Blackburn Rovers make the trip to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City on Saturday afternoon knowing that they could need to avoid defeat to remain in the Championship playoff places.

At a time when Rovers sit in fifth position in the standings, Bristol City are in 17th spot after a recent resurgence in form.

Match preview

Blackburn have received attention for numerous reasons this campaign, most notably for failing to record a single draw in any of their second-tier fixtures.

Now standing at 27 matches, it has reached record-breaking levels, but Jon Dahl Tomasson will be more concerned with six defeats coming in nine league games, the most recent being the heaviest of the season.

Blackburn would have fancied their chances of overcoming a struggling Rotherham side, but they were instead thrashed by a 4-0 scoreline, conceding a first-minute opener before three more strikes came after the break.

Despite still holding a playoff spot, Blackburn now have a -4 goal difference, highlighting their struggles for consistency and a vulnerability which has worsened as the season has progressed.

With nine losses coming from 14 away fixtures in the Championship, Tomasson will feel pessimistic ahead of playing a Bristol City side who are seemingly on an upward trajectory.

There have been times when Nigel Pearson has been fortunate to remain in a job at Ashton Gate, his Robins side failing to build on a strong start to the season to spend recent months in the bottom half of the table.

While that remains the case, Bristol City are now five games unbeaten in all competitions, their latest success coming at Swansea City after extra time in the FA Cup.

On a wider scale, Bristol City still only have three wins from 14 matches, but collecting five points from their most recent three outings in the Championship has created some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Although 12 places separate these two teams, Bristol City are just 10 points adrift of the visitors, and triumphing here would give hope to a previously-unforeseen playoff bid.

Team News

Despite Tuesday's fixture in South Wales going to extra time, Pearson may want to stick with the Bristol City side which has started the last two fixtures.

Sam Bell is likely to remain among the replacements, despite his winning goal in midweek, while Andreas Weimann and Tommy Conway are still sidelined through injury.

Having missed the defeat to Rotherham due to the birth of his child, Ben Brereton Diaz is expected to return to the Blackburn XI.

The Chile international could feature on the left, allowing Sam Gallagher to play in the centre, but a number of alterations are likely after the manner of the defeat to the Millers.

Lewis Travis could add more experience in midfield, and Hayden Carter is an option at right-back, with Joe Rankin-Costello and Jake Garrett seeing their places in the team at risk.

Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Atkinson, Pring; Scott, Naismith, James; Sykes, Wells, Semenyo

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Carter, Ayala, Hyam, Pickering; Morton, Travis; Hedges, Dack, Brereton Diaz; Gallagher

We say: Bristol City 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

Despite the difference in league positions, Bristol City are very much the form side heading into this fixture. Although Blackburn have shown on countless occasions this season that they can bounce back from defeats, we are backing the home team to edge a close game.

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