Blackburn Rovers vs Preston North End Prediction: Victory will propel Blackburn in top six

Blackburn Rovers will welcome Preston North End at Ewood Parkin Game Week 16 of the English Championship. A victory for the home side will propel them into the top six of the Championship table. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Blackburn Rovers form

Even though Blackburn recently experienced a four-match losing streak in the Championship, history has shown that under Jon Dahl Tomasson, they always bounce back. And true to form, Blackburn has now won four out of their last five games, putting them back in contention for promotion. While their loss to Swansea City at home was disappointing, they were able to recover and defeat Norwich City 3-1 at Carrow Road. This victory marked their third consecutive away win, with a total of nine goals scored. However, Blackburn needs to focus on improving their performance at Ewood Park, where they have lost four out of seven league fixtures this season. Their three home wins have all been by one-goal margins.

After Scott Wharton received a straight red card in the second half against Norwich, Blackburn will be forced to make at least one change. The team is already dealing with injuries to Hayden Carter, Dominic Hyam, and Joe Rankin-Costello. As a result, there may be adjustments in the central defence with Harry Pickering or Lewis Travis stepping in. Callum Brittain might also move back to full-back, and Arnor Sigurdsson may be positioned in the final third. 

Blackburn Rovers Predicted Lineup

Possible Blackburn Rovers starting lineup: Wahlstedt; Travis, Hill, Pickering, Brittain; Tronstad, A. Wharton; Sigurdsson, Szmodics, Moran; Dolan 

Preston North End form

On the other hand, Preston will face one of their fierce rivals after suffering three consecutive losses on the road and failing to win in their last four games. It is worth noting that two of these losses were against Leicester City and Ipswich Town, who are the top two clubs in the division. The other loss came against Hull City, currently in ninth place. Nonetheless, Ryan Lowe can take some relief in the fact that his team has collected five points from their last four matches, showing signs of improvement. Draws with Millwall and Southampton at Deepdale were followed by a 3-2 victory over Coventry City, allowing them to reclaim their position in the top six of the table.

Andrew Hughes could potentially return to the left-hand side of Preston's back three, or Kian Best might continue in that role if Hughes isn't fit. The remaining starting XI may remain the same as there are no other injured players expected to return before the international break. 

Preston North End Predicted Lineup

Possible Preston North End starting lineup: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Potts, Browne, Whiteman, Millar; Holmes, Osmajic, Frokjaer-Jensen 

Blackburn Rovers vs Preston North End Expert Tips

While Blackburn has been performing well lately, Preston has also found their form in the final third. Therefore, we predict an entertaining draw at Ewood Park, which both teams would be content with before the international break. Take a double chance on the away side which seems lucrative in the betting market. Expect over 2.5 goals in this game.