Blackburn Rovers vs Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Until astir a fortnight agone this last crippled of the play betwixt Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City had been highlighted arsenic a imaginable relegation blockbuster, arsenic it truthful happens the hosts person been capable to corroborate their Championship safety portion the visiting broadside were incapable to debar the driblet and suffered their 2nd relegation successful arsenic galore seasons. 

Rovers confirmed their information with a important 3-1 triumph implicit Sheffield United successful midweek, portion the Foxes were relegated pursuing a gully with Hull City past week, a effect they followed up with different stalemate against promotion-chasing Millwall.

Match preview

When Michael O'Neill was appointed arsenic interim manager of Blackburn Rovers halfway done February, his caller broadside occupied the remaining relegation spot and were heading for the 3rd tier. 

However, a important upturn successful signifier nether the Northern Ireland brag has seen Rovers triumph five, gully 5 and suffer conscionable 4 of their 14 matches, capable to steer them wide of information and unafraid endurance with a crippled to spare.

Their midweek triumph implicit Sheffield United proved decisive, with Japanese duo Yuki Ohashi and Ryoya Morishita some connected people arsenic Blackburn raced into a three-goal pb earlier the break, rendering Harrison Burrows’s second-half onslaught small much than a consolation goal as they clinched different play of Championship football. 

With Saturday's contention the last crippled of the season, it besides marks the last crippled nether the tenure of the interim manager who has done truthful overmuch successful a abbreviated abstraction of clip to usher Blackburn Rovers to safety. 

Boasting a triumph complaint of 35.7% from 14 games successful the dugout is impressment capable fixed wherever they were erstwhile helium arrived astatine the nine and galore fans volition beryllium hoping helium is made manager connected a imperishable ground pursuing the decision of the 2025-26 campaign. 

While 3 sides of Ewood Park volition beryllium celebrating their palmy conflict against the drop, it volition beryllium a antithetic communicative successful the distant extremity arsenic visiting broadside Leicester City question to Lancashire knowing they volition beryllium a League One broadside adjacent year. 

It marks a melodramatic autumn for a nine that lifted the Premier League rubric conscionable a decennary agone and has since enjoyed European nights, arsenic good arsenic FA Cup and Community Shield success, but they present look the situation of rebuilding aft back-to-back relegations.

A dismal run has been compounded by a six-point deduction for breaches of EFL regulations, though they would inactive beryllium successful the bottommost 3 without it, arsenic good arsenic a bid of mediocre and inconsistent performances that yet saw their destiny sealed past week aft failing to bushed promotion-chasing Hull City astatine the King Power Stadium.

While their destiny was sealed past week, a consequent 1-1 gully with Millwall did small to amended the temper arsenic a disappointing play drew nears its conclusion.

This relegation represents conscionable the 2nd clip successful the club’s 142-year past that they person dropped into the 3rd tier and completes a sobering full-circle infinitesimal pursuing their singular emergence implicit the past decade.

Becoming lone the 5th broadside to endure relegations from the Premier League and Championship successful consecutive seasons, Gary Rowett's broadside volition beryllium anxious to extremity the run connected a affirmative note, portion besides looking to debar a league treble against them pursuing Blackburn’s 2-0 triumph successful the reverse fixture.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

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Leicester City Championship form:

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Team News

In what could beryllium his last lucifer successful charge, O’Neill volition beryllium without Hayden Carter, Axel Henriksson, Lewis Miller, Sondre Tronstad, Augustus Kargbo and Andri Gudjohnsen owed to injury.

Ohashi and Morishita are some expected to commencement again aft their decisive contributions successful midweek, portion Todd Cantwell could instrumentality to the starting lineup aft making the seat connected his comeback from injury.

Leicester, meanwhile, whitethorn instrumentality with the aforesaid XI that drew with Millwall, though determination could beryllium opportunities for players expected to depart successful the summer.

Jordan James, who was recently been named the Championship’s Young Player of the Season, has been 1 of the fewer agleam sparks successful an different hard run and is apt to diagnostic again earlier his indebtedness spell comes to an end.

Asmir Begovic endured a mediocre show successful the gully against Hull City and was subsequently dropped for their penultimate crippled of the season, with Jakub Stolarczyk coming successful to regenerate the erstwhile Premier League shot-stopper and expected to clasp his spot for the last day.

Benjamin Nelson, Caleb Okoli and Victor Kristiansen volition each miss retired done wounded portion their could beryllium a uncommon commencement for 16-year-old Jeremy Monga. 

Blackburn Rovers imaginable starting lineup:

Toth; Atcheson, McLoughlin, Cashin; Alebiosu, Cantwell, Forshaw, Gardner-Hickman, Y. Ribeiro; Morishita, Ohashi

Leicester City imaginable starting lineup:

Stolarczyk; Choudhury, Souttar, Vestergaard, Thomas; Skipp, James; Monga, Mukasa, De Cordova-Reid; Daka

We say: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Leicester City

With small riding connected the outcome, this contention could beryllium unfastened and unpredictable, but Blackburn’s momentum and assurance pursuing their endurance should springiness them the edge.

We expect the hosts to extremity the play connected a precocious with a 2nd triumph successful a enactment astatine Ewood Park.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.