Blackburn Rovers will be looking to snap a run of poor results as they host Cardiff City in a Championship fixture on Sunday.
Things are getting worse for Blackburn Rovers as they have now lost four of their last five Championship matches. They somehow still remain in the playoff places but have lost ground on the leaders and are now 11 points off the pace.
Blackburn Rovers head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough in their previous Championship fixture. They failed to build on an early opener from Ryan Hedges and were breached twice after the break.
That result highlights how much Ewood Park has lost its status as a fortress as Blackburn Rovers have now been beaten in their last three home matches. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men have suffered some heavy defeats in that run, losing 4-1 to Preston North End and Premier League side Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.
While Blackburn Rovers are looking to revive their playoff quest, Cardiff City are battling at the lower end of the table. They are currently three points above the relegation zone and will be keen to put more daylight between themselves and the bottom three.
Cardiff City travel to Ewood Park unbeaten in their last five matches, although four of those fixtures have ended in draws. Mark Hudson’s men were held to a 0-0 scoreline by Coventry City in their previous Championship outing.
The Welsh side are currently on a three-match unbeaten run on their travels, although they have only claimed one win from their last five away matches. They have also struggled to keep things tight at the back with just two clean sheets in their last 10 fixtures on the road.
How the bookies view it
Blackburn Rovers have a slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 7/5 by William Hill to claim the win. A victory for Cardiff City is valued at 47/20 by Unibet while bet365 is offering odds of 23/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Blackburn Rovers have a 12-11 edge with 15 draws from 38 previous matches against Cardiff City. Both teams have won once in the last two meetings with the Welsh side claiming a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Ben Brereton is still in the middle of a dry spell but remains the leading scorer for Blackburn Rovers with nine goals. The striker grabbed a hat-trick in the last meeting with Cardiff City at Ewood Park and could be tipped to rediscover his scoring touch at 23/10 with William Hill.
Cardiff City have not been particularly prolific in attack this season but will be keen to take advantage of Blackburn’s defensive problems. Mark Harris scored the only goal in the reverse fixture and the attacker could be tipped to once again get on the score sheet at 4/1 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City have been unconvincing at the back and both teams could be tipped to score at 10/11 with William Hill. There were over 3.5 goals in Blackburn's last three matches and a repeat is priced 3/1 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is set at 6/5 by Paddy Power.
There have been more goals after the break in Blackburn Rovers’ last three home matches and Sunday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City will be played on Jan 1, 2023 and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
