Blackburn vs Birmingham prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-10-21 14:00.
Blackburn Rovers continue to surprise everybody in the Championship after a 2-0 win against Sunderland on Tuesday provisionally moved them into top spot. They have since dropped back to second after Wednesday’s results, but picking up back-to-back victories for the first time since August certainly seems a step forward, especially as they have already lost seven league games – more than any of the other teams in the top nine.
The bulk of their wins have been picked up at what manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has branded “fortress” Ewood Park, where Blackburn have won four in a row, keeping three clean sheets in the process. Unsurprisingly then, Rovers boast the joint-best home record in the division (W6, L2), and fans will be expecting them to extend that record against a Birmingham City side who have won just once in this part of Lancashire in 28 attempts since 1968 (D10, L17).
Birmingham though will be confident of ending that run, especially after drawing 1-1 in midweek against a Burnley side who manager John Eustace described as “the best team in the league”. Scott Hogan’s late goal extended the Blues’ recent run of form to just one defeat in eight (W4, D3), with the boss admitting he was “very pleased” with their performance.
Eustace’s side have also been strong on the road, picking up three victories already to leave them just one shy of the total they managed in the entirety of last season! Despite sitting in mid-table, the Blues sit just four points shy of the play-off spots coming into the weekend, but there remains a question over whether they can topple the very best teams in the Championship, given they are yet to beat a team currently in the top six (D2, L1).
Players to watch: Ben Brereton Diaz has netted more career goals against Birmingham (four) than any other opponent, losing just twice in eight H2H meetings (W5, D1). Meanwhile both of Troy Deeney’s goals for City this season have come on the road, but he has lost on each of his three visits to Ewood Park, with his team failing to score in each game.
Hot stat: The team to score first has won each of Blackburn’s league matches this season.