BLACKBURN'S success this season comes as no surprise to Sam Allardyce.

Rovers' rise to ninth in the Premiership has bred confidence down the road at Ewood Park and staggered some who felt they would be more likely to find themselves around the lower regions, as they did for most of last season.

Allardyce disagrees with those who look down on Blackburn and is envious of much of their playing riches, especially up front.

He expects a quality side to turn up at the Reebok on Saturday and one which will take all Wanderers' quality and determination to overcome.

"The success Blackburn are having does not surprise me at all," he said.

"They are a good team and we will have to get stuck into them as I'm sure Graeme Souness will be saying they will have to get stuck into us.

"They have done us in the last couple of seasons and that could be a bit of an incentive for us to get back at them."

Two players who have really caught his eye are midfield creative aces Damien Duff and David Thompson.

"Thompson is an excellent player," Allardyce said.

"He never proved himself at Liverpool but since he has gone from Coventry to Blackburn he has been an inspired signing to the point of getting him involved with England.

"On the side, Duff has got to be as close to Ryan Giggs as you can get, and both these players will need some attention to stop them providing the service to the front men."

Allardyce believes new signing Hakan Sukur will be a big addition to an already strong Rovers pool of strikers.

"Graeme has four strikers, the lucky beggar, and now he has gone out and bought another one in Hakan Sukur, who I could have had seven weeks ago but I couldn't afford the salary."

Turkish international legend Sukur has joined on a free contract from Italian side Parma but is unlikely to play until he has proved his fitness levels.

Allardyce continued: "He was always a player that we tried to get in because he's one of those who is allowed to come in and join you at any time.

"But we couldn't match his financial package or get anywhere near it and, to be fair, it wasn't a massive amount."

Wanderers will be boosted by the return of Per Frandsen and possible comebacks from injury for Gudni Bergsson, Mike Whitlow and Gareth Farrelly, giving them a much stronger line-up that recently.

Allardyce believes it will be tactically interesting with the two sides countering each other with different formations.

He added: "Blackburn play a different system to us and when that happens it is important to make your system work better than theirs.

"You have to expose their system and cover up any weaknesses you may have in your own system."