Does Blackburn take advantage of the away weakness of the visitors?
No sooner has the World Cup chapter closed in Qatar than play resumes in many countries. This week, cup competitions continue in Turkey, Spain and England?
In the EFL Cup, Blackburn Rovers host the Tricky Trees from Nottingham. With the Championship, England’s second highest league, already two matchdays into the World Cup break, the hosts are already back in competitive mode and will be looking to take advantage to knock the Premier League visitors out of the competition.
The home side started the second half of the season with a heavy home defeat, but redeemed themselves last weekend. Thus, the white-blue team continues to play a good role in the fight for promotion to the Premier League. In the round of 16 of the EFL Cup, Rovers will be looking to take advantage of having played two competitive games after the long break. But in the clash between Blackburn and Nottingham, the bookmakers’ predictions see the hosts in the underdog role, with odds of 3.20 at the top.
The visitors have arrived in the battle to stay in the Premier League after promotion. Currently the weakest of the three promoted sides, the Red and Whites are stuck in the bottom of the table and will be looking to gain confidence for their upcoming competitive matches via the cup competition. The kick-off at Ewood Park is at 20:45 on Wednesday. Will the second division team succeed in defeating the higher-rated visitors?
Blackburn – statistics & current form
After eleven years in the Premier League, Blackburn were relegated in 2012 and have been languishing in the lower leagues ever since. Last year, Rovers only finished eighth in the Championship, missing out on the play-offs for promotion. This season, however, things are looking much better.
After 23 match days, the overall record shows 13 wins and ten defeats. The 39 points they have earned mean that they are currently third in the table, just two points behind Sheffield United, who occupy a direct promotion spot. The teams in third to sixth place will play for another promotion spot. It is in this range that the hosts have established themselves so far, creating a buffer of five points.
Does the not always secure defence hold?
The offensive was not always convincing with 27 goals scored. This is only the eighth best value in the Championship. The Chilean centre-forward Ben Brereton Diaz is the top scorer with nine goals. The defence, too, often does not make a safe impression and has already conceded 26 goals. This is also only the tenth best value in this category.
We therefore see a lot of potential for improvement at Rovers. If promotion is to be achieved in the end, head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson will have to tweak a few things. The start after the World Cup break was very bumpy. They suffered a painful 4-1 home defeat against Preston North End. But a week later, the white and blue team redeemed themselves with a 2-0 away win at Norwich City.
Blackburn build on home strength
The hosts have often been convincing, especially at home in Ewood Park. The defeat against Preston was the first defeat after a series of six consecutive victories at home.
On the way to the last 16, Rovers had to prove themselves three times. After victories over Hartlepool United (4-0) and Bradford (2-1), the Hammers from London were surprisingly fired from the competition in the last round. In the Blackburn vs Nottingham match, betting on another surprise by the home side is rewarded by the best bookmakers with odds of 3.20.
Predicted line-up of Blackburn:
Kaminski – Pickering, Hyam, Ayala – Dack, Buckley, Morton, Rankin-Costello – Dolan, Brereton Diaz, Gallagher
Last matches played by Blackburn:
Championship
18/12/2022 – Norwich 0 – 2 Blackburn
10/12/2022 – Blackburn 1 – 4 Preston
Club Friendlies
03/12/2022 – Blackburn 2 – 0 Ajax Amsterdam
02/12/2022 – Blackburn 4 – 0 Hearts
Championship
13/11/2022 – Burnley 3 – 0 Blackburn
Nottingham – Statistics & current form
The Tricky Trees celebrated their greatest successes at the end of the 70s of the last century. The Red and Whites celebrated their only championship in 1978 and in the following two years Nottingham Forest won the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, the predecessor of today’s Champions League.
After a few years in the English second and third divisions, the Garibaldi Reds were promoted back to the Premier League last year. After a few weeks at the bottom of the table, head coach Steve Cooper’s side worked their way out of the bottom of the table in the last few games and are now close to the bottom of the table. With 13 points, the Foresters are currently in 18th place, one point behind Everton FC.
Not enough bells in front
The problems of the promoted team are complex. With 30 goals already conceded, the Reds have the second-worst defence in the Premier League. Only AFC Bournemouth conceded two more goals. There is also a lot of room for improvement in the offensive. Only eleven times the generic keeper was overcome. Only the Wanderers, with eight successes, have scored less often.
The World Cup break came at the worst possible time for the visitors. With eight points from the last five games, Cooper’s team was on the rise. The Red and Whites are now unbeaten in four games at their home City Ground and defeated, among others, the Kloppo team from Liverpool. Less successful, however, have been the performances on the opponent’s pitch. They have not won a single one of their seven matches away from home and have only managed two draws.
Bringing confidence into cup competition
Before league action resumes after Christmas, the Tricky Trees will be looking to continue their success story in the EFL Cup. Wins at Grimsby and against Spurs took the red and whites into the last 16. Here, no easy task awaits them in the form of Rovers. Blackburn v Nottingham offers odds of 2.40 at the top for a bet on the visitors to win.
Coach Cooper’s team played four test matches in preparation. After three defeats, a 2-1 victory over Valencia FC was celebrated at the end of the preparation.
Predicted line-up of Nottingham:
Henderson – Lodi, Boly, Aurier, Worrall – Yates, Mangala, Colback – Lingard, Gibbs-White, Johnson
Last matches played by Nottingham:
Friendly club matches
17/12/2022 – Valencia 1 – 2 Nottingham Forest
10/12/2022 – Olympiakos Piraeus 1 – 0 Nottingham Forest
06/12/2022 – Atromitos 3 – 2 Nottingham Forest
03/12/2022 – Stoke 2 – 1 Nottingham Forest
Premier League
12/11/2022 – Nottingham Forest 1 – 0 Crystal Palace
Blackburn – Nottingham Direct comparison / H2H record
In the annals we find numerous comparisons between these two teams. The last 20 duels took place in the second highest English league, the Championship. The overall balance is absolutely even. The Rovers have seven victories to their credit and the Tricky Trees have celebrated just as many successes. For the upcoming match in the EFL Cup between Blackburn and Nottingham, the predictions of the betting companies see advantages for the guests. For bets on the hosts, odds of 3.20 are offered at the top.
Last year, the season in which the Red and Whites were promoted, there were two away wins. After the White-Blue’s 2-1 defeat at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest returned the favour with a 2-0 coup in the second leg. The home side have won only one of their last six matches. Four times the Reds were the victors. Since only two of the last 20 direct comparisons ended without a goal, we expect a goal or two on Wednesday as well.
Blackburn – Nottingham Tip
In the round of 16 of the EFL Cup we can expect some interesting matches. The highlight is certainly the clash between the Citizens and Liverpool, but also the duel between Blackburn and Nottingham promises to be a close story according to the odds of the bookmakers. The hosts showed that they are good for a surprise in the last round when they defeated West Ham United.
For the visitors, the main focus is of course on the fight to stay in the league. Now that they are close to the bottom of the league, the cup competition is the last test before the upcoming important league games. The Tricky Trees have a tough task ahead of them in the form of Rovers, and they will certainly be expected to give their all.
The odds from the bookmakers see slight advantages for the Cooper eleven, but the home side are already back in must-win mode and scored an important success last weekend in the fight for promotion to the Premier League.
The head-to-head duels between these two teams have rarely been goalless and we expect some goals on Wednesday as well. In the match between Blackburn and Nottingham, betting odds of 1.90 are paid for bets on a match with at least three goals.
