This weekend's Barclay's Premiership action promises to produce some mouth-watering encounters. We start off with a pulsating match between Liverpool and Arsenal, with both sides fighting to secure the 4th Champions League place. Sunday sees Spurs host Man Utd, a match which could prove vital in the race for the Premiership title. And let's not forget that local pride is also at stake in the North East as Newcastle and Sunderland prepare to do battle in the Tyne-Wear derby.

But there is another match that will undoubtedly intrigue the masses this weekend and it's not a fixture that would usually stand out as a mouth-watering encounter.

At Ewood Park, there are bound to be banners and placards-a-plenty as Blackburn Rovers, a club that has been forced to endure season-long protests from its long-suffering supporters over the running of the club, face an Aston Villa side whose fans are beginning to show the same level of frustration against their club's hierarchy.

Blackburn Rovers are, as they have been all season, in a complete mess.

On the pitch, they have a very average squad that currently sit in the relegation zone, having recorded just five wins all season. They have shipped 59 goals, meaning they boast the Premier League's worst defence and they are the only team in all four divisions not to have kept a clean sheet all season.

Their 11-year stay in the top flight is in serious danger of coming to an end and their bid to avoid relegation has recently been dealt a huge blow, as arguably their best player, Christopher Samba, was recently sold to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

The club's precarious situation on the pitch has resulted in major problems off the pitch.

When Venky's Group took ownership of the club in November 2010, the future looked very promising for the Lancashire club. But the decision to sack Sam Allardyce and promote the little-known Steve Kean as full-time manager has turned out to have had a hugely negative impact on the club.

Kean is not and has never been the experienced, world-class manager that the owners ensured the club would get and his record speaks for itself. His win ratio as manager is just 26% and the club have lost half of the games they have played during his tenure.

This has resulted in a vote of no confidence against the manager and the owners. Almost every match this season has been accompanied by supporters protesting against the running of the club and Steve Kean has been the subject of abusive chanting from the terraces and hate campaigns that have been condemned by the League Manager's Association.

There are strong rumours that the club's supporters will stage their biggest protest yet prior to the Villa game. One can only hope that when 3:00 comes around, the supporters turn their attention away from the owners and get fully behind their team.

And it has to be said that the timing of this fixture could not be better for them, given the dire situation that their opponents currently find themselves in.

Aston Villa have, for a while now, been heading down a very slippery slope. The club have never really got over the departure of Martin O'Neill as manager over 18 months ago. During this time, two managers have been at the helm, with the current manager, Alex McLeish, proving to be the most unpopular manager for years.

The club's supporters have always made their feelings clear about the controversial appointment of McLeish from arch rivals Birmingham City.

The club currently lie in 15th place and, while they currently have some breathing space between them and the teams below them, they look set for yet another season of under-achievement. Judging from this, it would seem the supporters are justified in their protests.

On the pitch, star players such as James Milner, Ashley Young and Stuart Downing have all moved on and the club has been unsuccessful in replacing them.

On top of this, top scorer Darren Bent looks set to miss the rest of the season through injury, Robbie Keane's successful loan spell has now come to an end and this now means that their strike force is looking very sparse for the remainder of the season. Taking Bent and Keane out of the picture, it has been four months since one of Villa's other available strikers has scored a goal. It's now got to the point where they may have to rely on Emile Heskey to actually score a goal or two!

To add insult to injury, this week the club has announced annual losses of almost £54 million. Truly these are the most worrying times in recent years for Aston Villa and you can't help but feel that the protests against McLeish and owner Randy Lerner are only going to become more frequent.

Needless to say, there is plenty riding on this match. Blackburn need a win to help them in their battle against the drop and Villa need a result to prevent themselves from being dragged into the same battle.

Blackburn vs Aston Villa is unlikely to be one of the most attractive games this weekend, but it is sure to be one of the most competitive and a 0-0 draw will simply not do.

Forget the title race. Forget Champions League qualification. Forget local derbies. This match is a battle of the two unhappiest teams in the Premiership.

 

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