Preview: Blackburn (Away)

With less than 48 hours to the big kick-off things aren't running quite as smoothly at the inn as we might've hoped. It's looking increasingly like we'll go into the game with either Nedum Onuoha or Richard Dunne partnering Kolo Toure in the middle of defence. The latter is probably more likely given the manager's indication that the player will remain as captain. I'd feel a little more confident about us shutting them out if Ned got the nod instead, though there is the chance both might play should Kolo not recover from his knock.

Things seem equally unclear regards who will lead our attack. Santa Cruz is certainly out, and Bellamy is doubtful after missing international duty midweek. Emmanuel Adebayor picked up a strain playing for Togo last night but should play, and Carlos Tevez's achilles should have recovered enough for him to take some part. I expect at least one of those two to start, but it's not ideal, our four out-and-out strikers all less than fully fit.

Formation-wise i'm not really sure what we'll see. At home this season i think we might continue with a 4-3-3, if it ain't broke, etc, etc, but Rovers have in the past been strong down the flanks with Emerton, Warnock and Pedersen amongst others, though the latter's form has appeared patchy over the last year or so. Emerton will be missing through injury, along with fellow midfielders David Dunn and Vince Grella but with strikers like Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts we'll have to be up for a scrap.

Given that they don't seem too strong in the middle of the park, i'd perhaps drop one of the central three that we've seen during the pre-season games, probably Nigel de Jong. Barry and Ireland should have enough graft between them to cope with Keith Andrews and whoever partners him. Having a look through their squad i imagine that might be either Zurab Khizanishvili, Elrio Van Heerden or Steven N'Zonzi.

Whoever Blackburn play on the right of midfield in Emerton's absence, my guess would be the widely-loved El Hadji Diouf, Wayne Bridge might well need a hand. Bridge's form since signing could at best be considered mixed, and above anyone else he's the one in our back-line who strikes me as most 'gettable' on these sorts of occasions. Robinho, even with several other expensive buys arriving, is still undroppable. He might have to put a shift in if we're to win the game.

I imagine Blackburn might give a bow to loan signing Franco di Santo, alongside either McCarthy or Roberts. Both of those have had their fair amount of joy from us in recent seasons, and i'm sure they'll fancy that if they can get long balls into the front they'll have a decent chance of catching us out. I'd have certainly felt a little more confident with Joleon Lescott marking their targetman, but the chances of him being in the side on the weekend seem virtually nil.

We know now what sort of game we'll get there, whoever wins the battle will win the war. I'd go there and try and play as direct as them, we have to be prepared to do that if we're to pick up a decent enough points tally away from Eastlands. Our form on the road will ultimately seal our fate, and if we stick with last season's method of having plenty of the ball but doing nothing in the final third then we might as well give up now. Some sides will let us play, some won't, Blackburn won't, and we need to adapt our game to the opposition. Hughes should instruct SWP and Robinho to whip balls in early (assuming Adebayor will make it) and make the most of his height and presence in the box, as well as Blackburn's injury problems in the centre of defence.

I think we'll score there, but the defence in its current form still doesn't leave me too confident of us keeping clean sheets. We'll still make sloppy mistakes, and be hopeless from set-pieces, and i expect we'll continue to be until we sign a centre-half who can organise and discipline the back four, though with the season starting afresh we probably should wipe slates clean.

Prediction: Blackburn 1 City 2