BLACKBURN Rovers will hand a debut to new loan signing Michael Keane in the East Lancashire derby with Burnley on Sunday.

Defender Keane has joined from Manchester United until the end of the season and with Rovers boss Gary Bowyer having fitness concerns over centre-backs Grant Hanley and Matt Kilgallon the 21-year-old is expected to go straight into the starting XI for the 12.30pm kick off.

And the former Leicester City and Derby County man insists he is ready for the challenge of facing 42-goal Clarets strike pairing Danny Ings and Sam Vokes.

“I know there’s a massive rivalry between the teams as I’ve watched a couple of the games before from a previous season so I know what to expect and I’m looking forward to it.

“I was fortunate to play every game of my loan at Leicester last season and I had a good spell with Derby this season so I’ve got experience of the Championship.

“Hopefully that will help me at Blackburn and I can kick on and do even better.”

Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes heads into the game on the back of a nine-game scoring drought but insists he will be happy to extend that to 10 if it means three points for Gary Bowyer’s side come Sunday evening.

Lancashire Telegraph: Jordan Rhodes

He said: “As long as we’re picking up wins and picking up points I’m in no position to complain.”

Meanwhile, Clarets boss Sean Dyche insists his side are ready to break their 35-year hoodoo in this fixture when the sides meet at Ewood Park.

The Burnley boss said: “We haven’t beaten them for 30-odd years.

“There’s a lot of expectation on them because they’ll be thinking we need to keep that record going.”

Meanwhile, Clarets defender Ben Mee is determined to ensure that Burnley are celebrating a derby victory for the first time since 1979.

The full-back said: “It’s not great to have that hanging over the club against a big rival like that."

“It would be nice to put that to bed and move on.”

 

Read more derby news in Saturday’s Lancashire Telegraph

  • David Dunn on keeping Rovers’ record intact

 

Lancashire Telegraph: David Dunn's dramatic equaliser against Burnley

  • The thoughts of opposing managers Sean Dyche and Gary Bowyer
  • Vokes: ‘We can be heroes’

 

Online on Sunday Follow all the action with our minute-by-minute matchday live service.