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Played
December 31, 2011 7:45 AM EST
Old Trafford — Manchester
Referee: M. Dean
Attendance: 75146
December 31, 2011 7:45 AM EST
Old Trafford — Manchester
Referee: M. Dean
Attendance: 75146
Premier League Preview: Manchester United - Blackburn
Wayne Rooney is set to return to the starting lineup as the home side looks to take first place at least temporarily, with rival Manchester City meeting Sunderland a day later.
By Oliver Platt
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PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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MANCHESTER UNITED
 De Gea Smalling, Ferdinand, Jones, Evra Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani Rooney, Berbatov |
BLACKBURN ROVERS
 Bunn Lowe, Samba, Hanley, Olsson Vukcevic, Dunn, N’Zonzi, Pedersen Formica Yakubu |
Sir Alex Ferguson hopes to welcome Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones back to the defense, but Jonny Evans will miss out after picking up a calf injury in the Wigan match. United’s injury list still includes the likes of Anderson, Tom Cleverley, Michael Owen, Darren Fletcher, Ashley Young and Nemanja Vidic.
Martin Olsson remains a doubt but could provide a welcome boost by returning at left back for Blackburn. Junior Hoilett picked up an injury in Rovers’ 1-1 draw with Liverpool and could miss out here, while Paul Robinson is unlikely to be rushed back into action after Mark Bunn’s impressive display at Anfield.
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DID YOU KNOW? |
- Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will celebrate his 70th birthday on the day of the match.
- United will have thoroughly enjoyed its two matches against Rovers last season. After beating them 7-1 at home, United could only draw 1-1 at Ewood Park, but that point was enough to hand the team the Premier League title.
Dimitar Berbatov’s hat trick on Boxing Day gives him the best goals to games ratio in the Premier League this season of any United player not named Wayne Rooney.
- Phil Jones (pictured right), if fit, will face his former club for the first time since his move to Old Trafford in the summer.
- Blackburn Rovers have won just one of their last 13 Premier League fixtures, and have only two top-flight victories under their belt all season.
- Their 1-1 draw with Liverpool snapped a three-game losing run, but they remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
- After 18 matches last season, Rovers had collected 22 points, double their tally so far this season, and were sitting in 12th place in the Premier League.
- Blackburn has not beaten United since 2006, when the club recorded a 4-3 win at Ewood Park. Morten Gamst Pedersen and Ryan Nelsen are the only players who featured that day that still remain at the club, although the latter is currently injured.
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Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Manchester United 5-0 Blackburn
- 25.46 %
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Manchester United 4-0 Blackburn
- 14.58 %
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Manchester United 3-0 Blackburn
- 12.83 %
| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Apr 2, 2012 | Blackburn 0 - Manchester United 2 |
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| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Dec 31, 2011 | Manchester United 2 - Blackburn 3 |
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| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | May 14, 2011 | Blackburn 1 - Manchester United 1 |
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| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Nov 27, 2010 | Manchester United 7 - Blackburn 1 |
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| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Apr 11, 2010 | Blackburn 0 - Manchester United 0 |
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Manchester United
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| May 13, 2012 | Sunderland 0 - Manchester United 1 | EPL |
| May 6, 2012 | Manchester United 2 - Swansea City 0 | EPL |
| Apr 30, 2012 | Manchester City 1 - Manchester United 0 | EPL |
| Apr 22, 2012 | Manchester United 4 - Everton 4 | EPL |
| Apr 15, 2012 | Manchester United 4 - Aston Villa 0 | EPL |
Blackburn
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| May 13, 2012 | Chelsea 2 - Blackburn 1 | EPL |
| May 7, 2012 | Blackburn 0 - Wigan Athletic 1 | EPL |
| Apr 29, 2012 | Tottenham 2 - Blackburn 0 | EPL |
| Apr 21, 2012 | Blackburn 2 - Norwich City 0 | EPL |
| Apr 14, 2012 | Swansea City 3 - Blackburn 0 | EPL |
| 1 | David de Gea | Goalkeeper |
| 21 | Rafael Silva | Midfielder |
| 4 | Phil Jones | Defender |
| 3 | Patrice Evra | Defender |
| 16 | Michael Carrick | Midfielder |
| 25 | Antonio Valencia | Midfielder |
| 13 | Ji-Sung Park | Midfielder |
| 17 | Nani | Midfielder |
| 19 | Danny Welbeck | Striker |
| 9 | Dimitar Berbatov | Striker |
| 14 | Chicharito | Striker |
| 34 | Anders Lindegaard | Goalkeeper |
| 51 | Ezekiel Fryers | Defender |
| 8 | Anderson | Midfielder |
| 42 | Paul Pogba | Midfielder |
| 52 | Larnell Cole | Midfielder |
| - | Mame Biram Diouf | Striker |
| 48 | William Keane | Striker |
| 13 | Mark Bunn | Goalkeeper |
| 35 | Jason Lowe | Midfielder |
| 4 | Christopher Samba | Defender |
| 31 | Grant Hanley | Defender |
| 39 | Adam Henley | Defender |
| 14 | Radosav Petrović | Midfielder |
| 15 | Steven N'Zonzi | Midfielder |
| 12 | Morten-Gamst Pedersen | Midfielder |
| 20 | Rubén Rochina | Striker |
| 10 | Mauro Formica | Striker |
| 24 | Aiyegbeni Yakubu | Striker |
| 34 | Jake Kean | Goalkeeper |
| 35 | Jordan Slew | Midfielder |
| 29 | Simon Vukcevic | Midfielder |
| 36 | Amine Liganzi | Midfielder |
| 22 | Nick Blackman | Striker |
| 25 | David Goodwillie | Striker |
| 33 | Josh Morris | Striker |
| Michael Carrick | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 16 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Christopher Samba | |
| Position: | Defender |
| Squad Number: | 4 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Results
Times In EST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robin van Persie
Striker Arsenal |
30 | 2 |
|
Wayne Rooney
Striker Man United |
27 | 6 |
|
Kun Agüero
Striker Man City |
23 | 3 |
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Aiyegbeni Yakubu
Striker Blackburn Rovers |
17 | 4 |
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Emmanuel Adebayor
Striker Tottenham |
17 | 3 |