Bolton vs Blackburn Predictions

Bolton Wanderers entertain Blackburn Rovers in an intriguing looking Championship tussle at the University of Bolton Stadium this Saturday. The teams sit beside each other in 14^th and 15^th position respectively, having amassed fifteen points each after eleven Championship fixtures.

A win for either team could launch them as high as the playoff places,depending on results elsewhere, though there is a huge chance that the well-matched outfits could cancel each other out this weekend.

Bolton were beaten 2-0 at Stoke in mid-week, bringing to an end a short lived two-game unbeaten run. After a bright start to the 2018/19 season, Wanderers have slipped into the mire a little, winning just one of their most recent seven games in all competitions.

That solitary victory was earned last weekend against Derby County however, showing that Bolton are capable of mixing it with the league’s better teams on their day. Their day hasn’t come often enough of late however, and their inconsistency is sure to have frustrated manager Phil Parkinson.

Newly promoted Blackburn Rovers are in a rut of their own ahead of their short trip south to Bolton. Rovers have won just once in seven and have lost two of their last three games. On Wednesday, they were turned over 2-0 by Sheffield United at Ewood Park, though that was only the third time they have failed to score this season.

Tony Mowbray’s men have been leaking a worrying amount of goals in recent weeks. Rovers have shipped nine goals in their last four outings alone, though their rearguard is likely to find life a little easier against Bolton this weekend.

The Trotters have scored just twice in their last five Championship fixtures and have netted just ten times in eleven league games in total since August. Neither of our featured teams have the firepower or confidence to take Saturday’s game by the scruff of the neck and we’re predicting the two nervous outfits to share the spoils.

Rovers have drawn three of their last five Championship matches and they are fast becoming one of the division’s draw specialists. In fact, only Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City have drawn more often than Blackburn so far this season.

As we touched on earlier, Bolton have only found the net twice in five league games, and with Wanderers so out of form in the final third, Saturday’s clash isn’t likely to get pulses racing. Rovers Championship matches have averaged just 1.63 goals per ninety minutes in 2018/19 too, which suggests goals will be at a premium on Saturday.

For those reasons, we recommend coupling the draw with an under 2.5 goal selection. Our correct score prediction is 1-1, a result that will lock the teams on sixteen points each.