Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic square off in a Monday night Championship fixture with both teams looking to reignite their campaign for different reasons. Neither side has been at their best lately and with goals hard to come by lately, a low scoring encounter could be on the cards.
Blackburn’s campaign continues to unravel as they have been on a steady slide down the table. They have now slipped out of the playoff places and are seventh, one point behind Watford in sixth.
Having claimed just one win from their last five Championship matches, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men will be hoping to build on the 1-0 extra-time victory at Birmingham City in their FA Cup third round clash.
The problem for Blackburn Rovers is a lack of cutting edge in attack as they have struggled for goals lately. Their winner at Birmingham City was an extra-time own goal while the likes of Ben Brereton, Sam Gallagher and Bradley Dack are all in the middle of dry spells.
Shaun Maloney has replaced Kolo Toure as manager of Wigan Athletic as he faces the difficult task of attempting to turn their campaign around. There was no new manager bounce when Toure was appointed in November but they will be hoping for something different this time around.
It has been a hugely disappointing campaign so far for Wigan Athletic, who have spent much of the season rooted to the bottom of the standings. However, it is not all doom and gloom as they are only five points from safety, although a swift turnaround is required.
Wigan have struggled with a lack of sharpness in attack which was evident in their 2-0 defeat to Luton Town last time in the Championship. However, they will be looking to build on the 1-1 draw with Cardiff City in their previous away fixture having come from behind to draw level in injury time.
How the bookies view it
Blackburn Rovers have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at evens with SBK. A victory for Wigan Athletic is valued at 16/5 with bet365 while a draw is set at 5/2 with Unibet.
Head to head
Blackburn Rovers have a 12-10 advantage with seven draws in 29 previous matches with Wigan Athletic. However, Wigan have won the last three meetings, including a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture while the most recent clash at Ewood Park ended 0-0 back in 2019.
Players to watch
Given their problems in attack, Blackburn Rovers will be keen to avoid suffering defeats by tightening things up at the back. Central defensive duo of Scott Wharton and Daniel Ayala will be pivotal to that plan and can help the hosts keep a rare clean sheet at 29/20 with Coral.
Wigan Athletic are likely to have a similar plan as most new managers tend to favour defensive solidity in their first few games. Steven Caulker is one of their most experienced defenders and is expected to play a pivotal role if they are to keep a clean sheet at 3/1 with Betfred.
Anything else catch the eye?
With both teams struggling in attack and seeking defensive solidity, a low scoring contest is expected here. Under 2.5 goals could be considered at 3/4 with Unibet while BTTS NO could also be on the cards at 37/40 with BetVictor.
Both teams have been level at the break in their last four meetings, so a halftime draw could be on the cards at 11/10 with Unibet.
This England Championship match between Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic will be played on Feb 6, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Blackburn Rovers vs Wigan Athletic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
