Blackburn Rovers have three successive home games and midfielder Brett Emerton sees it as a wonderful chance to climb back into the top six before they embark on a hectic Christmas schedule.

The Australian international told theLancashire Telegraph : "It's a massive period for us. If we want to compete for Champions League and UEFA Cup spots, then it's a very important phase for us.

"Historically, we've always been very good over the Christmas period so, if we can repeat what we've done in previous years, then there shouldn't be a problem.

"If we can string two or three wins together at home over the next few weeks, then we'll find ourselves quite easily in the top six, and that would then give us a very good platform for the rest of the season."