Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers,
Barclays Premier League,
Sunday 21 February 2010,
Ewood Park, 12 Noon Kick-Off

After picking up an important point in the midweek match against Wigan Athletic, Wanderers now move into another local derby against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.

This match was hastily rearranged after Wanderers FA Cup commitments would have resulted in two games in the space of three days. But now all the plans are in place for what is set to be an exciting noon showdown at Ewood Park.

Boosted by three clean sheets in the last five Premier League outings, Bolton head up the M61 and across the M65 knowing that three points against their near neighbours could see them occupy 14th position in the table on Sunday evening, depending on results elsewhere this weekend.

But Owen Coyle is fully aware of Blackburn's impressive home record this season, where they have picked up 25 points and won their last three outings against Hull, Wigan and Fulham.

In the corresponding fixture back at the Reebok Stadium last October, Rovers ran out 2-0 winners through an own goal by Sam Ricketts and a fine finish by David Dunn.

The Rovers man put in a man-of-the-match performance that afternoon, but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to take his place in midfield after suffering with a calf problem over the last month.

Central defender Chris Samba will definitely miss out through suspension but new signing Yildiray Basturk is pushing to make his debut.

One man who is expected to play is former Wanderers attacker El Hadji Diouf. The Senegalese international spent four years at the Reebok Stadium after originally joining on-loan from Liverpool, and he is looking forward to lining-up against some old colleagues.

Speaking to Blackburn's official website, Diouf said: "I still have friends at Bolton - Ricardo Gardner is one of my best friends - but on Sunday, the best thing is to win."

Owen Coyle has been boosted by the news that Ivan Klasnic could be in with a realistic shout of featuring at Ewood Park. The 30-year-old striker has been out for the last four weeks with a calf injury, however the Wanderers manager revealed that he has resumed light training this week.

Coyle also explained that Chris Basham could be out of action for up to two months with a medial ligament injury sustained during last week's reserve match against Manchester City.

Other players who are definitely sidelined for Sunday's match are Gary Cahill (blood clot), Gavin McCann (ankle), Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien (both knee).

Records show that Bolton have enjoyed some decent results at Ewood Park, losing just once on their last eight Premier League visits. The most recent victory came in the 2006/07 season when Ivan Campo notched the only goal of the game with a second-half header.

The overall head-to-head statistics reveal that Wanderers just hold the edge over their Lancashire rivals having registered 61 wins compared to Rovers' 57, while there has been 37 draws.

The referee for Sunday's encounter is Chris Foy. The Merseyside-based referee has taken control of three previous Wanderers matches this season - all away from home at Portsmouth, Wolves and Burnley. 26 matches in all competitions have reaped 75 yellow cards and five reds.

Travelling Bolton fans can pay on the day at Ewood Park. Tickets can be purchased directly from the away ticket office priced at £15 for adults, £5 for those over the age of 65, £5 for children under the age of 16.

Alternatively, you can listen to all the live action on Wanderers Player. The broadcast starts at 11.30 am with pre-match build-up before official club commentator Phil Gittins talks listeners through the action from kick-off.

Don't forget to send in your emails to matchday@bwfc.co.uk and the broadcast team will endeavour to read them out on air.