Rovers ready to restart playoff bid and push Posh to the brink of relegation

It’s been a strange season for Blackburn Rovers.

Despite releasing their majority of the squad last summer and selling top scorer Adam Armstrong to Premier League outfit Southampton, Tony Mowbray’s side look set to improve upon their 15th place finish last season and challenge for promotion.

This goes against many fans’ expectations, with the Lancashire-based side bringing in just one permanent signing and four loanees before the start of the campaign. But they currently find themselves just two points outside the playoff places in 7th, with a return to the Premier League still a possibility ahead of the run-in.

But still, Blackburn supporters aren’t too happy. After a red-hot start that saw them challenge Fulham and Bournemouth for automatic promotion, their side has fallen out of the race and their form has nosedived. The Blue and Whites have won just two of their last 13 games, dropping points against many of the teams around and below them.

This will give Peterborough United a lot of confidence, with the Posh in desperate need of points to stand any chance of retaining their Championship status.

The gap between Grant McCann’s side and safety has been cut to nine points after they drew 1-1 away at Bristol City and Reading were beaten 2-1 at home to Cardiff City. However, with just five games remaining, Peterborough would probably need to win all of their remaining matches and hope that the three teams above them go on an extended losing streak to finish the campaign.

This is nigh-on impossible, of course. While the Posh can’t be mathematically relegated on Good Friday, defeat at home to Blackburn coupled with an unlikely Reading win at Sheffield United would see them all but officially relegated due to their shambolic goal difference of -48.

Indeed, everyone seems to have accepted this. Most bookmakers have now withdrawn odds on Peterborough avoiding the drop, and both the board and the players seem to know that their fate is sealed. However, the Posh will still want to finish as strongly as possible in order to set themselves up for a successful campaign in League One next season.

In fact, they’ve actually put in a number of positive performances to give fans something to cheer about. Peterborough have only lost two of their last seven games, beating QPR and taking points off promotion hopefuls like Bournemouth and Luton. That’s only one less point than Blackburn have accrued in the same time period, despite the two sides being separated by 17 places in the Championship table.

So, despite Blackburn travelling to the Weston Homes Stadium as favourites, the Posh are more than capable of getting a result and denting the aspirations of another side at the top of the division.

Rovers will undoubtedly be relying on Ben Brereton Díaz to guide them back into the top six. The 22-year-old has had a breakout season in the Championship, earning a shock call up to the Chilean national team where he has become a cult hero and captured the hearts of thousands of fans.

Part of his allure stems from the randomness of his situation. That a young man born in Stoke-on-Trent with no knowledge of Spanish has been brought into one of the most successful national teams in South America after fans found out about his dual nationality whilst playing Football Manager.

But a large part also comes from his quality. Brereton Díaz has scored 20 goals in just 32 Championship matches, making him the third top scorer in the entire division. This is despite missing a number of games from injury, and failing to score in any of his last eight league appearances.

If Blackburn are to make a late surge to regain their place in the playoffs, they’ll need his goals. Although his teammates are contributing regularly, it isn’t enough to challenge some of the better sides in the division who are also fighting for a top six finish. Rovers, by all means, are exceeding expectations massively, which is partially down to their Chilean striker.

Sides like Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough are all competing with Blackburn to achieve the same goal, while Luton and Huddersfield Town have similarly overachieved after pre-season expectations of a mid-table finish. There is an incredibly high level of quality in the race for promotion, and on paper, Rovers have possibly the weakest squad.

Peterborough will also be relying on a star striker in Johnson Clarke-Harris. After an incredibly underwhelming, injury-hit campaign, the 27-year-old has finally found some form, scoring six goals in his last six games for the Posh.

His contract doesn’t expire until the summer, unlike Brereton’s, with the Blackburn striker regularly linked with a free transfer to the likes of Leeds United and FC Barcelona. But Clarke-Harris may be playing for a move at the end of the season rather than returning to League One with Peterborough, or he may be looking to rekindle his form in order to replicate his stunning 31-goal season that guided the Posh to promotion from the third tier in 2020/21.

Friday’s match may be a tale of two strikers and how much their respective teams rely upon their attacking output. The Easter weekend will be a crucial one for both sides, as by the end of it, Blackburn could find themselves back in the playoff places and Peterborough’s relegation could be made official.

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