Blackburn V Leeds at Ewood Park : Match Preview

22 February 2013 15:31
Blackburn V Leeds - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Midfield puzzle for Appleton

Blackburn manager Michael Appleton has reduced options in central midfielder for the npower Championship clash with Leeds.

Recent signing Lee Williamson sustained an ankle injury during Tuesday night's 2-0 defeat to Hull and is facing the prospect of around six weeks on the sidelines.

Dickson Etuhu returned from a lengthy knee injury absence in Monday's reserve game against Sunderland but suffered a setback and could be out for another month depending on the results of a scan.

Club stalwart David Dunn (calf) remains out having not played since October.

Right-back Adam Henley came through his outing for the second string following a hamstring problem and may come into Appleton's plans, although forward Leon Best (knee) is not yet ready for first-team action despite coming through 67 minutes on his return to action.

Leeds boss Neil Warnock will check on a couple of players before deciding on his line-up.

The Whites won their first game in four attempts on Wednesday night with a 2-0 win over Blackpool, but the manager will assess his squad for signs of tiredness ahead of the trip to 11th-placed Rovers.

He said: "We had some tired legs out there (against Blackpool). We'll see how one or two are before we travel, but it's a really tough choice as a manager."

Michael Tonge made his first start since January in midweek, alongside David Norris and Paul Green in midfield, and the trio are expected to continue after impressing Warnock.

"Michael hasn't played a great deal of football lately but he gives us something special in the middle. Same with Norris and Green," he added.

Long-term absentees Leigh Bromby and Adam Drury remain sidelined, while Habib Habibou still awaits his full debut.

Source: PA