Blackburn Vs Arsenal: Premier League preview
Blackburn are safe, Arsenal have secured a Champions League place, so you could be forgiven for thinking there is nothing to play for in this game.
But with Arsenal there is always something to play for. For one they haven’t locked up third place, which means they can still finish fourth and have to go through the qualifying stages to reach the Champions League. Secondly Arsène Wenger has already admitted he will be putting out a strong side at Blackburn because, “we want to win.”
Despite his troubles this season Lukas Fabianski will continue in goal and last week against Manchester City the Pole showed that he might be Arsenal’s future, keeping a clean sheet and making some smart saves.
"I believe it was a good reaction and that's what you look for," said Wenger about Fabianski’s performance against City.
"He still has to show that he can be consistent. I know he has the talent and he has shown against Man City that he is mentally strong and that he can respond. Now the next target is for him to show that he can be consistent."
Andrey Arshavin still remains a doubt and Denilson will miss the rest of the season with a groin injury. But apart from that you can expect a similar team to the one which player against City last week.
If you still think it’s going to be a dull game, it might be an idea to take a look at the game the same way Wenger views it.
"They are 11th in the League and they have turned things around. They have played good football this season I believe and had good games against Chelsea and Man United. It promises to be an interesting and exciting game because they will go for the win as they have nothing to lose anymore. It could be a good end-of-season game,” the Arsenal manager said.
And Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce wants his team to end the season on a high note in their last home game of the season.
"It would be really nice send the fans home with something to celebrate, because obviously we all suffered the disappointment in the last minute after a tremendous fight-back against Everton, which is something I'm still pretty sick about,” Allardyce said.
Phil Jones and Steven N'Zonzi, both of whom are rumoured to be transfer targets for Arsenal, will play as will Morten Gamst Pederson, who might be playing his last game for Rovers with his contract running out in the summer.
It might not be a Premier League classic but with both teams looking to grab a win both sets of supporters should be able to watch a competitive game.
Prediction: Blackburn 1 Arsenal 2
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