Preview: Blackburn Rovers home

New manager Dean Saunders takes charge of his first Wolves match tonight, as they take on managerless Blackburn Rovers at Molineux. To add to the pressure, it will also be beamed to the country on Sky (you wait 5 years for a Friday night match on Sky, then 2 come along in 3 weeks!) - although our record on Sky this season is actually quite remarkable. In the 5 games shown live on Sky so far this season, Wolves have won 4 (only suffering an opening day defeat to Leeds United on TV).

Solbakken's jubilation at Blackburn will live long in the memory

Whilst Wolves go into this game under new management, it was, ironically, the reverse fixture between these two sides that left us with the most famous image of Stale Solbakken's reign. The fantastic celebrations seen by the manager at the end of the 1-0 win (thanks to a Bakary Sako beauty 12 minutes from time) have stuck in the mind of Wolves fans who were at Ewood Park that day. Given the amount of injury problems the side were suffering at the time (11 players were missing) it was a fantastic result and one that looked like it would take Wolves forward in their quest for promotion. However, it wasn't to be and that win was followed by a run of no wins in 9 games - a run that proved to be the very first nail in Stale Solbakken's Molineux coffin. That win against Blackburn was one to be savoured given Wolves' previous recent history against them. Before this season's meeting in the North-West, Wolves had only won 1 of their previous 10 meetings with Rovers (a 2-1 win on the opening day of the fateful 2011/12 Prem season). Particularly in the Premier League, games with Blackburn weren't particularly enjoyable for Wolves, suffering 5-1, 3-1 and 3-0 defeats at Ewood Park, while the 3-2 defeat at Molineux on May 22nd 2011 will surely go down in the Wolves history books as a truly remarkable day. Historically, there have been 45 Molineux meetings between the two sides, with Wolves winning 25 of those - although those stats are actually quite misleading, with most of those wins coming before the 1950s. Indeed, in the last 10 games between them at Molineux, Wolves have only won once (a 2-1 win in April 2000).

Berg - sacked after only 10 games in charge at Ewood Park

That 1-0 win for Wolves earlier in the season was against a Blackburn side playing their first home game since Steve Kean's resignation - something Blackburn fans had been waiting months for. But just 3 months later, Wolves again face a Blackburn side without a manager after Kean's replacement (fans' favourite Henning Berg) was strangely sacked after just 57 days (and 10 games) in charge. Granted, the Norwegian had just won 1 of his 10 games in charge, but it was still an insane decision that has once again left huge questions marks hovering over the Indian owners. Whilst earlier in the season, Eric Black was caretaker manager, this time it's reserve-team manager Gary Bowyer taking charge. And the signs during his spell in charge have been positive. Blackburn have won all 3 games under Bowyer, scoring 8 goals and conceding only 1. Blackburn actually have a decent away record coming into this game - of their 13 away games they've only lost 3 (though they have drawn 7) and they've only lost twice in their last 5 away games. One thing to note about Blackburn is they don't concede many, with an average of just 1.32 goals against per game - the 6th best record in the division. However, everything else about them is distinctly middle-of-the-road, holding mid-table positions on goals scored, points per game and scoring first.

Paul Robinson - Big miss for Rovers tonight

The news coming out of Ewood Park over the last few days, however, is that Blackpool manager Michael Appleton is set to take over and may potentially be in the stands at Molineux tonight taking in a watching brief. It would be an unusual appointment, given that Appleton only left Portsmouth for Blackpool in November. But he looks set to be the man tasked with getting the one-time Premier League winners back to the top flight. With the squad he has on paper, that should be a doddle. Rovers have the best on-paper squad in the division, with former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson (who will be sidelined tonight with a back injury) protected by a back four that includes Martin Olsson, Gael Givet and Roger Johnson's former-Birmingham team-mate Scott Dann. It is in midfield where Rovers are perhaps most impressive - star names like David Dunn, Mauro Formica, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Danny Murphy and Markus Olsson all regular sights on the Blackburn teamsheet. Up front they have some impressive options too, with Leon Best, Ruben Rochina, Nuno Gomes and Colin Kazim-Richards all familiar names, whilst £8m signing Jordan Rhodes is Rovers' top scorer with 13 goals.

Saunders - Already winning fans over at Molineux

Wolves begin life under a new manager yet again - the 4th manager at the club in the last 11 months - with Dean Saunders promising a clean slate for all of his players. I must admit that, whilst being unhappy and skeptical about the appointment at first, the Welshman has begun to win me over heavily. He certainly talks a good game, and puts a heavy emphasis on fitness, desire and work-rate and has made it clear that he wishes to trim the squad down. He certainly says all the right things but, after what I've heard from Doncaster fans, I would rather wait and let his football do the real talking. What Dean Saunders will bring is a lift in morale coupled with a strict team policy - the Welshman describing football "like being at war". If two or three soldiers let you down and don't pull their weight, the entire unit is facing being killed. Likewise if two or three players don't put in maximum effort, the team is never going to win matches. The new manager has come out today and given striker Kevin Doyle a huge boost by stating that he will be the first name on the teamsheet tonight, after impressing heavily in training. Saunders will also be able to call on the services of the hugely impressive Slawomir Peszko while Bjorn Sigurdarson should also be back to full fitness after missing the Cup exit at Luton. Midfielder Tongo Doumbia has joined up with Mali for the ACON but is injured and will look for a return to Wolverhampton to be treated by the club.

With an eager home crowd, plus an intrigued nation watching on the telly, all eyes will be on Dean Saunders to see how he will begin life at Molineux. He can't do much worse than how his predecessor ended life in front of the home fans - two pathetic displays (and defeats) to Peterborough and Ipswich respectively. But one thing the new man has brought back to Molineux over the course of this week is excitement, with fans desperate for this game to kick off and see what Saunders has brought to the table. With a passionate home crowd behind them, and with the players wanting to put recent embarassments behind them in front of the watching nation, I think Wolves will just about scrape this one.

Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Blackburn Rovers