Blackburn Rovers will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak to 10 matches when they face Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup third round.
While the visitors are challenging for promotion to the Premier League, their League One hosts have put together their own 13-game undefeated run in all competitions.
Match preview
© Reuters
Such has been Blackburn's level of performance over recent weeks that everyone associated with the club were disappointed with a goalless draw against Huddersfield Town last time out.
The stalemate brought Rovers' six-match winning streak to an end, although it extended their stint without experiencing a defeat to nine contests.
Combined with the edgy 2-1 triumph over Barnsley, Tony Mowbray may have concerns that momentum is beginning to turn, but that is not to say that he will not be delighted with their current situation in the Championship.
Although they are at risk of being overtaken by third-placed Fulham, Blackburn are just three points adrift of the leaders, a scenario which will weaken the priority of making progress in this competition.
Nevertheless, given the amount of unchanged starting lineups that he has named recently, Mowbray now has an opportunity to give game time to eager squad members who want to play an active part during the second half of the season.
© Reuters
With local pride at stake, Leam Richardson may feel that he cannot make as many alterations as he would like during a time when he will be wary of playing catch-up in League One.
Nevertheless, with no league game having been played since December 18, Richardson will be grateful for the competitiveness nature of this contest.
An almost full-strength side thrashed Oldham Athletic 6-0 in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night, but Wigan did not have to get out of second gear to see off their hosts at Boundary Park.
Many of the same players will expect to feature again for the first FA Cup tie between the clubs since 1998, Rovers winning 4-2 at Ewood Park on that occasion.
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Daniel Ayala and Sam Gallagher are likely to be among a number of Blackburn players who will be given an outing at the DW Stadium.
Aynsley Pears, Tyrhys Dolan, Tayo Edun, Daniel Butterworth and Bradley Johnson are also in line to feature in the starting lineup.
Leighton Clarkson is no longer an option for Blackburn after returning to parent club Liverpool.
Given how he managed his squad earlier this week, Richardson may select the same Wigan XI from the Oldham fixture.
Joe Bennett and James McClean may come back into the squad after missing that game, while James Jones and Kelland Watts are both options after they remained as unused substitutes.
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Amos; Darikwa, Whatmough, Tilt, Pearce; Power, Naylor; Massey, Lang, Edwards; Keane
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Van Hecke, Ayala, Wharton; Nyambe, Travis, Johnson, Edun; Dolan; Gallagher, Butterworth
We say: Wigan Athletic 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
With the prospect of widespread changes being made, Blackburn will not have it all their own way in this fixture. Nevertheless, their superior quality off the substitutes' bench could prove decisive, and we are backing the visitors to edge this contest in the closing stages.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wigan Athletic win with a probability of 42.85%. A win for Blackburn Rovers had a probability of 30.06% and a draw had a probability of 27.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wigan Athletic win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.78%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.68%) and 2-0 (7.98%). The likeliest Blackburn Rovers win was 0-1 (9.47%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.81%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 2.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Wigan Athletic would win this match.
