It’s third against six in the Championship on Monday night as promotion hopefuls Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough meet at Ewood Park.
Third-place Blackburn are level with second-place Bournemouth on 49 points, with first-place Fulham five points ahead.
Fight to the 🔚 #UTB pic.twitter.com/I4seDVBXx5— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) January 18, 2022
Fight to the 🔚 #UTB pic.twitter.com/I4seDVBXx5
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are seven points behind Blackburn with a game in hand. The visitors could drop out of the playoff places if they fail to win on Monday.
Blackburn suffered their first defeat in 11 Championship games on Wednesday, going down 2-0 to Hull City.
Their ten-game winning streak saw them pick up eight wins and two draws between November and January. They also kept seven clean sheets during that period.
Rovers have been particularly strong on home soil of late, enabling them to push up the table and challenge for an automatic promotion spot.
Not only have they avoided defeat in each of their last six home games in the Championship, but they have also lost just one of their previous 12 in all competitions.
On the flip side, Middlesbrough head into Monday’s clash on the back of four consecutive Championship victories.
They are currently enjoying a seven-match unbeaten streak in the Championship, having picked up six wins and a draw since their last loss.
Interestingly, trends show that Middlesbrough have not lost the first half of any of their previous 26 matches in all competitions.
They also have one of the best defensive records in the division. Indeed, only three sides have conceded fewer goals than Middlesbrough this term.
Head-to-head: Middlesbrough have failed to win any of their past five Championship meetings with Blackburn.
Looking at the bigger picture, Blackburn have lost just one of their previous 13 Championship encounters with Middlesbrough.
Team news: Bradley Dack remains Blackburn’s only injury absentee. Tyrhys Dolan and Sam Gallagher are both one yellow card away from suspension.
As for Middlesbrough, they will be without James Lea Siliki on Monday. The midfielder is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon.
There is no denying that Middlesbrough have upped their game recently, but Blackburn are expected to come out on top this time around.
Forebet predicts that Blackburn will secure a low-scoring victory over Middlesbrough, keeping a clean sheet in the process.