Perhaps it’s clutching at straws but Mick McCarthy is hoping former Rovers striker John Stead will be able to break his Premiership goal drought by netting at Ewood.
It’s Stead’s 150th club apperance and despite having a good opening to his Premiership career with Blackburn in 2004, he has yet to score for Sunderland this season.
Meanwhile Mark Hughes has labelled his side’s recent performances as unacceptable as they look to aviod a third straight defeat.
Vital Quotes:
Mick McCarthy on Johnathon Stead:
‘Maybe fate will decide that he scores his first one at Blackburn. We expect him to score. He came here with a belief that he would.’
Mark Hughes: ‘You have to make the players aware that certain things aren’t acceptable and they understood where I was coming from. They felt the disappointment as much as I did.’
Blackburn Rovers Team News:
Blackburn striker Morten Gamst Pedersen will be back in the first team after recovering from the knee problem which kept him out of the defeat at Everton.
However, Steven Reid is a doubt with a back injury and will have a late fitness test on Wednesday.
Florent Sinama-Pongolle is expected to partner Craig Bellamy up front.
Player to watch: Morten Gamst Pederson
Was badly missed in Blackburn’s weekend defeat at Everton. Friedel also makes his 200th appearance for the club.
Sunderland Team News:
Steve Caldwell, Stephen Wright and Dean Whitehead, who were all suspended at the weekend, will return.
Player to watch: Johnathon Stead
Despite not having scored all season he knows where the goals are at Ewood Park.
