Blackburn Rovers v. United - Match Preview

Manchester United will be looking to put the bitterly disappointing defeat against arch-rivals Liverpool behind them with a game against another Lancastrian opponent, Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Rovers started the season full of optimism after finishing 6th in the Premiership last season, and the club harboured ambitions for European Cup qualification. However, a distinct lack of consistency on the domestic scene and a Uefa Cup campaign that was nipped in the bud has left fans disgruntled, and relegation is still a mathematical possibility for Graeme Souness' side, although recent improvements and some excellent displays from recent acquisition from Huddersfield Town, young forward John Stead, have seen Rovers all but secure another season in the top flight.

United still have second place in the league to fight for, with the runners-up spot meaning the Red Devils would not need to go through the ordeal of facing a qualification round to get into the finals of the European Cup, although the F.A Cup final is still the priority. However, a challenge with Chelsea for second spot will keep the team going until the end of the league campaign, and with the Blues seemingly on the slippery slope at the moment, United must be favourites to claim the higher finish.

As for the team selection, all eyes are on who will start between the stick for United. Sir Alex Ferguson is undecided who he will play for the F.A Cup Final with both Tim Howard and Roy Carroll pulling off some impressive performances in recent weeks. Howard is the more likely 'keeper to start tomorrow, but Ulsterman Carroll is expected to get another chance to prove his worth for the Cup final before the end of the Premiership season.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy is likely to start after missing out on the game against Liverpool. Speculation suggested that the Dutchman was left out after a fall-out with Ferguson, but the club has announced that a thigh strain was the real reason behind Ruud's omission. Van Nistelrooy would be likely to partner Louis Saha up front, although Paul Scholes could start just behind either forward.

Influential skipper Roy Keane is a doubt after pulling out of the Republic of Ireland squad during mid-week, and their would be a few angry Irishman should he start at Ewood Park. Wesley Brown, Mikael Silvestre, Gary Neville and John O'Shea look likely to make up the backline, with United's defence showing marked improvements in recent weeks after a woeful run earlier in the season. Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs are likely to continue on the flanks, with Darren Fletcher hoping to continue his run in the side in the centre of midfield. There can be no confirmations over team selections though, particularly with Ferguson tinkering the side around a lot recently, and David Bellion, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson are all in contention for a start.

For the gambling men amongst us, United are unsurprisingly firm favourites with ridiculous odds of 4/11. Blackburn Rovers are 11/4 outsiders, with honours even priced at 12/5. Enjoy the game.

ManUtdWeb Prediction - Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Manchester United
Rovers may not be as up for this Lancashire derby as many may think, with Premiership safety basically assured, and United will be desperate to put a poor recent run behind them. A narrow away win for ourselves to keep hopes of second place very much alive.