BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes reckons Rovers can extinguish Wigan's dream of qualifying for Europe if they beat them at Ewood Park tonight.

Paul Jewell's side have enjoyed an incredible debut season in the Premiership, where they have not only cemented a top 10 place but also appeared in the Carling Cup final.

However, a defeat at the hands of Rovers would leave the Latics seven points off the pace in the scramble for Europe with just six games remaining.

And Hughes believes that would be too big a gap to bridge, leaving the way clear for Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal and Tottenham to battle it out for the three UEFA Cup and Champions League places.

The Rovers chief said: "I think this is an opportunity to put them out of the race for the goals we're after.

"It would be too much, given the amount of games we have left, for them to make up the gap and overtake us, so it's an opportunity to get three points and take Wigan out of the equation."

Ironically, Rovers' own European bandwagon only began to start gathering serious momentum when they beat Wigan at the JJB Stadium on New Year's Eve.

Hughes had believed for some time that Rovers were capable of being a major Premiership force and that 3-0 win over the Latics lifted them into the top half of the table for the first time since a fleeting appearance at the beginning of October, a place where they've remained ever since.

"I was frustrated at the time because we kept getting good results but didn't seem to be moving up the table," said Hughes.

"I felt we needed to get into the top 10 and I always believed that once we got there, we would stay there and that's been the case.

"That win at Wigan was crucial and from that point onwards, I think we were always looking upwards rather than downwards like the year before.

"Psychologically, once we got into that top half, we were very much looking to kick on and get a European spot."

Rovers can leapfrog Arsenal and go level on points with Spurs in the battle for that final Champions League place if they were to secure a 12th home win of a magnificent Premiership campaign this evening.

But with Wigan also needing a win to keep alive their own aspirations of finishing in the top six, Hughes knows a similar kind of performance to the one that was produced at the JJB is needed if his team are to come out on top against stubborn opponents who are unbeaten in five away from home in the Premiership.

The Rovers chief added: "There's still a lot to play for for both sides.

"We are playing well, particularly at home, and one of our better away performances was at Wigan.

"We won 3-0 there against a team that was really flying at the time. We put in a great performance and some great goals were scored as well.

"We were strong, we were powerful, and we need more of the same tonight."