Post by Rais.n.Hell on Nov 11, 2006 10:50:25 GMT
Source: [SoccerLens.com]
Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United - Preview
Tagged: Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers
Written by Ahmed Bilal
Posted on November 11th, 2006
Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United, Ewood Park, 17.15 Saturday 11th November 2006.
Everybody’s talking about Manchester United’s loss in the Carling Cup and the ‘backlash’ that Blackburn are bound to receive.
Let me assure you that there is no such backlash on the cards. Blackburn are tough, physical side and United will be hard-pressed in the game.
There are, however, two things that can make a difference.
Rooney’s form - his goals against Bolton have silenced the critics somewhat, but he’s still not back to his best. I’m expecting him to score today, but if he doesn’t, Manchester United will need something special to win.
Our left-back - Heinze could start, but he’s rusty. Evra’s prone to a defensive lapse now and then but his runs down the left flank are fantastic. It’s our weakest link in the defensive, so I’d expect Blackburn to be targeting this player.
The Carling Cup loss has really, really hurt, and you’d expect Manchester United to come fast out of the blocks and go for the win really hard. Having said that, Blackburn are on a losing streak and Mark Hughes will want to put an end to that, so expect a lot of kicking in the game.
Key Stats
* Manchester United haven’t won at Ewood Park since 1998. We haven’t beaten Blackburn in the last 5 Premiership games.
* Blackburn have one of the worst defensive records (conceded 15 goals, worst is 17) in the Premiership, coupled with the worst disciplinary record (28 cards so far). Blackburn have also given away the most penalties this season (6).
* The corresponding numbers for Manchester United are far better, but then we’re top of the table, so you’d expect us to score the most goals, concede the least goals, win the most games, etc etc.
* In last season’s corresponding fixture Blackburn beat Manchester United 4-3, with David Bentley getting a hat-trick.
* Blackburn have scored more than 1 goal only two Premiership games this season
Bottom line - Blackburn are defensively vulnerable while Manchester United have a new-found solidity thanks to Vidic. United are also better in attack this year, while a case could be made that Blackburn are not as strong offensively as they were last year.
Injury News
Blackburn - Emerton could return, although Roberts, Savage and Reid are still out.
Manchester United - Park and Ole are out.
Prediction
Manchester United to win 2-0
Reds unchanged for Ewood
Sir Alex Ferguson will stick with the same side that overpowered Bolton and Portsmouth so convincingly in the last two league games for the trip to Blackburn on Saturday.
The Reds' boss confirmed he will field an unchanged starting eleven for the tea-time clash with Mark Hughes' side as United look to record their first Premiership victory for eight years at Ewood Park.
"I'll be playing the same team as last week [against Portsmouth]," said Sir Alex at his pre-match press briefing. "The form justifies that.
"We're playing some good football at the moment, but derby games can be tough and we've had some difficult matches against Blackburn in the past.
"But you've got to get rid of your emotions and make sure you play your game and get the result."
United go into the game on the back of their shock Carling Cup exit at Southend. But Sir Alex remains confident the 1-0 defeat will not have an adverse affect on the team's preparation for the Blackburn trip, insisting the result was a timely reminder of the importance of hard work.
"It was terrific for us to lose that game on Tuesday," declared the United boss.
"The fact that amongst all the celebrations for my twenty years, we then went down to Southend and got battered was a reminder to everybody at the club that I didn't get to twenty years without having to work hard. So in that sense it was a fantastic result for us."
Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United - Preview
Tagged: Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers
Written by Ahmed Bilal
Posted on November 11th, 2006
Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United, Ewood Park, 17.15 Saturday 11th November 2006.
Everybody’s talking about Manchester United’s loss in the Carling Cup and the ‘backlash’ that Blackburn are bound to receive.
Let me assure you that there is no such backlash on the cards. Blackburn are tough, physical side and United will be hard-pressed in the game.
There are, however, two things that can make a difference.
Rooney’s form - his goals against Bolton have silenced the critics somewhat, but he’s still not back to his best. I’m expecting him to score today, but if he doesn’t, Manchester United will need something special to win.
Our left-back - Heinze could start, but he’s rusty. Evra’s prone to a defensive lapse now and then but his runs down the left flank are fantastic. It’s our weakest link in the defensive, so I’d expect Blackburn to be targeting this player.
The Carling Cup loss has really, really hurt, and you’d expect Manchester United to come fast out of the blocks and go for the win really hard. Having said that, Blackburn are on a losing streak and Mark Hughes will want to put an end to that, so expect a lot of kicking in the game.
Key Stats
* Manchester United haven’t won at Ewood Park since 1998. We haven’t beaten Blackburn in the last 5 Premiership games.
* Blackburn have one of the worst defensive records (conceded 15 goals, worst is 17) in the Premiership, coupled with the worst disciplinary record (28 cards so far). Blackburn have also given away the most penalties this season (6).
* The corresponding numbers for Manchester United are far better, but then we’re top of the table, so you’d expect us to score the most goals, concede the least goals, win the most games, etc etc.
* In last season’s corresponding fixture Blackburn beat Manchester United 4-3, with David Bentley getting a hat-trick.
* Blackburn have scored more than 1 goal only two Premiership games this season
Bottom line - Blackburn are defensively vulnerable while Manchester United have a new-found solidity thanks to Vidic. United are also better in attack this year, while a case could be made that Blackburn are not as strong offensively as they were last year.
Injury News
Blackburn - Emerton could return, although Roberts, Savage and Reid are still out.
Manchester United - Park and Ole are out.
Prediction
Manchester United to win 2-0
Reds unchanged for Ewood
Sir Alex Ferguson will stick with the same side that overpowered Bolton and Portsmouth so convincingly in the last two league games for the trip to Blackburn on Saturday.
The Reds' boss confirmed he will field an unchanged starting eleven for the tea-time clash with Mark Hughes' side as United look to record their first Premiership victory for eight years at Ewood Park.
"I'll be playing the same team as last week [against Portsmouth]," said Sir Alex at his pre-match press briefing. "The form justifies that.
"We're playing some good football at the moment, but derby games can be tough and we've had some difficult matches against Blackburn in the past.
"But you've got to get rid of your emotions and make sure you play your game and get the result."
United go into the game on the back of their shock Carling Cup exit at Southend. But Sir Alex remains confident the 1-0 defeat will not have an adverse affect on the team's preparation for the Blackburn trip, insisting the result was a timely reminder of the importance of hard work.
"It was terrific for us to lose that game on Tuesday," declared the United boss.
"The fact that amongst all the celebrations for my twenty years, we then went down to Southend and got battered was a reminder to everybody at the club that I didn't get to twenty years without having to work hard. So in that sense it was a fantastic result for us."
