ALAN Stubbs is confident Everton can turn the tables on Blackburn Rovers when Mark Hughes' side return to Goodison this weekend.

When the sides met last month, in the FA Cup third round, Blackburn ran out 4-1 winners.

It was Everton's heaviest defeat of the season and stunned the Blues' players.

But the side has responded well, with two clean sheets in the last two outings against Wigan and Liverpool helping boost the confidence of the Everton outfit.

Stubbs believes maintaining that fine defensive form this weekend is the key to bouncing back from last month's reverse as the Toffees seek to maintain their push for a place in the Premiership's top six.

He said: "It's no coincidence that we've been keeping clean sheets and getting good results lately.

"It's a platform to build on. All our best performances have been based on keeping clean sheets. If the defenders do their jobs then it gives us a platform.

"We're on the heels of the top six now.

"We're four points away with a game in hand, so it's there to be played for.