Match details:
Venue: Villa Park
Date: Saturday 5th November 2016
Kick-off: 15:00
Referee: Roger East
Championship form:
Aston Villa: L D W W D
Blackburn: L D W L D
Last time the two teams met: 3rd March 2012 – Blackburn 1 – 1 Aston Villa
An eighty-fifth minute goal from David Dunn cancelled out Charles N’Zogbia’s opener for Villa in the stalemate.
Preview:
After last weekend’s derby day draw with Birmingham City, Steve Bruce’s side welcome Blackburn Rovers to Villa Park as Bruce looks to extend his unbeaten run. Furthermore, the Villa boys have failed to lose any of their opening seven home games of the season and the odds are heavily stacked in the club’s favour to increase that run with the Riversiders sitting second from bottom. Football league betting from Bethut make Aston Villa the favourites,
The visitors are currently in free fall and with the fans revolting against the ownership of the club, Bruce’s four-game unbeaten start to his tenure could well continue with a victory tomorrow afternoon.
Saturday’s game will be the last EFL Championship fixture for the club before another international break and the Villans will be hoping that they fare better than they have in the two previous games before an international break this season. Defeats away to Preston North End and Bristol City sent Villa into the enforced breaks on the back of poor results and performances that left the players and the fans reeling.
Team news:
Bruce will be forced to make at least two changes to the team that started against Birmingham City, with Albert Adomah missing with the dead leg that he picked up in the draw and fellow forward Jordan Ayew will also set to miss the game after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the same game.
Jack Grealish returns after his three-game ban for a stamp on Conor Coady.
Club captain Tommy Elphick returned to the bench for the trip to St. Andrew’s but, given the form of Nathan Baker and James Chester, Elphick looks set to keep his place among the substitutes.
The visitors have injury concerns in defence with Tommie Hoban (dislocated shoulder) and former Villa youth team graduate Derrick Williams (hamstring) both set to miss the encounter.
Wes Brown, Adam Henley and Elliot Ward are also set to miss the game through long-term injuries.
One to watch:
Ben Marshall
Ben Marshall (pictured) is a tricky midfielder, who knows his way around the Championship.
Marshall has spent the majority of his career in the EFL Championship with Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers. A graduate of the Stoke City academy, he never made a notable senior appearance for the club, spending time on loan at Northampton Town, Carlisle United, Cheltenham Town and Sheffield Wednesday in Leagues One and Two.
Known for his ability to beat a man and cause havoc in attack, he will need to be monitored carefully by the Villa defenders.
The twenty-five-year-old has a wand of a right foot and, should he get an opportunity to shoot at goal, he can be deadly from outside the area.
1 Comment
Fantastic post on this preview… Thanks for sharing. 🙂