Two clubs chasing promotion to the English Premier League in 2015 will do battle today in a league match between Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City. The second-division clash scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET will be held at Ewood Park in Blackburn and can be live streamed here free.
Illness has plagued Blackburn ahead of this afternoon's season opener. For manager Gary Bowyer, nursing his squad to full strength before kickoff is paramount. "I'd be very disappointed if we didn't have everybody ready for Friday," Bowyer told the club's official website (via Sky Sports). "We've just got one or two that are trying to catch up with the illness that has gone through the camp, but they trained Sunday morning so we are hopeful that they can join the squad Monday and crack on."
"Rudy [Gestede] came back from international duty and he wasn't very good at all," he added. "We tried to get him back; he did a training day here at Ewood and he only lasted half of the session, so he's just getting back and just getting his strength back, and hopefully he can join in with training on Monday."
"We're just looking forward to Friday now."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Controlling the midfield for Cardiff City will be the sole responsibility of Aron Gunnarsson. The 25-year-old made 23 Premier League appearances last season, but must improve on his 1.7 tackles and 1.2 dribbles conceded per match if he hopes to return Cardiff to England's top-flight.
Blackburn Rover's Projected Lineup (4-4-1-1): Robinson; Spurr, Kilgallon, Hanley, Baptiste; King, Lowe, Evans, Conway; Cairney; Rhodes
Cardiff City's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Marshall; Fabio, Turner, Hudson, Brayford; Bo-Kyung, Dikgacoi, Gunnarsson, Whittingham; Maynard, Fondre
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (statistics and lineups via WhoScored).
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
