Defensive crisis for Blackburn

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes was hit with a defensive crisis ahead of his side’s Barclays Premiership clash with West Ham at Ewood Park.

Hughes was without both first-choice centre-backs – skipper Andy Todd was serving a one-match ban and Ryan Nelsen was a late withdrawal with a recurrence of a hamstring problem.

Zurab Khizanishvili and Lucas Neill, the latter switched from right-back, were paired at the heart of the defence.

Hughes recalled Robbie Savage after dropping the midfielder for last week’s 2-0 home defeat to Everton, while Paul Dickov returned from a two-game absence with a thigh injury.

West Ham boss Alan Pardew named an unchanged line-up, with Teddy Sheringham still sidelined with a calf problem.

Blackburn: Friedel, Reid, Neill, Khizanishvili, Gray, Emerton, Savage, Tugay, Pedersen, Bentley, Dickov. Subs: Kuqi, Enckelman, Mokoena, Jansen, Thompson.

West Ham: Carroll, Repka, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Benayoun, Mullins, Noble, Etherington, Harewood, Zamora. Subs: Dailly, Bellion, Newton, Hislop, Aliadiere.

Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire)