On Sky
It`s the big East Lancashire derby with Blackburn Rovers the visitors to Turf Moor this Saturday. It is also an early kick-off match due to live Sky Sports coverage.
The Pre-amble:
The first of the seasonal big East Lancashire derbies is upon us! Yes, Blackburn Rovers and busloads of their fans will be travelling the short distance down the M65 to Turf Moor this Saturday and what a clash it could prove to be. Burnley before the international break were in sparkling form having climbed to third spot in the Championship table with ten points from five games just three points behind the leading two clubs, Blackpool and QPR. Let`s hope for once then that the Rovers mob return home as miserable as sin with their Devils` tails between their legs! Not since 1979 have we beaten this lot although it`s not as bad as Rovers fans would have you believe since we have only played them ten times in those 34 long years! We are certainly due a win though against the arch rivals and surely it`s now our time for a victory unless that god up there really is a Rovers fan! As the popular Clarets song goes ‘Jack Walker is dead` and Rovers must now endure life in the Championship under their controversial and somewhat unpopular new regime, Venkys and their chickens, cluck, cluck! Last season for the first time in many a season we were playing Rovers on a level playing field and on an equal footing after they had been demoted from the Premier League at long last. We still couldn`t quite achieve a win though having to be content with two 1-1 draws.
Blackburn in contrast to Burnley had a poor start to the season but have since stepped up a gear and scored nine goals in their last two games. In the two consecutive home games before the international break they first thumped Barnsley 5-2 before beating Bolton 4-1. Those two victories propelled Rovers up the table to 11th spot and on seven points, Gary Bowyer’s men are now just three behind the Clarets. It will be interesting to see if both teams can maintain their momentum after the international break but the stage is now set for one helluva game!
Fans are reminded that this game is being covered live by Sky Sports and will kick-off early at 12:15pm. Let battle commence!
Burnley Team News:
Ross Wallace is the only injured player and he will be out for a few weeks yet following knee surgery. Keith Treacy and Scott Arfeld have been on flank duty these past few games but we now have a new loan winger after signing Stoke`s Michael Kightly on transfer deadline day. He looks set to make his debut and it remains to be seen who will be dropped to accommodate him.
Player to watch: Michael Kightly
Kightly was signed on a season-long loan from Stoke and looks set to make his debut in the big derby this Saturday. All eyes will be on him should he make an appearance with inevitable comparisons being made to the injured Wallace and our other four wingers!
Blackburn Rovers Team News:
Our arch-nemesis, midfielder David Dunn will miss the match this Saturday after undergoing minor surgery on a knee problem. He always seems to score against us! All Clarets fans though will be hoping striker Jordan Rhodes remains sidelined too. He is a doubt after he withdrew from Scotland duty during the international break with a hand injury. The striker has scored four times in his last two games and also scored in the 1-1 draw at Turf Moor last year. Rhodes though broke his hand in Friday night’s Scotland defeat to Belgium and had to withdraw from their second World Cup qualifier clash of the week against Macedonia on Saturday.
One player that will definitely not be facing us this Saturday is former Burnley loan, Bradley Orr. He signed on loan for Blackpool on transfer deadline day until the 2nd January 2014 and rumours are that his days at Ewood are numbered. He played just four times for the Clarets on loan from Newcastle back in 2004.
Player to watch: Tom Cairney
The 22 year old midfielder is on loan from Hull City until January having signed in August last month. The Scotland Under 21 international has already netted a couple of goals this season and is their second highest scorer behind Rhodes who has four goals so far. He was however also red carded following a second bookable offence in their 4-3 defeat away to Carlisle on penalties in the Capital One Cup last August despite also scoring a goal but before getting excited he long since sat out his one match ban!
Team & Tactics:
There is no news of any fresh injuries so the big question is whether new boy, Michael Kightly will make his debut on the wing for the Clarets this Saturday and if so who he will replace. Scott Arfield has been playing well and scoring in recent games but then former Blackburn player, Keith Treacy could be up for this one against his former club. He too has been playing reasonably well but could lose out to Arfield.
This is a difficult one but I will go with the following eighteen:
Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee, Kightly, Jones, Marney, Arfield, Ings, Vokes
Subs: Cisak, Lafferty, Long, Edgar, Stock, Stanislas or Treacy, Noble
Ref Watch:
South Yorkshire referee, Craig Pawson gets this pot-boiler of a derby game. He has been in charge of just two games so far this season and has already handed out nine yellows but thankfully no reds. Last season, his total tally from 36 games was a modest 4 reds (1-in-9) and 103 yellows. His last game involving the Clarets was last season in our 2-2 draw against Millwall at Turf Moor almost a year ago. Eight yellow cards were shown that day.
Match Prediction:
34 years of hurt are about to come to an end! 3-1 Clarets!
Next Match:
We face Birmingham City at Turf Moor on the night of Tuesday 17th September (Kick-Off: 7.45pm) before travelling to Elland Road the following Saturday, 21st September to play Leeds United (Kick-Off: 3pm)
