Source: Telegraph
Blackburn v Manchester City match preview
Saturday, August 15 [LNB]Blackburn v Manchester CityEwood ParkKick-off: 3pmTV: Highlights, BBC1 MotD [LNB]Premier League Relegation: Telegraph viewNewcastle, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Hulls Premier League relegation battlePremier League - Weekend PreviewTale of the game: Manchester City's millions get their first test when Mark Hughes, the City manager, returns to his former club. Kolo Toure undergoes a test, but Emmanuel Adebayor and Gareth Barry could make their debuts. [LNB]Hughes will not need reminding that City won just two away games all last season and they face a Blackburn side for whom Nikola Kalinic tipped by Slaven Bilicas the future of Croatian football -- should make his debut. [LNB]Roque Santa Cruz will not be available to make his debut against his former club with the £17.5million Paraguay striker still recovering from a knee operation that will likely rule him out until September. Adebayor will be assessed after returning from international duty this week with a slight groin injury. [LNB]Carlos Tevez is in contention to make his debut after overcoming a minor heel problem while Craig Bellamy should also be fit, giving Hughes a nice problem in selecting his strikers. [LNB]Vincent Kompany (toe) will miss the start of the season while Michael Johnson (abdomen) is still at least two weeks away.[LNB]Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen will have a late fitness check after the New Zealand defender injured his knee in a pre-season match at Dundee United last weekend. [LNB]Christopher Samba, who was also taken off in that game, has made a full recovery from his hamstring strain, but Paul Gallagher is likely to miss out due to a similar problem. [LNB]New signing Gael Givet has returned to full training as has Vince Grella, but the Australian is unlikely to play due to a lack of match practice, and manager Sam Allardyce will not consider new striker Nikola Kalinic for the same reason. [LNB]Steven Reid and Brett Emerton are on the road to recovery from long-term problems, while David Dunn is also still out. [LNB]Who's saying what?[LNB]Mark Hughes: "We are chomping at the bit to get going. There is a tangible feeling of anticipation both within in the club and amongst the fans. [LNB]"We want to put on a great show for our fans. We needed to address our away form from last season and we have the opportunity on Saturday to start on the front foot. We can make a statement. [LNB]"Last season in terms of the total number of Premier League games played by our players we had an inexperienced side. We have addressed that now." [LNB]Sam Allardyce: "A lot of players left here as well as Roque Santa Cruz this year. Matt Derbyshire, Tugay, Andre Ooijer, Aaron Mokoena, Carlos Villanueva, then Danny Simpson going back. [LNB]"We've lost a huge amount of players and not too many people have printed that, but it's a big ask to replace all those and get better. [LNB]"We hope we have but we won't really know until the season gets under way.[LNB]"We've set realistic targets and we've spoken to the players about those targets, we've focused their goals on what they want to achieve, and we want to do it as a team. [LNB]"If we get all that right, and the attitude and team spirit, we'll be fit enough to compete with anybody in this league. That in itself will bring us more wins than defeats this season." [LNB]Blackburn (Probable, 4-4-2): Robinson; Andrews, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock; Diouf, Grella, N'Zonzi, Pedersen; McCarthy, Kalinic. [LNB]City (Probable, 4-4-2): Given; Zabaleta, Dunne, Ben Haim, Bridge; De Jong, Barry, Ireland, Wright-Phillips; Robinho, Adebayor. [LNB]Referee: Mike Dean. [LNB]Stat of the game: Manchester City have not won at Ewood Park for six years, their only Premier League win there in seven visits. [LNB]Last season: Blackburn 2, Man City 2; Man City 3, Blackburn 1. [LNB]Betting tip: Try Adebayor as first goalscorer at 11-2. [LNB]
