Blackburn Rovers vs Coventry City verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets
Coventry City manager Mark Robins
The Championship playoff race intensifies on Wednesday evening as Blackburn Rovers welcome Coventry City to Ewood Park.
Both Coventry and Blackburn sit just outside the Championship playoff spaces, so victory for either tonight will give them a huge boost in the race for promotion.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Championship, Wednesday, April 19, Kick-off 7:45pm, live on Sky Sports Arena
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Coventry City draw no bet
Under 2.5 goals
Key stats
Blackburn Rovers are in the lower reaches of the form table with one win in their last six matches.
Blackburn Rovers have failed to score in three of their last four matches, and their last two at home.
Coventry City have kept five clean sheets in their last seven away matches, conceding just two goals.
Coventry City are the form side away from home, winning three and drawing three of their last six matches.
Team news
Jack Vale (ankle), Clinton Mola (ankle), Daniel Ayala (hamstring) and Bradley Dack (hamstring) are all unavailable for Blackburn. Ayala's absence limits the options in defence, while Dack would have offered some extra creativity for Rovers.
Liam Kelly (leg), Kasey Palmer (hamstring), Fabio Tavares (Achilles tendon), Callum O'Hare (ACL) and Jamie Allen (knock) are all out, while Simon Moore is a doubt. Despite a lengthy injury list, Mark Robins should be able to name an unchanged side from their 3-0 win at QPR.
Verdict
West Brom's victory away to Blackpool on Tuesday evening means Blackburn slipped out of the playoff positions. They now sit seventh on 63 points.
Coventry City's weekend win at Queens Park Rangers helped lift them to ninth place in the table on 62 points, just one behind the Baggies and Blackburn.
Blackburn's recent run of form has seen them win once in their last six matches, fail to score in three of their last four, and draw consecutive blanks at home against Norwich and Hull.
Their combined xG of 2.2 against those two sides suggests you'd expect them to have at least found the net once, but their biggest chances in the game weren't clean looks at goal.
Rovers desperately need to find their shooting boots, but it all starts with creating better chances. Ben Brereton Diaz is the chief creator and scorer, while Sorba Thomas hasn't shown the form we saw at Huddersfield.
Despite the statistical expectation that Blackburn should have found the net against Hull, it was notable that the Tigers packed the 18-yard box and largely limited Rovers to shots from distance.
Coventry's march up the table can be accredited in large part due to their defensive performances. The Sky Blues have kept five clean sheets in their last seven away matches.
Only Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley have conceded fewer goals on their travels and City's 3-0 win at QPR captured their style away from home perfectly.
QPR enjoyed their fair share of possession (48%) yet produced just six shots. Coventry managed 14 and created five big chances in the game, making 3-0 a flattering scoreline for the Rs.
Rovers' struggles in front of goal coupled with Coventry's defensive performances and clinical finishing makes it hard to look past the visitors on Wednesday evening. Coventry should score and Blackburn could struggle to respond.
