Saturday's late kick-off in the Sky Bet EFL sees Blackburn take on Aston Villa and Tom Carnduff is backing a goalscorer.
Blackburn v Aston Villa (Sky Bet Championship, Ewood Park, Saturday, 1730 BST, Sky Sports Football)
The late televised game in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday comes in Lancashire as Blackburn take on Aston Villa.
Villa may have been beaten play-off finalists last season, but their form at the start of the this campaign has left a lot to be desired.
Blackburn are a best-price of 9/5 to win, and someone like Charlie Mulgrew can guide them to a crucial three points. He may play as a centre-back, but Rovers' goalscoring defender has played a key part in their attacking side of the game since joining the club.
The 32-year-old has three goals to his name already this season, and the fact that he is on set-piece duty for the hosts will give him plenty more opportunities to strike.
His start to the season is no fluke either. Mulgrew scored 14 goals and assisted a further five as Blackburn were promoted from Sky Bet League One at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
Set-pieces have been Villa's undoing in recent weeks. Two of the four they conceded against Sheffield United were a result of free-kicks while Reading's late equaliser came from the penalty spot.
They need to buck that trend, but Blackburn could exploit that which creates goalscoring opportunities for Mulgrew.
I do like the look of a home win here. Rovers are unbeaten in front of their own fans and did secure a victory over the impressive Brentford last time in the league at Ewood.
Villa meanwhile, were hammered by the Blades at Bramall Lane, and were held by struggling Ipswich before that. They're without victory in five in all competitions, whereas Blackburn have lost just one in the same time.
Score prediction: Blackburn 2-1 Aston Villa (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)
Best bet: Charlie Mulgrew to score anytime at 6/1
Opta facts
- Blackburn have won three of their last four home league matches against Aston Villa (D1).
- Aston Villa have kept one clean sheet in their last 11 league games against Blackburn, a 2-0 win in February 2009.
- Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray has won his last three home league matches against Steve Bruce, most recently in April 2017.
- Aston Villa haven’t lost three consecutive matches in all competitions since losing five in a row in February 2017.
- Blackburn haven’t lost consecutive league matches since their opening two games in the 2017-18 season in League One.
- Aston Villa winger Ahmed El Ghazi has been involved in a goal in each of his two league appearances this season (one goal, one assist).
Odds correct at 1700 BST (12/09/18)
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