Man United at Blackburn: 8 Bold Predictions for When Red Devils Visit Ewood Park

Sir Alex Ferguson is traveling to Blackburn on Monday, and if you think Manchester United's second fixture against Rovers will look anything like the first one, you're delusional.

Blackburn's visit to Old Trafford on New Year's Eve was a disaster for the Red Devils, with Rovers going up two goals before the 52nd minute and securing a 3-2 win on a late score by Grant Hanley.

With United looking to further their lead on Manchester City for the league title, the Red Devils won't be holding anything back, gunning for three points and an increase in their goal differential off the backs of a Blackburn defense that has allowed a pathetic 62 goals so far this season.

It looks to be an easy contest for the Red Devils, so the predictions are going to have to be even more outlandish this time around.

With that said, hold onto your hats as I give you the boldest predictions this side of Ewood Park for Manchester United's rematch with Blackburn.

The 33-year-old Ferdinand has been a fixture at centre-back for the Red Devils, making 22 league appearances and spending more time on the pitch than all but Wayne Rooney, Nani, Patrice Evra and Jonny Evans.

So why start him on the bench?

Two reasons—first, his successor, Evans, needs to be given the task of leading that back line without Ferdinand's shadow all around him.

What better time than against Blackburn? 

Also, Chris Smalling, Evans' potential partner at centre-back, needs Premier League opponents to get him ready for a future at Old Trafford.

Again, what better training ground than Rovers?

These are supposed to be bold predictions, right?

Ferguson is going to need Ferdinand for the long haul if he's going to claim his fifth league title in six years.

Keep him on the shelf and resting for when Manchester United really needs him against a surprisingly good Everton team or—even more important—when the Red Devils visit Etihad Stadium.

I've said it before, and I whiffed.

But now, with Blackburn a little less "intimidating" than Fulham, Ferguson will use this as a perfect opportunity to start the 19-year-old midfield prospect and give him some incentive to walk away from the persistent media rumors about him leaving Old Trafford.

It'll be the youngster's first start for Manchester United, and as you'll see, it will be a memorable one.

Not only will Pogba score his first two goals of the season—they'll be the first two of the match.

How can I be so sure?

Blackburn has given up an inordinate number of corner kicks this season, with Rovers conceding 17 when they visited Old Trafford on December 31.

By starting Pogba, Ferguson will be able to kill two birds with one stone—he'll be able to show the youngster there's a potential future at Manchester United, and he'll have one of his tallest midfielders on the pitch for when Blackburn concedes all those corners and set pieces.

Pogba, who stands at 6'1" and has the ability to get vertical (we saw his leaping ability in his brief Europa appearances) will catch his head on some of those bloody corners.

My prediction is it will be two and that they'll open the scoreline to 2-0 in Manchester United's favor. Plus, I think it'll happen before the halftime whistle (bonus bold prediction!).

Rooney's been in excellent form in recent weeks, scoring four goals in as many league matches, so saying he'll be ineffective against Blackburn could be seen as less a bold prediction and more a foolish guess.

But the 26-year-old Rooney has settled—nicely, I might add—into a role where he is feeding teammates the ball with effectiveness and ease.

In matches where the Red Devils dominate opponents, Rooney more often than not is assisting scores rather than netting them himself.

In United's 5-0 win over Wolves, he assisted Antonio Valencia's score with an incredible pinpoint pass. In their 3-0 win over Bolton, he gave Paul Scholes a perfect ball for the opening goal of the match. In the club's 2-0 win over Norwich City, he headed Oliveira Anderson a beautiful ball off a corner.

And if you don't think the match against Blackburn will be domination on United's part, you haven't been following Premier League soccer.

Since January 23, the oft-used Welbeck has scored only one goal in all competitions.

That's definitely going to change on Monday when Manchester United visits Ewood Park.

For one, Welbeck's been consistently earning the starting nod over Chicharito to play opposite Rooney, increasing his chances from if he started on the bench.

Also, Blackburn's defenders are more susceptible to forwards with strength than they are quick wingers who can get around them.

They've been burned by clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City and Norwich City—squads who put big, strong forwards out front.

Ferguson can keep Rio Ferdinand on the bench, install Chris Smalling at centre-back and run up the score to increase United's goal differential and goalkeeper David de Gea will still be able to keep a clean sheet at Ewood Park.

The La Liga sensation has truly transformed into someone with distinct world-class talent.

Even though Blackburn hung three goals on him in the Red Devils' last meeting and had 11 shots at goal, they're going to get frustrated with all of United's early scoring and get an early red card (another bonus bold prediction!), leaving them with 10 men and an incredibly ineffective offense.

Will Manchester United get something out of Monday's match against Blackburn? Absolutely.

That's the least of my bold predictions.

Will it be three points? Again, absolutely—and again, not that bold.

Will they increase their goal differential by four? That's my bold prediction.

These are what I think will happen when Manchester United travels to Ewood Park. Comment and add your own!