Blackburn vs Middlesbrough: Match Preview - A Vital Match For Blackburn's Playoff Hopes

Blackburn and Middlesbrough face off in the EFL’s Friday evening game this week and it looks set to be an absolutely fascinating affair. Both teams came into this season with hopes of making it to the Premier League, however they will now have to both settle for a playoff place as a best possible scenario.

Championship Form and Results

Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn started off this season very strongly, going unbeaten in their opening seven games and managing to keep pace with those expected to perform well this season, like Burnley and Sheffield United. Even after a small blip in October and the beginning of November, the club was still comfortably top half and John Eustace was showing his coaching credentials having been ruthlessly sacked by Birmingham City in 2023.

November and December saw them win seven games on the bounce, conceding just one, and it put them into a strong position for the playoffs going into the second half of the season. However turbulent times were on the horizon for Blackburn as their form dipped and John Eustace jumped ship to join struggling Derby County instead, a club that he had played for during his playing career. Since he left on the 13th of February, Blackburn have won just once and lost five, including the four on the spin.

Blackburn Rovers were 6th in the table when they appointed Valerien Ismael… since drawing to Norwich City in his first game, they have:

- Dropped to 11th
- Lost four consecutive games to teams placed 24th, 20th, 21st and 17th
- Scored twice

The wrong appointment? 😬 pic.twitter.com/tJ6wy6Qegy

— The72 - We Love the #EFL (@_The72) March 29, 2025

They brought in Valerien Ismael to replace Eustace, and he hasn’t done a very good job since. He left his last club, Watford, in March of last year with the club in 14th in the Championship. Watford had hopes of battling for promotion last season, however Ismael did a poor job at the club and they have had to start from scratch this campaign. There weren’t a lot of good options available to the club at such a short notice, however Ismael has already proven to be quite a rushed choice.

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough’s form has been more consistent this season than their opponent’s. Michael Carrick guided them to an eighth place finish last campaign and has continued this season in a similar vein. There were hopes of a battle for the automatic promotion places, however with the quality that is in the Championship at the moment, most fans would settle for a playoff spot.

Their recent form has been good, losing just one of their last six games, however those matches included a 0-0 draw with Luton Town, who look set for their second consecutive relegation this year. This was especially disappointing considering that Middlesbrough had beaten Luton 5-1 earlier this season. With the chasing pack so close, Boro will need to erase any results like that for the rest of the campaign.

𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐨 🇧🇷

Let's keep fighting together! 👊 pic.twitter.com/PheWprmXqq

— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) April 1, 2025

Carrick has been incredible in the Championship as Middlesbrough manager, however there will be some fans wishing that he had pushed on from his first season in charge. He took over the club while they were 21st in the league in the 2022/23 season and guided them to a fourth place finish. They were defeated in the playoffs, but he was seen as a cult hero in the city for guiding the team up the table. Since then he just missed out on the playoffs last season, and this season has seen the club once again battle for the top six.

Blackburn vs Middlesbrough: What Do The Stats Say?

Blackburn have scored three goals in their last six matches, when Ismael took over. He was mainly brought in because of his defensive capabilities as a coach, however since his appointment Blackburn have shipped two goals against both Cardiff and Derby, teams that are struggling near the bottom of the table.

Middlesbrough on the other hand are a much more attack focused team. They have the third most goals scored in the Championship this season behind Leeds and Norwich, but defensively have the worst record inside the top eight other than Coventry, and by some distance. This is what has led to them having a worse goal difference than West Brom just above them, as the Baggies have scored quite a lot less, but conceded 14 fewer goals than Middlesbrough, averaging 0.35 fewer goals conceded per 90.

Predicted Lineups and Players To Watch

Blackburn Predicted Lineup: Aynsley Pears; Yuri Ribeiro, Danny Batth, Dominic Hyam, Hayden Carter; Lewis Travis, Sondre Tronstad; Owen Beck, Tyrhys Dolan, Cauley Woodrow; Yuki Oyashi

There haven’t been many standout players in the Blackburn team this season, but they will definitely miss Andreas Weimann, who was injured at the beginning of last month and won’t return until after the end of the season. The Austrian international has scored seven league goals for them this season, having joined from Bristol City in the summer. Japanese forward Yuji Oyashi has scored six this campaign and is their most recent goalscorer, having netted in their 2-1 defeat to Cardiff last month.

Blackburn’s Andi Weimann being ruled out for the rest of the season is a huge blow.

Managed 7 goals & 2 assists in 30 league games this season, which is better as he’s a sub option.

With his contract expiring this summer too, is that the last they’ll see of him?#Rovers🔵 pic.twitter.com/uuE0TO56A1

— Callum Moseley (@CallumTDUK) March 6, 2025

Middlesbrough Predicted Lineup: Mark Travers; Samuel Iling-Junior, Neto Borges, Jonny Howson, Anfernee Dijksteel; Hayden Hackney, Aiden Morris; Finn Azaz, Kelechi Iheanacho, Delano Burgzorg; Tommy Conway

There are a lot of candidates for a player to watch in this match for Middlesbrough, right the way from their goalkeeper Mark Travers, all the way to their forward line. Finn Azaz has scored 10 goals and registered 11 assists in the league this season, so he is hard to ignore, however Tommy Conway, who joined in the summer from Bristol City, has 11 goals and at just 22 years old has drawn attention from some Premier League sides.

Where To Watch Blackburn vs Middlesbrough

The match between Blackburn and Middlesbrough takes place on Friday 4th April and kicks off at 8pm local time. As it is the Friday night EFL fixture for this week, it is available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and the highlights of the game will be found on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.

Blackburn vs Middlesbrough: Football Park’s Best Tips

Our experts predict that Middlesbrough will win this match. In Blackburn’s most recent defeat, against Portsmouth, they struggled to get into the game and barely even registered a serious attempt on goal. Middlesbrough on the other hand have variations to their attacks and play positive attacking football. They’ll give Blackburn plenty of opportunities on the counter attack, but their forward play will be too much.

That is why we are backing Middlesbrough To Win.

Blackburn vs Middlesbrough Prediction

This game is crucial for Blackburn if they want to keep their promotion hopes alive. They are five points off the playoff places and in retched form at the moment, but if they manage to get a win against one of their playoff rivals, then the whole race opens up again. Middlesbrough meanwhile are only missing out on the playoff places at the moment through goal difference, so they too need to win here if they want to take the advantage going into the final six matches of the season.

Middlesbrough lost at home to Blackburn earlier in the season, but I think they could get their revenge this week. Their players are on form and the club is in a much more organised position than Blackburn. Tensions are always high during Friday night games, but there is more on the line in this match than any other this season for both clubs, so it should be an entertaining game for the neutral. I’m going for a 2-1 win to Middlesbrough.