatly boost an already strong Villa squad.

Blackburn will be boosted by the addition of Diouf to their squad, but the loss of Emerton could have an extremely detrimental effect on the Rovers' midfield capability.

With Aston Villa currently holding the league's best away record (9-0-3) and Blackburn holding the second-worst home record (3-4-5), the home advantage will do little to boost the Rovers chances. Couple this with Villa's current top form and the return of key players to their squad, and Aston Villa should be hopeful for a return to winning ways as they go into this match as favourites.

 

Best betting odds for the match from the top online bookmakers:

 

Anytime Goalscorer

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Read More Previews for this Weekend's Matches:

Blackburn vs Aston Villa

Chelsea vs Hull

Everton vs Bolton

Manchester City vs Middlesbrough

Portsmouth vs Liverpool

Sunderland vs Stoke

West Brom vs Newcastle

Wigan vs Fulham

Tottenham vs Arsenal

West Ham vs Manchester United

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