Middlesbrough vs Blackburn prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-03-15 15:00.
[p]A 1-0 midweek victory over Birmingham means that Middlesbrough have now put together a three-game winning run which has turned the fans’ attention from a possible relegation scrap to cautious optimism about a play-off charge. Such is the nature of the Championship, Boro are now just five points off the top six with nine matches to play, although they face a stern test here from Blackburn Rovers.[/p]
[p]That isn’t because of the visitors’ form, but Middlesbrough’s inconsistency in front of their own fans. Not only have Boro failed to win any of the last eight home league H2Hs (D6, L2) – their worst such ongoing sequence against a specific opponent – but they have also not lost more Championship games at the Riverside in one season (W7, D3, L8) since losing nine back in the 2019/20 campaign.[/p]
[p]Blackburn must try to take heart from their unbeaten run on Teesside as they look to end what is a terrible eight-match winless streak in all competitions ahead of this encounter (D5, L3). Their form doesn’t look much better when viewing the last 16 league rounds (W1, D7, L8), with 18th-placed Rovers now just three points above the drop zone, a gap which could evaporate this weekend given the glut of sides in and around the bottom three.[/p]
[p]Playing away from home is unlikely to remedy any Blackburn worries, as they enter this clash having gone nine games without a Championship win on the road (D2, L7). Scoring first could be key to ending that run then, as Rovers are curiously one of the strongest away teams when hitting the opener in league action (W4, D1). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Riley McGree hit an absolute thunderbolt for Middlesbrough’s opener on Tuesday and also netted the winner in Boro’s only H2H triumph across the last nine such outings. Blackburn striker Sammie Szmodics has netted in more winless matches than any Championship player this season (D5, L6), although he did end up on the winning side when scoring twice in the reverse fixture at Ewood Park. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Blackburn boss John Eustace is enduring his worst-ever winless start in the dugout (D5, L3) and has lost both of his personal H2Hs against Boro as a head coach. [/p]