Sir Alex Ferguson is set to give Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov another chance to prove they can form a successful strike partnership.
Man United to start without Rooney, Scholes; Arsenal want to continue from where they left off against Porto
MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson is set to give Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov another chance to prove they can form a successful strike partnership when Manchester United make a short trip to Blackburn.
Berbatov has started every Premier League and Champions League game that he has been fit for since he arrived from Tottenham. And with Wayne Rooney a major doubt for the trip to Ewood Park due to an ankle problem, Ferguson is likely to pair the Bulgarian with Tevez.
United have confirmed that Rooney should be available for England’s World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belarus in the next fortnight but Ferguson will not be taking any chances on his striker’s fitness against Blackburn.
Ferguson will also have to cope with the absence of Paul Scholes. The midfielder is out for 10 weeks after picking up a knee problem in the win in Aalborg. The injury to Scholes will put further pressure on a United midfield that is already relatively short on options with Michael Carrick facing a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Blackburn’s England goalkeeper Paul Robinson is set to miss out again with a calf injury and his stand-in Jason Brown is determined to take his chance against last season’s double winners.
And he is determined to stay in the side even when Robinson returns to fitness. He said: “You have to look forward to it because I don’t know how long it will last for. “I can’t take anything for granted and I would love to be playing against Manchester United.
Arsene Wenger’s stomach will have been settled by Tuesday night’s demolition of Porto in the Champions League after the Frenchman revealed last weekend’s Emirates Stadium defeat by Hull had left him feeling sick. And his usual picks had perhaps redeemed themselves just in time with their 4-0 midweek success as Wenger certainly has plenty of young talent in reserve waiting for a chance, as the 6-0 League Cup thrashing of Sheffield United demonstrated just days before the Hull reverse.
Opposition from the north are again on the Gunners’ radar, in the form of Roy Keane’s Sunderland, who play hosts at the Stadium of Light and Wenger believes last weekend’s traumatic experience will ensure his players are fully focused this time.
“We responded well against Porto,” the Frenchman said. “First of all it was important to show that Saturday was an accident. We gave the first half of the response on Tuesday night and we want to give the other half at Sunderland.
Sunderland, who also suffered a 2-1 home loss last week, to Aston Villa, fear that Hull’s success will probably diminish their own chances of success, or at least remove any complacency that might have lingered in the minds of men who will soon have World Cup qualifiers around the globe on their minds.
A good performance from goalkeeper Craig Gordon is likely to be vital for the Black Cats therefore and the Scotland international admitted the Hull result was one his side could have done without. Gordon was also confident that the Premier League table, which sees Manchester United in 11th and Hull and Wigan in the top half, would adopt a more familiar look before long.
Sunderland, who finished 15th last season, are currently two places above that slot but have already been beaten in front of their own fans twice this season, by Manchester City as well as Villa.
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