Blackburn Rovers vs Watford Prediction: Both teams are five points off playoffs

Blackburn Rovers will welcome Watford at Ewood Park in Game Week 23 of the English Championship. Both the teams are five points off playoff spots. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Under the management of Jon Dahl Tomasson, Blackburn has developed a pattern of taking one step forward and two steps back. Recently, they suffered consecutive defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United but managed to secure a vital 2-1 victory against Bristol City at Ewood Park. However, their performance took a significant downturn in their 4-0 loss to Southampton, which was made worse by a red card in the second half. Despite still having the sixth-best away record in the league, Blackburn has conceded a total of seven goals in their trips to Hillsborough and St Mary's. With a five-point gap to the playoffs and just a two-point advantage over 14th place, it is crucial for Blackburn to start accumulating points quickly. 

There are expected to be several changes to the Blackburn XI, as Callum Brittain is suspended and needs to be replaced. Lewis Travis may also be recalled to the midfield, while Niall Ennis and Harry Leonard are vying for an attacking role. Dominic Hyam, who was unused in the previous match, could be considered for a start. 

Wahlstedt, Hill, Carter, S. Wharton, Pickering, Travis, A. Wharton, Sigurdsson, Szmodics, Moran, Ennis

Watford, although only collecting four points from their last three games, appears to be better equipped to challenge for promotion. Despite only earning one point from matches against Southampton and Ipswich Town at Vicarage Road, they responded with a convincing 5-1 win against Preston North End on the road. Valerien Ismael's team has recorded six wins and two defeats in their last 12 Championship games, showing positive momentum leading up to a favorable stretch of fixtures. While there may be a concern for complacency after their latest success, Ismael is optimistic about the team's progress in the second half of the season.

If there are no fitness issues, Ismael may choose to stick with the Watford XI that dominated Preston. Ryan Porteous and Yaser Asprilla could return to the team, but may end up being substitutes. 

Hamer; Dele-Bashiru, Sierralta, Hoedt, Lewis; Kayembe, Livermore, Kone; Martins, Bayo, Sema

Due to the inconsistency of both teams, it is challenging to predict the outcome. However, we believe that Watford may have the upper hand after their recent impressive performance against Preston. Nonetheless, Blackburn are known for bouncing back after a defeat.