Blackburn vs Bolton Predictions

Bolton Wanderers had their relegation to League One confirmed on Friday, after a 2-0 loss against Aston Villa. They’ve dropped 11 points shy of safety, so they’re set to head down with a whimper. The Trotters head to Blackburn aiming to restore some pride following their relegation, but can they get anything from this trip after a terrible away record this term?

The hosts have little to play for themselves, although they are only three points off the top half going into their remaining games. If they could rally towards the end of the season and finish on a high, that would prove to be a boost ahead of next season. Tony Mowbray has done well to establish them in the second tier after going up from League One last year, and now he has his team on a three-game winning run going into Monday’s meeting.

It was only 2012 when this fixture was last played in the Premier League, but now the visitors are preparing for another season in the third tier. The Trotters are heading down with 27 defeats to their name already, and they could well hit 30 losses before the season is out. They face a tough trip to Ewood this week, which they come into having lost six of their last seven matches at this level.

The hosts had an awful run of form which went into April, but they have managed to turn things around in recent weeks. They come into this clash with three wins behind them, including a 2-0 success over playoff hunting Derby in their last home game. Mowbray’s men are aiming to build on that great run, which they should achieve given that the visitors have lost 10 of their last 12 away matches in the Championship. Will that awful form continue at Ewood Park?

Rovers should be able to add to their good form in this one, with Bolton looking shaky away to most of the league. In 14 trips to sides from 16th and above, the Trotters have lost 12 and drawn once. We expect the hosts to secure a win, in what is likely to be a low scoring game. They come here following a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, while Bolton have failed to score in their last three. Overall they’ve failed to score in over half of their league games so far, so we expect Bolton to struggle to score here. They’ve seen under 3.5 goals in 84% of their Championship games, while the same has landed in 81% of Blackburn’s home matches. That has us tipping up a home win and under 3.5 goals here.