* Villa have knocked Blackburn out of both the FA Cup and League Cup for the second consecutive season, winning every single tie.
* But whilst Villa have the advantage in the cups, it is Rovers who have the upper hand in the league - winning their last three matches against Gerard Houllier's charges in the Premier League.
* You have to go back to January 2008 for the last time the two sides drew a fixture, and remarkably, this will be the 11th meeting between them since that draw. This statistic is completely at odds with the Premier League history books - which tell us that there have been more draws at Villa Park (111) than at any other Premier League team.
* Villa's 3-1 victory against Blackburn in the FA Cup at the end of January is the last time Villa won a game - with Houllier's men losing to Manchester United and then drawing against Fulham and Blackpool in their next three games.
* The history books also have these two teams paired together on more than one occasion. The first ever game at Villa Park was a friendly between the two sides, and the biggest league defeat in Aston Villa's history also came against Saturday's opponents - a 7-0 drubbing by Rovers way back in 1899.
* No Premier League side has hit the woodwork more than Aston Villa this season - with the Midlands team hitting the bar and post 16 times.
* Despite sitting in 11th place in the table, Blackburn Rovers travel to Villa Park having not won in the Premier League since a 2-0 victory against West Bromwich Albion just over a month ago.
* The league is so congested this season that although the hosts sit in 16th place, a win would see them leapfrog Steve Kean's Rovers - who sit two points and five places above them in 11th.
* Blackburn's away form will likely be a worry for fans travelling south to Villa Park this Saturday. Steve Kean's men have gone 13 away games in the Premier League without keeping a clean sheet - losing six of their last seven away games and conceding 23 goals in the process.
* Perhaps surprisingly, Blackburn are also the only Premier League team not to recoup any points from a game where they have been trailing this season.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Aston Villa: Friedel; Walker, Dunne, Collins, Clark; Downing, Bradley, Reo-Coker, Agbonlahor; Ashley Young; Bent.
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson; Salgado, Samba, Nelsen, Olsson; Hoilett, Nzonzi, Dunn, Pedersen; Santa Cruz, Kalinic.
Prediction
Although Rovers are five places above Villa in the league, Villa have too much quality to drop points this weekend. Steve Kean has encouraged his side to play more expansive football than Rovers fans were used to under Sam Allardyce, but that could play into the hands of the home side - with the likes of Downing, Young, Agbonlahor and Bent being able to produce lightening quick counter-attacks.
Ryan Nelsen and Christopher Samba will need to be constantly aware when dealing with the poaching instincts of Darren Bent. And while Junior Hoilett could cause the Villa defence problems like he did when the two sides last met in January, Villa should be able to pick up the three points and leap above Blackburn in the congested league table.
Ryan Nelsen and Christopher Samba will need to be constantly aware when dealing with the poaching instincts of Darren Bent. And while Junior Hoilett could cause the Villa defence problems like he did when the two sides last met in January, Villa should be able to pick up the three points and leap above Blackburn in the congested league table.
Aston Villa 2-0 Blackburn 
