Hull v Blackburn
PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: KC Stadium Date: Sunday, 1 March Kick-off: 1230 GMT
Hull City captain Ian Ashbee is nursing a slight calf injury and may be left out by boss Phil Brown for Sunday's game at the KC Stadium.
Caleb Folan is also likely to miss out after suffering a groin strain against Sheffield United but Craig Fagan is in contention after minor knee surgery.
Blackburn midfielders Vince Grella and David Dunn are both doubts and will be given late fitness tests.
Grella has a groin problem and Dunn has been carrying a hamstring strain.
Hull (from): Duke, Ricketts, Turner, Gardner, Dawson, Mendy, Zayatte, Marney, Kilbane, Garcia, Cousin, Ashbee, Geovanni, Barmby, Fagan, Halmosi, Doyle, Hughes, France, Manucho, Myhill.
Blackburn (from): Robinson, Brown, Ooijer, Khizanishvili, Nelsen, Samba, Simpson, Warnock, Givet, Olsson, Dunn, Villanueva, Grella, Tugay, Andrews, Diouf, Pedersen, Treacy, Mokoena, Haworth, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Roberts.
Hull manager Phil Brown: "We'll both be going for the jugular for 90 minutes. I can't see any team pulling out of tackles, challenges or headers.
"I think there will be a little blood spilled because there will be that much commitment on show.
"But that is a typical Hull City performance and if Blackburn can match that, then we are in for a good game."
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce: "We have a group of players who are trying very hard to get themselves out of the position they are in.
"If we put that amount of effort and commitment into games from now on, then that will give us victories.
"But if we let our standard drop just because the team we are playing is not Manchester United, then we will be in big trouble."
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BIG-MATCH FACTS
Hull manager Phil Brown comes up against his old boss, Sam Allardyce, as Blackburn pay their first visit to the KC Stadium in a "must win" game for both clubs. Rovers are smarting from the midweek embarrassment of defeat to Coventry of the Championship in the FA Cup.
Hull are without a victory in 10 Premier League outings; only Middlesbrough have a longer winless sequence of 14. Blackburn have won only two of 19.
The Tigers have won just three home matches in this league; Blackburn have picked up just two league victories away from home, and are without one in nine on the road.
Hull have not lost a top-flight game in which they've opened the scoring; Rovers have not won any Premier League game this season, when they've conceded the first goal.
This match pits the club to have scored the fewest Premier League goals in the closing five minutes with the one to have shipped the most; Hull have scored just once after the 85th minute while Blackburn have leaked eight.
The first ever top-flight match between Blackburn and Hull, and first league meeting in 18 years ended all square at 1-1 at Ewood Park in August.
Distance between the clubs: 110 miles (177 kilometres)
CLUB FORM
HULL CITY
Club stats
Going into this round of matches: 13th 29 points
Best & Worst categories in 2008-09 Premier League(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures)
1. Drawn three and lost seven Premier League games since beating Middlesbrough 2-1 at home on 6 December.
2. Kept just one clean sheet in 17 Premier League matches; that being the goalless draw at Chelsea on 7 February.
3. Won four and drawn five of the nine Premier League games in which they've opened the scoring.
4. Bottom of the top-flight's "home" table with 12 points; won three, drawn three.
5. Not won in five league games at the KC; one point out of 15.
6. The 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough on 6 December is their only maximum in nine Premier League games in East Yorkshire.
7. Not beaten a North-West club this season; drawn four and lost five of nine.
8. 11 matches will remain after this. The last five will include a home clash with Liverpool, and a visit to Aston Villa, with the curtain coming down home to Manchester United.
Fixtures
BLACKBURN ROVERS
Club stats
Going into this round of matches: 18th 23 points
Best & Worst categories in 2008-09 Premier League(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures)
1. Picked up two points from a possible 12, and won one of seven Premier League games; 3-0, home to Newcastle on 17 January.
2. Drawn four of their eight league games under Sam Allardyce (won two, lost two).
3. Lost the last two top-flight outings. It is their worst run since six straight losses in pre-Allardyce days.
4. Scored just one goal in three league games.
5. Drawn two and lost 10 of the 12 league games in which their opponents have opened the scoring.
6. Three goals shy of conceding 700 in their Premier League history.
7. Yet to pick up three points on the road under the current manager; not won in nine away from Ewood Park, and failed to score in five of them.
8. Drawn four and lost five away Premier League games since registering a 1-2 victory over Newcastle at St James' Park on 27 September; one of only two away wins in this league campaign.
9. Yet to lose to a promoted club this season; drew home to Hull and away to West Brom, and beat Stoke 3-0 at Ewood Park.
10. Still to visit three of the 'Big Four' amongst their 12 remaining fixture after this (Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea), and must go to Stoke and host Portsmouth - the two clubs immediately above them in the table, and therefore relegation rivals.
Fixtures
KEY PLAYER NOTES
HULL CITY
Squad profiles
Michael TURNER is the only remaining player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Hull's Premier League matches this season.
GEOVANNI is the club's top Premier League scorer with six goals.
Nick BARMBY needs a double to reach 100 club career goals.
If selected:-
Craig FAGAN will be making his 100th league appearance in a Hull shirt.
Ryan FRANCE will be making his 150th appearance for the Tigers.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
Squad profiles
Benni McCARTHY is the club's top Premier League scorer with seven goals.
Between them McCARTHY, Roque SANTA CRUZ and Jason ROBERTS have scored 17 of Blackburn's 28 league goals.
David DUNN is a double shy of 50 club career goals.
HEAD TO HEAD
Hull won their last two home league meetings with Blackburn; 2-0 on 10 April 1990, and 3-1 on 8 December 1990 - both in the old Second Division.
Blackburn last claimed maximum points on Hull territory 21 years ago; winning 1-3 at Boothferry Park on 20 September 1988, also at second league level.
Home and awayLeague (inc PL): Hull 9 wins, Blackburn 24, Draws 12Prem: Hull 0 wins, Blackburn 0, Draws 1
at Hull onlyLeague (inc PL): Hull 7 wins, Blackburn 9, Draws 6Prem: Hull 0 wins, Blackburn 0, Draws 0
THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Hull City23 August 2008 - Ref: Stuart Attwell Blackburn scorer: Roberts 38Hull scorer: Garcia 40
REFEREE
Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire)
