City made it three wins in a row on Saturday with a narrow victory over the Swans, and they aim to extend their winning run even further as they travel in their masses to fill a sold-out away end...

Recap

Last time out, City extended their winning run to 3 with a 2-1 win over Swansea. It was a hard-fought match, where both sides could and should have scored more, with the Swans’ in-form bagsman, Zan Vipotnik, missing two gilt-edged chances from within the 6-yard box in the first half.

Both chances came as huge let-offs for the Tigers, as the Slovenian evaded some shoddy defending by City on both occasions, getting free from his marker but putting his efforts wide of the mark.

City’s first came after a moment of madness from the Swansea skipper, Cabango. As the ball was whipped into the box from the right-hand side, the defender rose to meet the ball blatantly making contact with his hand, which was spotted instantly by the referee, ultimately resulting in a penalty to the Tigers, which was calmly dispatched by Oli McBurnie.

The second of the game, and the second for the Tigers, came before the break as the ball was knocked into the box by Liam Millar and cleared by the Swansea defence, falling kindly to Regan Slater on the edge of the box, who set himself up excellently with his first touch, following that with an absolute rocket into the far side of the goal, netting City’s first from outside of the box this season.

The second half started with City under some heavy Swansea pressure as the visitors came out all guns blazing, culminating in a goal just before the hour mark. However, the Tigers rode it out and defended resolutely, as they have in plenty of games before, holding on to their one-goal lead and winning their third in a row.

Opponent Observations

Winless in their last 8 games in all competitions, Blackburn are staring relegation in the face, dropping into the bottom three for the first time this season after Portsmouth picked up a point in their derby day draw last game.

Blackburn’s last win came at the end of 2025 against Millwall, where they won 2-0 in a surprise result against a top side, but it has been a slippery slope ever since. In the 8 games in between then and now, they have lost 3 and drawn 5 (after 90 mins), losing one of those draws after 120 mins + pens against City in the FA Cup.

Key Players

Sondre Tronstad (Left)
Tronstad has started 22 of his 23 league appearances so far, averaging 7/10. A key player in a struggling Blackburn side, creating plenty of chances while also acting as a strong defensive option in the middle of the park.

Todd Cantwell (Middle)
Skipper, Todd Cantwell, has made 17 appearances so far while battling an injury, registering 4 goals and picking up 3 assists from attacking midfield, netting one of his 4 goals in the reverse fixture at the MKM back in August.
Creating 2 big chances per 90, averaging over 2 successful crosses, an 82% pass accuracy, and just under 80 touches per game, Cantwell is a key point of Blackburn’s attack when.

Sean McLoughlin (Right)
We all know just how good Makka can be on his day, playing in 26 of Blackburn’s 28 league games this season, even captaining his new side on a couple of occasions. Currently averaging a 7.1/10 per game, he’s been one of Blackburn’s standout performers this season by far, being a physical presence at the back.

Their Last Few

Blackburn Rovers 2 - 2 Charlton Athletic

Hull City 0 - 0 Blackburn Rovers (4-3 pens) (FA Cup)

Ipswich Town 3 - 0 Blackburn Rovers

Swansea City 3 - 1 Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers 1 - 1 Watford

Head to Head

Since 2012, the Tigers have met Blackburn on 18 occasions, winning 8, drawing 2, and losing the remaining 9.

City’s last league victory over Blackburn came in late 2024 when City rescued a late win to keep their push for safety alive, thanks to a goal from now former Tiger Ryan Longman.
One thing worth noting is that City are one of the best sides away from home this season, winning 5 out of their last 6 away games, and the Tigers are unbeaten at Ewood Park in their last 3 visits.

Predictions

Starting Lineup

Goalkeeper: Ivor Pandur

Left Back: Akin Famewo
Centre Back: John Egan
Centre Back: Charlie Hughes
Right Back: Lewie Coyle

Midfield: Regan Slater
Midfield: Amir Hadziahmetovic
Midfield: Joe Gelhardt

Left Wing: Liam Millar
Striker: Oli McBurnie
Right Wing: Yu Hirakawa

Scoreline

As we all know, in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Blackburn steamrolled City 3-0 in a poor overall performance by the Tigers, which they will be hoping to avenge on Saturday.
It will be a tricky atmosphere to navigate for the Tigers, as things seem to be boiling over; however, City were able to come out victorious when facing a similar situation earlier in the season at Carrow Road.

I think City will mirror the result earlier in the season and win this one 3-0, making it 4 straight wins.