Excellent home form should give them the edge over Middlesbrough
The chase for Champions League places is hotting up, with six points covering the teams between fourth and eighth in the English Premiership table.
Three of those teams (Arsenal, Blackburn and Bolton) are at home to bottom-half sides this weekend, giving them the opportunity to crank up the pressure on their rivals by claiming three vital points.
It is London (Spurs, Arsenal and possibly West Ham) v the north-west in the race for Europe, and most observers are surprised at the strength of the challenge from the north-west. Bolton and to a lesser extent Manchester City were proven top-half teams at the start of the campaign, but newly promoted Wigan and resurgent Blackburn have been the season's two surprise packages.
Blackburn's strength is their home record, which includes victories over Manchester United and Arsenal, plus a draw with Tottenham. Chelsea and Liverpool have yet to visit Ewood Park, but they won't be relishing the prospect.
Whichever way you look at Blackburn's home form, it is impressive. Over the season as a whole, they have recorded 13 wins, three draws and two defeats from 18 games in all competitions. But it has improved as the season has progressed - 12 wins out of their last 15, and seven wins out of nine from nine games since their last defeat (against Everton on December 3). Blackburn's high win rate makes them a punter's dream - whether they play at home or away, they rarely draw - and they should be backed again for tomorrow night's game against Middlesbrough. This will be a tough game, but victory would complete a perfect eight wins for Blackburn at home to the Premiership's bottom eight.
It is clear from their Uefa Cup exploits that Boro aren't really a bottom-eight side, and their organisation makes them hard to beat on their travels. But they rested their top players at Charlton last weekend, in readiness for their midweek Uefa Cup tie at Roma, and manager Steve McClaren could do the same this weekend with an eye on next week's FA Cup match against Charlton.
