Blackburn Rovers v Portsmouth: Pompey aim to pile pressure on Big Sam
Portsmouth may be bottom of the table but they are riding high in confidence following Saturday’s 4-0 thumping of Wigan Athletic. A clinical Dindane hat-trick lifted Pompey to within touching distance of their rivals and gives their survival hopes a huge boost.
Paul Hart’s men travel to Ewood Park this weekend looking to record back-to-back wins for the first time in a year and move out of the bottom three at the expense of their hosts, Blackburn Rovers. And if there’s one thing that Portsmouth guarantee when they visit Ewood Park it’s goals. The last goalless draw between the two sides in Lancashire was back in 1934 so I’d put a few quid on seeing the back of the net bulge here.
Blackburn Rovers go into the game on the back of yet another away defeat, but their saving grace this season has been their home form. They have lost just once at Ewood Park, against Manchester City, and they will fancy their chances of building on that platform against a Portsmouth side that have won at Ewood Park just three times over the past 33 years. Their last success came in 2007 thanks to a Kanu strike, but they have managed just two goals on the road this season. They will need to address that if they are to leave the north with anything this weekend. However, despite propping up the league, Portsmouth actually have a better defensive record than Liverpool in sixth place!
Sam Allardyce arrived at Ewood Park last year with an impressive CV and reputation, but despite helping the Rovers beat the drop, some sections of the fans are not happy about his style of football, particularly away from home. Defeat against fellow strugglers Portsmouth will not go down well with the home support and the pressure on the former Bolton man will be turned up.
