Millwall vs Blackburn prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-05-07 14:00.
Having destroyed the aspirations of one Lancastrian side when they relegated Blackpool with their 3-2 success over them last time out, Millwall could shatter the dreams of another by simply taking a draw here against Blackburn. That said, only a second win over Rovers in a decade guarantees the Lions a playoff spot, and a shot at returning to the top-flight after 33 years of absence.
With 2002 still marking Millwall’s latest second-tier playoff test, there is a bigger burden of pressure on them than usual to score first. And Millwall have been reliant on doing so at a whole new level lately, as their preceding eight games to witness any goals at all have seen the team netting the opener go on to win (W4, L4) with half of those producing a 1-0 scoreline.
Though winless since exiting the FA Cup in March (D5, L3), Blackburn were a crossbar’s breadth from getting an injury-time winner over the already playoff-bound Luton on May Day. But it was not to be, and Rovers’ subsequent 1-1 draw with the Hatters – courtesy of Hayden Carter’s late leveller – means they simply must win here, while also benefiting from several other results going in their favour.
Blackburn’s current run of nine road trips without a clean sheet (W2, D4, L3) makes a smash-and-grab raid on the top-six only seem all the more unlikely. However, the two most recent of those saw Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men score a point-saving goal in the 80th minute or later, richly implying that they will fight to the bitter end no matter the situation.
On a side note, a top-six finish would give Blackburn their first taste of the second-tier playoffs since negotiating them successfully back in 1992. Within three years they were PL champions, giving the older generation of Rovers fans something to go by at a tough venue!
Players to watch: Millwall menace Zian Flemming sealed Blackpool’s fate via a penalty in the penultimate round, for a fourth goal across his previous six to arrive beyond the 70th-minute mark. As for Blackburn’s newest man in the spotlight, Carter’s equaliser against Luton was his fourth senior-level goal to come after half-time, and the third of them to directly gain at least a point.
Hot stat: Just one of Blackburn’s last 11 road trips has ended with the sides separated by 2+ goals.