Blackburn v Newcastle: Premier League predictions, previews and team news

Follow Blackburn v Newcastle live with Mirror.co.uk's Match Tracke r

The New Football Pools Pundits' Predictions:
John Barnes: Home win
Tony Cascarino: Home win
Graham Poll: Draw
Mirror.co.uk Sports Editor Dan Silver: Draw

Blackburn team news
Striker Roque Santa Cruz and midfielder David Dunn return to Blackburn's squad for tomorrow's home Barclays Premier League match against Newcastle.

Santa Cruz has missed the last four matches with a calf strain while Dunn is back having been out for two games with a hamstring problem.

New loan signing Gael Givet will not be considered for selection until the defender has proved his match fitness having not played a game for Marseille this season.

Provisional squad: Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Emerton, Tugay, Mokoena, Andrews, Dunn, Pedersen, McCarthy, Santa Cruz, Derbyshire, Roberts, Brown, Khizanishvili, Treacy.

Newcastle team news
Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear is not expecting any of his injured players to return for the vital Barclays Premier League trip to Blackburn tomorrow.

Steven Taylor (calf) and Andy Carroll (hamstring) were included among the substitutes for Wednesday night's FA Cup defeat by Hull a day after being ruled out, with the striker playing the last 14 minutes.

However, Geremi (back) is in talks with Besiktas over a move and Jose Enrique (groin), Joey Barton, Claudio Cacapa and Shola Ameobi (all knee), Obafemi Martins (hernia surgery), Habib Beye (ankle) and Alan Smith (foot/ankle) remain on the sidelines.

Youngsters Ryan Donaldson and Nile Ranger, unused substitutes in midweek, both played in last night's FA Youth Cup victory at QPR, but may make the squad again.

Provisional squad: Given, Harper, Bassong, Coloccini, Taylor, Edgar, Kadar, Butt, Guthrie, N'Zogbia, Duff, Gutierrez, Donaldson, Godsmark, Owen, Xisco, Carroll, LuaLua, Ranger.

Opta match facts
Blackburn have won their last four league games against Newcastle.
Michael Owen has scored nine goals in 13 Premier League games against Rovers.
The Magpies had kept three clean sheets in a row on their travels before being beaten 2-1 by Wigan last time out.
In the last three meetings at Ewood Park, the winning side has scored three goals.
Last year's 3-1 win by Blackburn ended a run of four without a win on home soil for Rovers.
Sam Allardyce comes up against his former side almost exactly a year after they dispensed with his services.
Allardyce won his last five home games as coach of Bolton against Newcastle and also won his only match as Newcastle boss against his former club Wanderers.
Only Blackburn (4) have won fewer games than Newcastle (5) this season.
Rovers have only kept one clean sheet in their last seven league games at Ewood Park. They are also the only team to have taken fewer than 10 points on home turn this season.
The Magpies have only won one of their last 13 Premier League away games.

Find out what our resident Premier League fan bloggers think - and let them know your views