After eighth and seventh-placed finishes in the past two Championship seasons under the likes of Tony Mowbray and Jon Dahl Tomasson, Blackburn Rovers are now in the midst of a full-blow relegation following a record of two wins in their last 17 second-tier matches, stretching back to the end of 2023.
New head coach John Eustace is without a victory in five league matches since taking charge in the middle of February, and although a number of performances – including the FA Cup exit to Newcastle United – have shown promise, the reality is that Rovers have collected just three points from five second-tier games.
To say that the goals of Sammie Szmodics could keep Blackburn in the Championship is no overstatement – the former Peterborough United attacker is currently leading the division’s Golden Boot race with 19 goals in 33 contests, ahead of the likes of Southampton’s Adam Armstrong and Plymouth Argyle’s Morgan Whittaker.
The emerging form of Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday in recent matches has drawn a large contingent of teams into the scrap for survival as the season approaches its business end, with Eustace’s men sitting in 17th but just a single point above 22nd-placed Stoke City.
Having lost seven of their last nine away matches in the Championship, Blackburn will be relatively happy to be back at their Ewood Park base on Tuesday night, with the hosts enjoying 5-2, 4-1 and 3-1 successes at their Lancashire home since the turn of the calendar year, providing a cause for optimism ahead of a crunch clash.
Blackburn could be without the services of striker Semir Telalovic on Tuesday, with the German missing the weekend’s match due to illness.
Andrew Moran was replaced at the Swansea.com Stadium following a shaky opening 45 minutes from the young Irishman, meaning that Yasin Ayari could take his spot in the engine room this time around.
Sondre Tronstad did not feature in South Wales due to an ankle injury, and it remains to be seen whether the Norwegian can play a part at Ewood Park on Tuesday.
Ryan Hedges has not played since the Norwich draw due to a groin issue, with the Welshman to be assessed ahead of the midweek clash with the Lions.
Millwall were dealt a major injury blow in the past week, with attacker Tom Bradshaw expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an Achilles injury.
With former Hibernian man Kevin Nisbet already out for the term because of a hamstring strain, Harris is down to just the single striking option in the form of Burnley loanee Obafemi.
STREAM LINKS >>> Stream 1 Stream 2 Stream 3
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Hyam, McFadzean, Wharton; Brittain, Ayari, Buckley, Pickering; Dolan, Gallagher, Szmodics
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Sarkic; Leonard, Tanganga, Cooper, McNamara; Honeyman, Mitchell, Saville, Watmore; Flemming, Obafemi
