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Samba out for Rovers Centre-back Chris Samba is Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce's only absentee ahead of the local derby with Bolton at Ewood Park on Sunday as he completes a two-match suspension.

Midfielder David Dunn, who has been out for the last four weeks with a calf injury, is fit again, and is poised for at least a place on the bench.

Fellow midfielder Vince Grella is closing in on a return after being sidelined since November with a thigh problem.

However, Yildiray Basturk is unlikely to figure as he is still short of match fitness following his transfer window move from Stuttgart.

With the Trotters visit looming, he has a clear message for his squad as he said: "It's an absolute necessity the players go out there and win it for me.

"Of course, they want to win it for themselves, but if they can do a bit extra and win it for me then it'd be a great pleasure for me.

"Anybody and everybody who plays or manages against their old club, you want to beat them. You don't want to be the one with egg on your face.

"So I'm looking forward to my old club coming here, and my team going out and showing the Bolton fans all what they are missing.

"If we win, it would be a very important victory, a very important three points to help us close in on safety, and then we can see how far we can go on in the Premier League." Bolton striker Ivan Klasnic could come into contention against Blackburn on Sunday at Ewood Park.

Klasnic, who has scored six goals this season after arriving on loan from Nantes, is on the mend after a calf injury.

Manager Owen Coyle may be tempted to name an unchanged side following the draw against Wigan in midweek.

Bolton have won just one league game in seven since Coyle arrived but he is convinced they can move out of trouble.

He said: "It is so tight at the foot of the table and a real battle. There is hardly a coat of paint between a number of clubs.

"You have to believe in what you are doing and in the players you have. They have shown they can go toe to toe with some of the best teams in the country.

Blackburn 3-0 Bolton

Last modified 10:37 22/02/10

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Big Sam Allardyce taught his old club - and one of his successors - a painful lesson in the art of survival football.

Blackburn Rovers will be safe for another season after their fourth straight home win, a run that has turned round their campaign spectacularly in the space of a few weeks.

But his former employers and new boss Owen Coyle are deeper in the mire than ever after their most woeful performance since he took charge.

Astonishingly Rovers won with ease despite losing skipper Ryan Nelsen and having to play without a makeshift back line. Fortunately they were up against the most powder-puff of opponents.

Allardyce's side just played to their strengths, they are among the masters of ugly football, and it was far too effective for a side that looks painfully short of pace and power.

Most alarmingly for Coyle, Bolton seem to have lost that nasty edge themselves. With a couple of exceptions they accepted their fate all too readily.

Allardyce beamed: "We are looking up and not down for the first time this season, we have got 34 points now and kept in touch with the top half of the table.

"I don't want us to let up from what we are doing at the moment. Hopefully we will get a bit more credit for what we are doing now - we have got eight clean sheets in the last 17 games which is the basis for success."

Rovers battered on the door from the start, with their combination of throw-ins and set-pieces pinning back their local rivals for long spells.

Morten Gamst Pedersen even had the ball in the net from one of his touchline 'shies' but, as the fans celebrated, referee Chris Foy spotted it had not touched anyone and the goal was ruled out.

Gael Givet and Nikola Kalinic both had efforts hacked away from the line after a corner, with their tactics reducing Wanderers to little more than defending.

The knee injury for Nelsen should have opened the door to Bolton, especially as Keith Andrews had to drop back in his absence. With Chris Samba it left them wide open.

Matty Taylor should have taken advantage when he was found unmarked at the far post but his scoring touch has vanished and he hit Paul Robinson with his shot.

But Blackburn grabbed a goal when they needed it with their best move of the match, so simple that it made the Bolton back line disappear with just one clever intervention by Pedersen.

The Norwegian saw his chance and signalled for Junior Hoillett to pick him out with a long ball. Only Zat Knight was back and Pedersen's header put Kalinic in for a thumping finish.

Despite their lead Rovers were handicapped by Nelsen's loss and Givet was also hobbling, but they could have been two up when Hoilett's diving header had to be clawed away by Jaaskelainen.

Bolton's performance picked up and Robinson had to save bravely from Ricardo Gardner and did even better to keep out Chung-Yong Lee's smart shot.

Their fans bellowed for the subs to come on and bring some flair and threat into their side but even the introduction of three new faces made little difference to an abject display.

Rovers played it smart and attacked wisely. Jaaskelainen had to stretch to knock away a Charles Nzonzi header before a controversial second put them clear.

Givet hooked the ball over his head and sub Jason Roberts went through on his own to beat the keeper as Coyle argued with the fourth official about the lack of an offside flag. However the striker had just timed his run right.

The way Bolton folded was alarming. Givet nodded in a third from El-Hadji Diouf's deep delivery, with the Frenchman joyous about his first goal at Ewood Park

Rovers knew how to handle this kind of game much better and - even with their problems - were comfortable. Wanderers need to remember how to scrap in a hurry.