Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
Wednesday evening brings us the rescheduled fixture from the 16th round, postponed due to a snowstorm. Back then, both Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth were in good form. Who will emerge victorious this time?
Blackburn Rovers
As 2025 began, Blackburn Rovers faced a series of challenges from their main promotion contenders. The most recent, Middlesbrough, challenged them in the FA Cup third round. In an away fixture that couldn't be sacrificed for the Championship, John Eustace made five changes compared to their 26th round match against Burnley, including changes in goal. Hungarian Balázs Tóth made his first appearance for Blackburn's senior team after a summer move and kept a clean sheet with two saves. Andreas Weimann, who has been infrequently starting, scored the winning goal in the 70th minute.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth opted to give FA Cup opportunities to players who feature less in the Championship. Unsurprisingly, they were knocked out by League One leaders Wycombe Wanderers (0:2). Prioritising league survival in their first year is much more important. Facing the fourth-placed side Sunderland, they failed to pass the test despite the narrow 0:1 scoreline—conceding in the seventh minute, they allowed 2.30 xG worth of chances and were reduced to ten men in the 67th minute after central defender and captain Marlon Pack received a red card. Now they face the seventh-placed side in the league.
Blackburn Rovers vs Portsmouth Prediction
Without the veteran presence of Marlon Pack, who has seven years of Championship experience, it will be significantly tougher to contain the hosts' attacks. Therefore, Portsmouth are likely to suffer defeat—especially considering they have already suffered eight losses in 13 away games.
