Blackburn v Hull preview

Boateng: Injury worry

PREDICTIONS:

Skysports.com prediction: 2-1

SKY BET odds: Blackburn 5/6 Draw 5/2 Hull 10/3

One to Watch: Jozy Altidore

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Blackburn Rovers will be looking to inch nearer towards securing their Premier League status as a rejuvenated Hull City head to Ewood Park.

Sam Allardyce set his sights on the 'magical' 40-point mark earlier this week, with Rovers currently 12 points shy of that target.

Allardyce's side can boast a healthy cushion to the bottom three and will be aiming to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat at Stoke City at the weekend.

Rovers' home form has been more positive, however, with successive wins over Fulham and Wigan Athletic in their last two games at Ewood Park.

They also tackle a Hull side who have yet to win on their travels this season and have picked up just four points away from the KC Stadium.

It is a stark contrast to last term when the Tigers' away form was largely responsible for their survival, with the majority of their points coming on the road.

However, Phil Brown's men head into the game on the back of a home draw against leaders Chelsea and an impressive 2-1 win over Champions League-chasing Manchester City.

Team news

Allardyce will be forced into making one change to his team from the weekend setback at Stoke after Chris Samba was sent off at the Britannia Stadium.

With Samba missing, Gael Givet could move into the centre of defence, with Martin Olsson dropping into left-back and perhaps Keith Andrews reclaiming his place in midfield.

El Hadji Diouf is another option to come into the team, although David Dunn is not expected to return until the Bolton Wanderers game later this month due to a calf injury.

New signings Yildiray Basturk and Amine Linganzi played in a practice match against Fleetwood Town on Monday, along with Vince Grella and Lars Jacobsen, but are not expected to feature against Hull.

Brown enjoyed many years as Allardyce's assistant and will be looking to put one over his old boss as Hull seek to move further clear of trouble.

The visitors have two worries from the 2-1 win over City at the weekend, with George Boateng and Andy Dawson rated as 50/50 to play.

Boateng, who scored the decisive goal against City, is struggling with cramp, so Seyi Olofinjana would be his obvious replacement in midfield.

Dawson's place at left-back is likely to be taken by Kevin Kilbane if the long-serving defender fails to shake off a knock in time.

Teenage midfielder Tom Cairney is set to feature in his first away game in the Premier League after impressing for the Tigers over the past fortnight.

Possible starting XIs

Blackburn: Robinson, Chimbonda, Nelsen, Givet, Olsson, Emerton, Andrews, Nzonzi, Pedersen, Kalinic, Di Santo.

Hull: Myhill, McShane, Gardner, Mouyokolo, Dawson, Fagan, Boateng, Cairney, Hunt, Altidore, Vennegoor of Hesselink.