Blackburn Rovers play host to Middlesbrough on Monday evening looking to get back to winning ways in the Championship promotion race.
However, while a seven-point gap separates these two clubs, Boro have a game in hand, meaning that victory at Ewood Park will move them into contention for the top three.
Match preview
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Blackburn reached a point during December where it appeared that they could conquer any team at the second tier having posted five successive wins and clean sheets.
While a subsequent return of seven points from four games should not be perceived as the wheels falling off, Blackburn's level has dropped, and Tony Mowbray has decisions to make before the end of the January transfer window.
Rovers lost out to struggling Hull City by a 2-0 scoreline on Wednesday night, Rovers' second away defeat in three outings when including the FA Cup disappointment at Wigan Athletic.
Ben Brereton Diaz is now without a goal in four matches in all competitions, and it is no coincidence that Rovers have struggled for results at the same time that the Chile international has started to mis-fire.
On a positive note, Rovers have collected five wins and a draw from their last six fixtures at Ewood Park, the best return from home games over that timespan in the division.
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Middlesbrough have taken over as the form team in the division of late, Chris Wilder overseeing an unbeaten streak which has now reached seven matches.
Although Boro have failed to score more than twice in any of those games, Wilder will be more than satisfied with the efficiency of their performances.
Boro had to show character in their latest outing, relying on two late goals from Matt Crooks to earn a 2-1 triumph over Reading at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough have now netted decisive strikes in their most recent three fixtures in all competitions, a trait which will not go unnoticed by their upcoming opponents.
At a time when Blackburn possess a lengthy unbeaten run at Ewood Park, Boro have not lost in their last four league matches on the road.
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Team News
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Blackburn will be able to call upon right wing-back Ryan Nyambe, who served a one-match ban in midweek.
If Lewis Travis is able to return from illness, John Buckley can play further forward, which will likely lead to Sam Gallagher dropping down to the substitutes' bench.
Daniel Ayala is in contention for a recall to the back three after the performance away at Hull.
Either Folarin Balogun or Duncan Watmore are likely to be preferred to Aaron Connolly in the Middlesbrough attack.
Barring any late fitness issues, the rest of the starting lineup could stay the same.
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Van Hecke, Lenihan, Wharton; Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell, Edun; Buckley; Brereton Diaz, Khadra
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Lumley; Dijksteel, Fry, McNair; Jones, Crooks, Howson, Taylor; Tavernier; Sporar, Balogun
We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Middlesbrough
Given the manner of Blackburn's defeat last time out, there is an argument that Boro should be marginal favourites for this contest. However, home advantage could play a part, and we feel that a low-scoring - but extremely competitive - share of the spoils is on the cards.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Blackburn Rovers win with a probability of 41.29%. A win for Middlesbrough had a probability of 32.25% and a draw had a probability of 26.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Blackburn Rovers win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.6%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.67%) and 2-0 (7.31%). The likeliest Middlesbrough win was 0-1 (9.13%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.58%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 10.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Blackburn Rovers in this match.
