Everton vs. Blackburn Rovers Preview

Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean’s prolonged attempts to silence the critics will continue on January 21 when his side make the short trip to Merseyside to take on mid-table Everton at Goodison Park.

Just when it looks as if under pressure Kean will get the axe, Blackburn remarkably pull an unlikely result out of the fire.

It happened earlier in the season when against all odds his side defeated Arsenal 4-3 at Ewood Park -and then once again on New Year’s Eve as Rovers landed huge odds of 20/1 to snatch three points off champions Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Defeat to Stoke City followed however Blackburn are now out of the relegation places after triumphing 3-1 at home to Martin Jol’s indifferent Fulham.

And Kean will be adamant that his troops start to look upwards instead of down when they face off against an Everton side who have failed to sparkle at all during the first half of the campaign.

David Moyes’ continues to make the best of what he has got at Goodison Park however it is becoming increasingly apparent that his side look destined for the mid echelons of the league for quite some time unless significant investment in the squad is made.

Everton recorded a rather predictable draw against another average outfit in the shape of Aston Villa on their last Premier League outing, a result which was probably a point gained considering that it was away from home.

Although they do not have a great deal to play for in terms of a target for the 2011/2012 campaign, it is probably a must win game for the Toffees who have not given their loyal 40,000 support too much to shout about.

And in all fairness, they should have enough with regards to first eleven quality to sink Rovers and reignite the calls for Steve Kean’s head.

Although they have shown a marked improvement to topple United and Fulham, Rovers have still leaked a hefty 44 goals in just 21 games and Everton can take advantage of their obvious frailties to get their home form back up and running.

The hosts do not have much to boast about up front in terms of a regular goal-scorer or prominent threat, but their midfield quality should be enough to secure a vital three points against a Blackburn team who still have a long way to go.

There probably won’t be many goals in this one and the highlights are unlikely to feature first on Match of the Day.

But that hardly disadvantages the backer and a 1-0 home success can really put a smile on punters faces, even if the action doesn’t, at a best priced 6/1.

Only a few Everton players seem likely to hit the net – but Tim Cahill is definitely one of them and he will be a popular choice to score the first (and hopefully only goal) at around 7/1.

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15/01/2012     © Frixo 2024