OWEN Coyle is backing Sam Gallagher to win the battle of the young guns today when he goes head-to-head with Bristol City sharpshooter Tammy Abraham.

Both players are on loan from Premier League clubs, with Gallagher joining Rovers for the season from Southampton and Abraham involved in a similar switch from Chelsea.

In a ‘tale of the tape’ the similarities are striking, although the Robins forward’s strike rate of eight goals in 13 games is better than Gallaghers’ five in 12.

But after the Rovers forward fired a first-half double to sink Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, his manager expects him to stay on an upward trajectory.

Coyle said: “The great thing about this game is that we’ve got two fantastic young talents in Abraham and Gallagher.

“Tammy was one that everybody had been aware of as being a very good player.

“To be fair to Bristol City, they were on that from last year. He doesn’t come cheaply in terms of what it costs to bring him to your club, but they’ve done that.

“Sam has Premier League games under his belt a couple of year ago with Southampton.

“The only thing that curtailed that was the horrendous injury he had, but he’s bounced back and I think you can see that he’s getting better.

“He’s mobile, he’s good in the air and can score a goal.

“So they are two young exciting English talents, which is great for the game.

“We want to see great young English players come through that are able to represent their clubs and, in time, represent their country. Those two are certainly capable of that.”

Put side by side, the promising pair have plenty in common.

They are both tall at 6ft 4in and have played for England at age group level.

Gallagher, 21, has the edge in terms of top flight experience having made 18 appearances for the Saints compared to 19-year-old Abraham’s two for the Blues.

But despite their young ages, both players have become vital for their clubs this season, with Gallagher keeping out more experienced players after striking up a good partnership with Marvin Emnes.

Coyle added: “We believe he have four very good striker, very good goalscorers, and all different styles within that.

“It’s important that you have that balance.

“With the injuries to Anthony Stokes and Danny Graham, Gallagher and Emnes have been asked to keep going, which they did.

“Then we got Danny back and that allowed us to freshen it up. He looked really sharp when he came on at Derby and got his goal, but he got injured in first half at Birmingham.

“So when we’ve got them all fit that gives us more of a luxury.

“But at the moment Gallagher and Emnes are really carrying the fight and I thought they looked back to their best.

“That being said, it’s important that we pass the ball early into them because that’s when they’re at their best. We did that the other night and it helped them.”

He added: “Sam is young and still has a lot to learn.

“I try to speak to him every day and he’s willing to listen, he’s willing to learn, but the only person who can prove that it all comes together is the boy himself.

“The fans have really taken to him, which is brilliant, singing his name. That’s important because it will only help Sam.

“I do believe in time he’s going to be a bone fide Premier League player, but he’s still got a lot to learn and it’s great that he’s learning it while he’s helping us at Blackburn Rovers.”