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Blackburn vs Charlton | Sat 19th Oct 2013 | Match Preview, Teams, Predictions, News & Views

StubleyAddickStubleyAddick
edited October 2013 in General Charlton
Introduction

Now that the International break is over which thankfully saw England qualify for the 2014 World Cup, English domestic football resumes this weekend with Charlton facing a tricky away trip to Blackburn which would have been a Premier League fixture 10 years ago.

Charlton will be heading into the game with some confidence after two satisfying draws against Nottingham Forest and Blackpool just before the International Break, but Chris Powell’s men will be looking to try and snatch some vital three points to push them further away from the relegation spots.

The Opposition

The memories of Steve Kean and the constant changing of managers are still lingering in the minds of the Blackburn fans. However, since the promotion of Gary Bowyer from the back-room staff to permanent manager, Rovers have been gathering some kind of consistency which has helped them to a position of ninth within the Championship table.

Something else that Bowyer has organised is a decent squad with the likes of Chris Taylor and Matthew Kilgallon joining up with the stars within the side such as striker Jordan Rhodes and Captain Scott Dann.

In their last fixture, Blackburn narrowly lost 2-1 away at Wigan which also saw defender Grant Hanley sent-off, meaning he is suspended for this weekend’s match. Despite the result, Blackburn fans wouldn’t have been feeling too down especially because it was their first defeat for four matches.

In addition, Blackburn’s home record has been very strong too as Rovers have only lost one home game in five fixtures so far this season.

Player to Watch

The player to watch this weekend is Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes. Rhodes has established himself to be one of the most prolific strikers outside of the Premier League. When Blackburn paid £8m for Rhodes, there were a few question marks over his price-tag but the Scottish International has re-paid some of that fee with Rhodes scoring 37 goals in 59 games and has already scored nine league goals this season.

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The Line –Up

The recent experiment of a 4-1-2-1-2/4-3-1-2 formation which was deployed against Forest and Blackpool seems to be a promising formation for Chris Powell’s side and it may be used again this weekend for the trip to Blackburn.

However, hopefully for Powell the likes of key players such as Johnnie Jackson and Yann Kermorgant will be fit enough to make the trip to Ewood Park although right-back Chris Solly is still likely to miss-out through injury.

Jordan Cousins is likely to keep his place after two excellent performances, while Mark Gower and Dale Stephens will also look to keep their place in midfield, although the arrival of Jackson back from injury may mean one of the two are dropped. Bradley Pritchard will also be trying to return to the starting eleven after his recent absence.

Callum Harriott is likely to be dropped, which could see Jackson being played further forward or loan-signing Cameron Stewart may be given a first league start since signing from Hull.

Upfront may see Yann Kermorgant return although if the Frenchman isn’t fit then Sordell and Church are likely to continue together upfront. Church’s recent winner for Wales during the International break will give him some confidence heading into this weekend’s trip to Blackburn.

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The Prediction

Can’t see better than another draw unfortunately, although on paper it wouldn’t be a bad result. 1-1.
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