BLACKBURN ROVERS have proved a thorn in Manchester United’s side in the past couple of years and that trend may continue when the teams meet in the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
The tie is hanging in the balance after the first leg finished 1-1 and, while plenty of neutrals will expect United to finish the job off on home soil, it may not be that straightforward.
Rovers have held or beaten United in their past five fixtures and there was no fluke about their 2-1 win at Old Trafford in the Premiership in September, when Morten Gamst Pedersen scored twice. Pedersen also found the back of the net in the first leg at Ewood Park a fortnight ago and will no doubt fancy his chances of extending that sequence.
United will have been buoyed by gaining a last-gasp win over Liverpool on Sunday, but they rode their luck and had won only one of their previous five fixtures - when beating non-league Burton Albion in an FA Cup replay. Moreover, they have significant problems in central midfield, with Paul Scholes, Alan Smith and with John O’Shea all ruled out.
By contrast, Rovers are enjoying a purple patch. They stretched their unbeaten run to eight matches with a 1-0 win away to Newcastle United at the weekend and, during that sequence, have conceded just two goals.
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Buying Blackburn’s win index, at 6 with Sporting Index, looks the way to go. In this market you get 10 points for a draw and 25 points for a win. Extra-time does not count.