The Championship weekend gets underway with an appealing looking match on Friday evening when Blackburn Rovers look to show their worth against a Brentford team who will be looking to gain ground in the race for the Premier League.
Blackburn are going to underachieve this season but they remain a dangerous proposition to a Brentford side who have wobbled in the strain of trying to achieve automatic promotion to the Premier League and can’t really afford to slip up here.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live on the Sky Sports Football channel with the lead up to the match beginning at 7pm and the game itself kicking off at 7.45pm.
Blackburn Rovers
When you look at the talent that is in their squad, there is no doubt Blackburn Rovers are underachieving this season. They have had their fair share of injuries and a little bit of slack should be given to them for that but they have a top six squad at their disposal so to be languishing in the bottom half of the table is clearly not good. A run of five successive defeats in February did them not good but there have been signs that their form is turning.
Blackburn have only lost one of their last four matches which was away to Reading in a game where they disappointed but a draw against high flying Swansea City in midweek will have given them belief and confidence, although the flip side of that is that they go into this match off the back of a bit of a short turnaround which is something that they may need to manage given that a number of players have had injuries.
Brentford
A pretty promising season for Brentford has stalled in recent times. Their form was stuttering and then they had their match last weekend called off so they need to show their mettle here and be prepared to go again. There is often more of a concern about a Brentford drop in form than any other side as they have been known to choke a little when elevation through the pyramid is on the horizon but they have a chance to show that is not happening here.
The Bees have lost four of their last six matches although to be fair to them two of the defeats have been against a surging Barnsley side and a Norwich one which is far too good for the level so while concern is understandable there is no need to full on panic about them just yet. If Brentford do win this game they will move back into second place in the table ahead of the remainder of the weekend and things won’t be looking so bad for them.
Special Offer
Open up a BetVictor account and bet £5 to get £30 in bonuses! Click the image below for this standout new account offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly
18+ New Customers only. Deposit, opt in and place a £5 qualifying bet at odds of 2.00 or greater within 7 days of opening a new account; excludes cashed out bets. Receive 2x £10 Free Sports Bets, valid on set events only at odds 2.00 or greater, expires in 7 days. Plus a £10 Game Show Bonus, selected games, wager 40x to withdraw a max of £250. T&Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
Team News
Tony Mowbray has confirmed that he will be able to call upon the services of Lewis Holtby and Jarrad Branthwaite for this clash but he was less positive about the chances of top scorer Adam Armstrong being able to feature.
Brentford will make the trip up north without a couple of defensive players in the form of Rico Henry and Pontus Jansson. Ivan Toney is expected to be fit to lead the line despite his recent injury issues which will be a boost.
Betting
One of the reasons why Blackburn are underachieving this season is that their home form has gone very ordinary since the turn of the year. They have only won one of their last seven at Ewood Park and they were very fortunate to win that so it might be that the terrible pitch isn’t much of a home advantage. Brentford have struggled on their travels recently in terms of results having lost their last three but they didn’t look too bad at Norwich.
I like Brentford here and the reason I do so is because of the nine day rest they have had going into the game. The Championship schedule is relentless at the minute and Blackburn have played twice since the last time Brentford were on the pitch. At this stage of the season that shouldn’t be underestimated. The other thing in Brentford’s favour is Blackburn are missing the lethal Adam Armstrong. That sways me to the visitors here.
Tips
WON – Back Brentford (-0.25AH) to beat Blackburn Rovers for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
