2018-19 Sky Bet Championship: Week 23 – Saturday

With Xmas Day drawing closer, Norwich visit Ewood Park knowing that victory over Blackburn Rovers could potentially send them top of Sky Bet Championship for Christmas.

Current table leaders, Leeds don’t play till Sunday when they go to Aston Villa, meaning that Norwich must win if are to stand any chance at sitting top come the big day.

 

Team news

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Blackburn are without midfielders, Craig Conway and Elliot Bennett due to respective muscle and foot injuries.

Ben Gladwin and Dominic Samuel meanwhile remain ruled out with knee injuries. 

Jack Rodwell however could feature after missing their last three games with concussion. 

Norwich will again be without Timm Klose who has resumed training after a knee injury but won’t be risked here. 

Moritz Leitner (calf), Grant Hanley (quad), Matt Jarvis and Kenny McLean (both ankles) are all nearly ready for a first team return. McLean however is expected to remain sidelined until early January at earliest as he continues to build up his match fitness. 

 

Form

Blackburn come into this unbeaten in their last three with a win and two draws, although have scored in their last 11 league outings. 

From 11 home games, Rovers have suffered just one defeat whilst collecting six draws collected to four victories. In that time, they have collected 16 goals with ten of those coming from Bradley Dack and Danny Graham, who both scored five times. 

Norwich meanwhile enter this match with one loss in their last 17 league games but have kept a clean sheet in just one of last three away games. 

They however have had nine goalscorers on the road alongside an own goal, with Teemu Pukki scoring five goals out of the Canaries’ 17 away goals in last nine away games. 

 

Stat Attack

• Blackburn have avoided defeat in just two of last five meetings (W1, D1, L3).
• Last four meetings has seen both teams score, although Norwich have scored at least twice in each of those meetings. 
• In their last meeting in March 2017 which was at Carrow Road, Cameron Jerome and Lucas Joao both scored braces for their sides but are no longer at their respective clubs. 

 

Prediction 

Blackburn will fancy their chances here but Norwich will be difficult to beat given their impressive form, so expect defending to be key to the outcome here. 

I am therefore expecting an edgy thriller but Norwich should find a way through as they tend to do in second half to win games. 

Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 2-3 Norwich