Blackburn Rovers will be looking to snap a run of poor results as they host Middlesbrough in a Championship fixture on Thursday.
Blackburn have struggled in recent weeks and head into Thursday’s clash with one win in their last four matches. However, despite their recent struggles, they still remain third on the table, although the likes of Watford and Millwall are breathing down their neck.
Rovers are coming off a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland in their Boxing Day Championship fixture. They struck first after Ross Stewart put through his own net but could not build on their lead and went on to concede a dramatic injury time winner.
It is not all doom and gloom for Blackburn as they return to Ewood Park, where they have maintained a solid record throughout the season. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men have won six of their last seven matches in front of their fans.
Middlesbrough’s recent form has been in stark contrast to Blackburn Rovers as they have suffered just one defeat in their last eight matches across all competitions. They have been on the rise since the appointment of Michael Carrick and are now up to 10th, just two points off the playoff places.
Boro travel to Ewood Park off the back of a 4-1 victory over Wigan Athletic in their previous Championship fixture. Chuba Akpom netted a second half hat-trick after Marcus Forss had opened the scoring early in the encounter.
Things have also been smooth for Middlesbrough on their recent travels having claimed three wins from their last four away matches. However, they were beaten 3-1 by leaders Burnley in their previous fixture on road.
How the bookies view it
Middlesbrough have a slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 13/8 by Unibet to claim the win. Blackburn Rovers are considered slight outsiders at home at 2/1 with SBK while bet365 is offering odds of 9/4 for a draw.
Recent head to head
Blackburn Rovers are unbeaten in the last seven matches against Middlesbrough, claiming four wins in that run. Rovers have also won the last two meetings and claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
With Ben Brereton looking off colour lately, Sam Gallagher could be worth keeping an eye on for Blackburn Rovers. The forward has four goals in his last three matches against Middlesbrough and is priced at 16/5 by Unibet to find the net on Thursday.
Chuba Akpom has been one of the standout players since Michael Carrick took charge. The forward has nine goals in his last 10 matches and is priced at 9/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough have attacking quality and both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 with BoyleSports. Boro have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two matches and a repeat is priced at 3/1 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is valued at 6/5 with bet365.
Rovers have opened the scoring in the last four meetings with Middlesbrough and could be backed to score first on Thursday at 6/5 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough will be played on Dec 29, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
