Blackburn Rovers V Liverpool Betting – Saturday 5th December

Blackburn Rovers V Liverpool

Kick-off: Saturday 5^th December – 15:00 GMT

Venue: Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers

League Position: 13th

Recent Form: LWWLD

After going two games without a win, a Blackburn side absent of their manager, will have to contend with the fact that another win less outing could be on the cards as a rejuvenated Liverpool come to Ewood Park in search of all three points. Rovers will, however, do their utmost to halt Rafael Benitez’s side and they will be very confident of at least claiming a point as Blackburn have been a typically hard side to overcome at Ewood Park this season.

Home is certainly where the heart is as far as Blackburn are concerned, with Rovers losing just once in seven outings at Ewood Park this season. On the opening day of the season, Man City battled their way to a 2-0 victory over Blackburn but Rovers didn’t give up the points without a sight in that clash and have shown some real grit in their following home fixtures, remaining unbeaten at home ever since that City defeat. However, they did greet Stoke City over the weekend but there warm gestures didn’t get them far as the Potters halted Blackburn’s winning run at home with a dull 0-0 draw.

With Sam Allardyce still recovering from a heart operation, his blood pressure will have risen a few knots after watching Blackburn play out just their second draw at Ewood Park this season. The point against Stoke did put an end to a run of four straight victories for Blackburn at home and they could now be on the verge of going two successive games at home without a win, what would be the first time they’ve suffered such a run this season. They have accumulated 14 points at home thus far, that’s 11 more then they’ve picked up away from home, whilst it’s been their surprisingly good form in front of goal which has sparked their early home peak in form.

A lot of Blackburn’s recent success has to go down to David Dunn, a player who has spent so many months on the injury table in recent years. He, quite literally at times, has carried Rovers to victories, not only providing that creative spark in that midfield Blackburn engine, but he’s also chipped in with a few goals, more then a few in fact. With five goals already this season, David Dunn is by far and away Blackburn’s most prolific goalscorer at current, a country mile above most of his team-mates. However, Rovers have relied upon a whole host of players chipping in with the odd goal here and there and they will need a similarly big team performance and effort on Saturday as they welcome Liverpool to fortress Ewood Park, that’s something we haven’t been able to say for a long time.

Liverpool

League Position: 5th

Recent Form: WLDDW

It’s been a difficult last few months for Liverpool and everyone involved at the club, after a terrible run of results, but their victory in the Merseyside Derby, one which heated and did have it’s controversial moments, may just have lifted the mood in the camp and perhaps by the time May does come around next year the Liverpool players can look upon this part of the season as the pinnacle point in the season, the point where their season changed for the good… at long last!

If we’re being honest, the 2-0 scoreline did flatter Liverpool in Sunday’s Merseyside encounter with Everton, as the Toffees’ dictated most of the play and had most of the clear cut chances. In fact, Liverpool actually, for about the first time this season, rode their luck to record a huge win as not only was Javier Mascherano’s opening goal deflected into the Everton goal but Everton also had two goals ruled out for offside, rightly ruled out it must be said. Nevertheless, it was a still a very poor team performance from the Reds’ but when results are the moneymaker nowadays and players thrive on points, perhaps the win is all that matters and people can start criticising Liverpool if they do fail to win on their next venture.

Well, Liverpool’s next venture does happen to be a trip to Ewood Park, a ground they haven’t faired too bad at but have also found times hard going. Rovers, this season, have been immense on home soil so Liverpool will need to make great strides of improvements if they are to beat Blackburn on their own patch. Passing with Liverpool has generally been OK, but creating and converting chances is something they have seriously struggled to master this season, especially in away outings. Despite scoring 31 goals this season, one of the highest tallies in the league, they’ve managed just 10 away from home. In fact, they’ve even conceded more on the road then they’ve scored, which is unheard of from a Liverpool side in recent years.

Liverpool’s away record leaves them exposed to another disappointing results this weekend – 3-0-4. The 2-0 victory at Goodison Park on Sunday ended a win less away run of three games, all were defeats, so it’s clear that the Liverpool players are severely lacking in confidence whenever they strand away from Anfield. Everton was also the first team Liverpool managed to keep an away clean sheet against this season, with the Reds’ conceding in their previous six away encounters. For a side which usually prides itself on a rock solid defence, that’s a terrible statistic and it’s basically been the root of Liverpool’s issues this season.

The critics are already out in droves about Alberto Aquilani’s lack of match exposure thus far, but Rafael Benitez has remained adamant that the Italian won’t be rushed into earning match minutes but this do look a good opportunity for a second half run out for the former Roma midfielder. However, just about everyone is still in the dark about how close Spaniard; Fernando Torres, is to a return. He was given a late fitness test ahead of Sunday’s clash with Everton but wasn’t even on the team coach so perhaps his return to the fold is longer off then we first anticipated. With this said, David Ngog should start up front, a striker who hasn’t made much of an impression in recent appearances as a lone striker. Steven Gerrard has still been putting in sluggish displays so he will need to up his game, while the key man for us is Yossi Benayoun. He’s about the only play in this Liverpool squad that can take the game by the scruff of the neck and drive forward into the opposing box. He’s a big danger when he has the ball and a goal predator at times.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Blackburn Rovers W: 1 Liverpool W: 5 Draws: 4

We wouldn’t say Liverpool have completely dominate previous meetings because they haven’t, but they have picked the vast majority of the points in this fixture in past seasons. In the last ten league clashes between the two, Liverpool have accumulated 19 points from a possible 30, while Blackburn have snatched just the seven away from the Reds’.

Liverpool are on a three match winning run over Rovers, although, two of those did come at Anfield. Liverpool did, however, win on their last trip to Ewood Park, a 3-1 victory, while they are unbeaten in their previous two visits. Blackburn’s only home win over Liverpool in seven meetings at Ewood Park came three seasons ago in a narrow 1-0 win, a Benni McCarthy second half strike separating the two then.

In the previous four meetings at Ewood Park, Blackburn haven’t managed to score more then once. They’ve failed to score in two, although they did manage to find the Liverpool goal last season, albeit in a 3-1 defeat. Liverpool themselves have struggled to score at Ewood Park, and if you disregard their three goals last season, the Reds have managed just two goals at Ewood park in three outings.

Match Verdict:- Liverpool to WIN – 1.83 BlueSquare

We’re banking on the win at Everton boosting the morale within the Liverpool camp as anything less would make this a terribly tough encounter for the Reds’. Blackburn have been a tough side to beat at Ewood Park, and the fans will be in a buoyant mood after their team knocked Chelsea, the current league leaders, out of the Carling Cup on Wednesday. That result will have left the Blackburn players on cloud nine so they’ll be looking to build on that result but Liverpool get the nod, just, to record their second successive victory as they aim to claw back some of the ground lost on the top four.

Match Odds:

Blackburn Rovers – 5.00 VCbet

Draw – 3.60 Bet365

Liverpool – 1.83 BlueSquare

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Yossi Benayoun FGS – 11.00 Coral