Premier League preview: Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers

Blackburn Rovers captain Chris Samba is looking for goals – and lots of them.

Samba believes scoring goals at Ewood Park against Bolton on Saturday is vital if they are to avoid relegation.

Samba was frustrated as Rovers failed to turn an improved performance into goals in Monday’s 1-0 home loss to Manchester City, leaving them just one point outside the relegation zone with four games to play.

Steve Kean’s side have now scored only once in their last four fixtures and host Bolton this weekend needing a result to boost their survival chances ahead of tricky trips to relegation rivals West Ham and Wolves, either side of a home game against champions-elect Manchester United.

And Samba knows that performances matter little now, just as long as they can score the goals they need to pick up the all-important points.

“We have things in our own hands and we need to prepare this week to be very, very hard on Bolton, to put them under pressure and that is what we are going to do,” Samba told the Lancashire Evening News.

“We are going to be focused, we will work very hard on the pressing and we can make sure we get those three points. There is no alternative now.”

“We played well against Manchester City but we were beaten. We had a few chances compared to their one chance that wasn’t really a chance.”

“When you lose after a performance at Everton you can be very down but we have to be positive. I don’t like using this word because at the end of the day we would prefer to play bad and win.

“But the reality is we played good again and lost. So we need to learn how to put the ball into the back of the net.”

“We won’t win games if we don’t score goals.”

Bolton will be looking to improve on their dismal record away from home when they tackle Rovers.

Wanderers have taken just one point from a possible 30 on their travels, including the 3-0 loss at Fulham on Wednesday.

Two goals from Clint Dempsey and a third from Brede Hangeland midway through the second half virtually killed off any remote hopes Bolton may have had of qualifying for Europe.

Ricardo Gardner came off the bench to make his 400th appearance for Bolton at Craven Cottage, but failed to make an impression.

Manager Owen Coyle still believes Bolton can finish the season strongly despite the midweek setback at Fulham.

Full-back Gretar Steinsson injured his knee again against Fulham and is in doubt for Saturday’s clash.

“We currently sit in eighth in the Barclays Premier League and we now face a tough Lancashire derby, so we have to rest up and make sure we are at our best on Saturday,” Coyle said.

“We’ve still got four matches to play and we want to get as many wins and as many points as we possibly can to finish what has, undoubtedly, been a good season for us.”