Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Championship match.
After Christmas, Oxford United have improved significantly in terms of results, going five rounds unbeaten and effectively stepping out of the relegation battle. Blackburn Rovers, on the other hand, are dealing with objectives of a completely different calibre — they have a decent chance of returning to the Premier League, so this visit to a mid-table team should be dictated by the favourites.
Oxford United
Of course, Oxford's unbeaten run can be attributed to a straightforward reason linked to an easy schedule — they faced Championship's main underdog, Plymouth Argyle, twice (2:0 and 1:1). Last Saturday, they were eliminated from the FA Cup by Exeter City (1:3), managing only four shots on target against the League One side. Notably, Oxford United have conceded just 17 goals in 13 home matches — only Norwich City have a weaker defence in the top 15 with 18.
Blackburn Rovers
The comfortable victory over Portsmouth (3:0) on Wednesday demonstrated that Blackburn can readily exploit their advantage against less skilled opponents. In this match, they created 1.45 xG, with Callum Brittain and Andreas Weimann each contributing both a goal and an assist. In the last 13 matches, Blackburn Rovers have been kept out only three times. While they lack some injured players to firmly establish themselves in the top six, the coaching staff manage to fulfil this task even without certain players.
Oxford United vs Blackburn Rovers Prediction
In the third round of the Championship, Oxford United were the first to score, but Blackburn Rovers achieved a come-from-behind victory (1:2), taking substantially more shots (21-14). On Oxford United's turf, it will primarily be the visitors who attack more frequently — they have no issues with motivation.
