Blackburn are always a force to be reckoned with at Ewood Park but they look short enough to beat Aston Villa on Sunday and I’ll be taking them on.
I wanted to be with Rovers in the run up to the new year having shown plenty of defeat to both Liverpool and Chelsea and they duly obliged next time out with a home success over Wigan. Another 2-1 win, this time at St James’s Park, propelled them towards the top half of the Premier League but their defending was poor, at best, at White Hart Lane last weekend and where their next clean sheet is coming from I’m not quite sure.
The 4-2 reversal at Tottenham flattered Sam Allardyce’s team, late consolations from Gael Givet and Ryan Nelson repaired some of the damage, and it’s now just one shutout in their previous 14 matches in all competitions.
While Blackburn lost nothing in defeat in losses to Arsenal and Chelsea in front of their own fans, the current Premier League top two, draws with Fulham and Sunderland sandwiched between those efforts means they’ve prevailed only once in five matches in the top flight on home soil and all of a sudden Aston Villa have become difficult to beat.
At just 2.38 to lay, Rovers can be taken on with confidence against Gerrard Houllier’s men who really should be arriving buoyed from a victory of Manchester United.
The Red Devils, masters of the recovery, came from two behind to grab a late share of the spoils at Villa Park last Saturday lunchtime but the French boss will have been delighted with what he saw and in particular from an emerging crop of young players being given their chance to impress.
It is now only two defeats in 11 for Villa, they are also into the last eight of the Carling Cup, and their supporters will be delighted by recent performances from the likes of Barry Bannan and Mark Albrighton.
In addiition, the return to fitness of Gabriel Agbonlahor is a welcome boost for Houllier who has been desperately short in the striking department since he took over.
I see both sides finding the net on Sunday but the play is definitely a lay of the host and I’ll be disappointed, as ever, not to be collecting. Villa just about edge it in terms of quality and it should be an entertaining encounter.
1pt Lay Blackburn (vs. Aston Villa) @ 2.38 (Betfair)