Premier League preview: West Ham v Blackburn

Upton Park will play host to a true English Premier League relegation battle when West Ham take on Blackburn on Saturday.

The Londoners have been woeful since a three-game unbeaten run over February and March which included a draw at West Bromwich Albion and defeats of Liverpool and Stoke, scoring three goals in each game in a stunning revival.

But as quickly as they rose to the task, the Hammers fell, losing five straight after snaring a point at Tottenham – although they played Manchester United and Chelsea in that run of outs.

Another loss and West Ham would be all-but Championship bound, especially if any of the clubs around them at the foot of the table achieve positive results.

Blackburn, however, are by no means out of the woods themselves, hovering three points above the relegation zone and six points from bottom-side West Ham.

Rovers owner Venkys’ stunning decision to move on then-manager Sam Allardyce from his role at the club in December led to a decline in their form, which they arrested on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Bolton.

That result ended a 10-game winless run for Steve Kean’s side, with just two goals in their past five games evidence that strikers will be on the wish list at Ewood Park next season no matter what happens in the final three games of the season.

In injury news, the Hammers are likely to risk midfielder Scott Parker – reportedly struggling with an Achilles injury – for the Blackburn fixture, given central midfielders Mark Noble and Gary O’Neil are unavailable for the remainder of the season.

Rovers will be missing influential midfielder David Dunn to a calf complaint, while Ryan Nelsen and Vinnie Grella are on the long-term injury list.