Blackburn vs Cardiff prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-12-31 12:00.
Blackburn Rovers’ hopes of a Premier League return without the toil of playoffs took a critical blow on Thursday evening, as a half-time lead over Middlesbrough morphed into a 2-1 loss that saw Rovers end 2022’s action 11 points adrift of the top-two. Manager Jon Dahl Tomasson lamented a “frustrating night”, capped by John Buckley’s bizarre red card for bouncing the ball off an opposition player’s head during a break in play!
Only a win here can realistically sustain Blackburn’s lingering hopes of automatic promotion, although the fear of a fourth straight home loss may play on their minds. Yet, Blackburn’s league-high tally of six Championship home goals inside the 31st minute-HT period and seven half-time leads, means a quiet start should not overly concern the Ewood Park faithful.
Cardiff City (19th) have bigger troubles of their own, given that a goalless affair at Coventry in the previous round – and a second straight 0-0 draw – represented the Bluebirds’ sixth game without victory. However, Cardiff coach Mark Hudson stayed focused on the positives, directing much praise towards Perry Ng and Cedric Kipre, for shutting out an in-form Viktor Gyökeres.
They are unbeaten in three on the road (W1, D2) fuelling hopes of starting a winning New Year – something the club last enjoyed back in 2017! If their opening act of 2023 is to go the same way, scoring first might be crucial, especially with four of Cardiff’s previous five away matches to be won or lost seeing the victor on the day keep a clean sheet.
Players to watch: Ryan Hedges gave Blackburn an early lead on Thursday, making four of his last five goals match openers. Meanwhile, Mark Harris will look to repeat October’s exploits, when he netted a late winner in the reverse H2H, giving Cardiff a shot at their first H2H double over Blackburn since 2012/13.
Hot stat: Blackburn have conceded a joint league-low one goal inside the first 15 minutes of play this term.