Blackburn Rovers play host to
Champions League aspirants Tottenham on Saturday with the Ewood Park
side desperate to get their campaign back on track.
Rovers manager Sam Allardyce may have recovered successfully from
recent heart surgery but his side's recent form has been anything but
healthy.
Blackburn are without a win in five Premier League games, with
their only goal in those games coming in their 2-1 midweek defeat at
the hands of Birmingham City.
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- Premier League fixtures
Rovers currently find themselves just three points clear of the
relegation zone but, while Allardyce and co will no doubt be nervously
looking behind them, Harry Redknapp's Tottenham have their sights
firmly set on breaking into the top four and securing that
all-important Champions League berth.
Spurs secured a superb 3-0 victory against fellow Euro hopefuls
Manchester City in midweek, a win which returned the north Londoners to
winning ways after their surprise 1-0 defeat away at Wolves at the
weekend.
England hitman Jermain Defoe was on the scoresheet once again
against the Citizens to take his Premier League total for the season to
a joint-high 13 goals.
The former Hammer has also hit three goals in his last four league
starts against Rovers, a tally he will confident of adding to on
Saturday.
Buoyed by that win over Manchester City, Redknapp remains confident his side can keep the pressure on the teams above them.
"We have to keep picking up results," he told the club website. "I
feel we have been consistent enough, we've been playing well enough but
we had a blip against Wolves on Saturday. But that's life."
While the Ewood Park faithful haven't been treated to much
goalmouth action in recent weeks, Saturday's fixture may still provide
them with a decent amount of drama.
In the last eight Premier League meetings between Blackburn and
Spurs, there have been six red cards, including one in each game last
season, a fact which referee Peter Walton will no doubt be well aware
of.
Tottenham will travel to Ewood Park without the injured trio of
Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Carlo Cudicini, while Honduras
midfielder Wilson Palacios remains a doubt.
Source: DSG