Blackburn v Manchester City (Mon)

Barclays Premier League
Venue: Ewood Park Date: Monday, 25 April Kick-off: 2000 BST
Coverage: Watch live on Sky Sports 1; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and local radio; full match commentary on BBC Radio Manchester 95.1FM and DAB; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles

TEAM NEWS

Blackburn manager Steve Kean is confident that forward Junior Hoilett will return after missing the defeat by Everton with a hamstring strain.

Keith Andrews is fit and could feature for the first time since February, but on-loan striker Roque Santa Cruz is ineligible to face his parent club.

Manchester City must again make do without Carlos Tevez and Micah Richards, who have hamstring injuries.

Manager Roberto Mancini has not reported any fresh injury concerns.

Blackburn

Suspension: Nzonzi (one match) Doubtful: Hoilett (hamstring)

Injured/unavailable: Grella (Achilles), Nelsen (knee), Santa Cruz (ineligible)

Manchester City

Injured/unavailable: Boateng & M Johnson (both knee), Given (shoulder), Richards & Tevez (both hamstring), K Toure (club suspension)

MATCH PREVIEW

Expectant owners, poor league form, and a manager under intense scrutiny: the league table belies how much Blackburn and Manchester City currently have in common.

The flak goes with the job. You have to have broad shoulders and hopefully the fans will see we mean business from the first whistle Blackburn manager Steve Kean

Relegation-threatened Rovers are in freefall, with no win in nine games and only three in 16 since Sam Allardyce was harshly ushered out of Ewood Park by the club’s new owners, Venky’s.

Current manager Steve Kean can hardly feel reassured by the recent backing he has received from the men behind the poultry giant, who could be left with egg on their faces after proclaiming that a top-eight finish and a cup win were the aim for next season.

Manchester City’s targets are more immediate: a first trophy since 1976 and a top-four league position to earn Champions League qualification.

Manager Roberto Mancini bought himself some goodwill by beating Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, but he remains under pressure. City are barely averaging more than a point a game since January, and are yet to win a league match away from home in 2011.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six matches against Blackburn since a 1-0 defeat at Ewood Park in September 2007 (W3, D3).

• Rovers lost at home to City for the first time in six matches when they were beaten 2-0 on the opening day of last season.

Blackburn

• Rovers have gone nine league matches without a win (D4, L5).

• They have drawn their last three home matches and are winless in four.

• They are one of two Premier League clubs yet to come from behind to win this season – the other is Sunderland. Rovers have only picked up two points from the 15 matches in which they conceded the opening goal.

• Blackburn also have the worst second-half record in the division – only outscoring their opponents in six of their 33 matches and conceding 38 goals.

• David Dunn will be making his 300th career league appearance, while Brett Emerton could make his 200th league start for Rovers.

Manchester City

• City have lost three of their last six league matches, accumulating only seven points.

• They are winless in their six league away matches in 2011, losing the last three. It is five years since they lost four successive away matches.

• Only Chelsea (27) have conceded fewer goals than City (30) this season. City are on course for their best defensive record in a Premier League season, eclipsing the 39 goals they conceded in 2004-05.

• Edin Dzeko has failed to score in all nine league matches for Manchester City. He has only had seven shots on target, according to Infostrada.

LEADING GOALSCORERS

Blackburn

Kalinic: 6 goals (5 league); Mame Diouf: 6 goals (3 league)

Manchester City

Tevez: 22 goals (19 league); Balotelli: 10 goals (6 league)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Andre Marriner

Assistant referees: Jake Collin & Adam Watts

Fourth official: Stuart Attwell

LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS

Blackburn (L0-2 v Everton, a): Robinson; Salgado, P Jones, Samba, Givet (Pedersen 67), Emerton, Dunn, J Jones, Olsson, Rochina (Mwaruwari 81), Santa Cruz (Roberts 61). Subs not used: Bunn, Kalinic, Hanley, Diouf.

Manchester City (L0-3 v Liverpool, a): Hart; Boyata, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Milner (Silva 59), Y Toure, Barry, A Johnson, Dzeko, Tevez (Balotelli 16, De Jong 83). Subs not used: Taylor, Zabaleta, McGivern, Wright-Phillips.