Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Until roughly a fortnight ago this final game of the season between Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City had been highlighted as a potential relegation blockbuster, as it so happens the hosts have been able to confirm their Championship safety while the visiting side were unable to avoid the drop and suffered their second relegation in as many seasons.

Rovers confirmed their safety with a crucial 3-1 victory over Sheffield United in midweek, while the Foxes were relegated following a draw with Hull City last week, a result they followed up with another stalemate against promotion-chasing Millwall.

Match preview

When Michael O'Neill was appointed as interim manager of Blackburn Rovers halfway through February, his new side occupied the remaining relegation spot and were heading for the third tier.

However, a significant upturn in form under the Northern Ireland boss has seen Rovers win five, draw five and lose just four of their 14 matches, enough to steer them clear of danger and secure survival with a game to spare.

Their midweek win over Sheffield United proved decisive, with Japanese duo Yuki Ohashi and Ryoya Morishita both on target as Blackburn raced into a three-goal lead before the break, rendering Harrison Burrows’s second-half strike little more than a consolation goal as they clinched another season of Championship football.

With Saturday's contest the final game of the season, it also marks the final game under the tenure of the interim manager who has done so much in a short space of time to guide Blackburn Rovers to safety.

Boasting a win rate of 35.7% from 14 games in the dugout is impress enough given where they were when he arrived at the club and many fans will be hoping he is made manager on a permanent basis following the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign.

While three sides of Ewood Park will be celebrating their successful battle against the drop, it will be a different story in the away end as visiting side Leicester City travel to Lancashire knowing they will be a League One side next year.

It marks a dramatic fall for a club that lifted the Premier League title just a decade ago and has since enjoyed European nights, as well as FA Cup and Community Shield success, but they now face the challenge of rebuilding after back-to-back relegations.

A dismal campaign has been compounded by a six-point deduction for breaches of EFL regulations, although they would still sit in the bottom three without it, as well as a series of poor and inconsistent performances that ultimately saw their fate sealed last week after failing to beat promotion-chasing Hull City at the King Power Stadium.

While their fate was sealed last week, a subsequent 1-1 draw with Millwall did little to improve the mood as a disappointing season drew nears its conclusion.

This relegation represents just the second time in the club’s 142-year history that they have dropped into the third tier and completes a sobering full-circle moment following their remarkable rise over the past decade.

Becoming only the fifth side to suffer relegations from the Premier League and Championship in consecutive seasons, Gary Rowett's side will be eager to end the campaign on a positive note, while also looking to avoid a league double against them following Blackburn’s 2-0 win in the reverse fixture.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

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Leicester City Championship form:

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Team News

In what could be his final match in charge, O’Neill will be without Hayden Carter, Axel Henriksson, Lewis Miller, Sondre Tronstad, Augustus Kargbo and Andri Gudjohnsen due to injury.

Ohashi and Morishita are both expected to start again after their decisive contributions in midweek, while Todd Cantwell could return to the starting lineup after making the bench on his comeback from injury.

Leicester, meanwhile, may stick with the same XI that drew with Millwall, although there could be opportunities for players expected to depart in the summer.

Jordan James, who was recently been named the Championship’s Young Player of the Season, has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise difficult campaign and is likely to feature again before his loan spell comes to an end.

Asmir Begovic endured a poor performance in the draw against Hull City and was subsequently dropped for their penultimate game of the season, with Jakub Stolarczyk coming in to replace the former Premier League shot-stopper and expected to retain his place for the final day.

Benjamin Nelson, Caleb Okoli and Victor Kristiansen will all miss out through injury while their could be a rare start for 16-year-old Jeremy Monga.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Toth; Atcheson, McLoughlin, Cashin; Alebiosu, Cantwell, Forshaw, Gardner-Hickman, Y. Ribeiro; Morishita, Ohashi

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Stolarczyk; Choudhury, Souttar, Vestergaard, Thomas; Skipp, James; Monga, Mukasa, De Cordova-Reid; Daka

We say: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Leicester City

With little riding on the outcome, this contest could be open and unpredictable, but Blackburn’s momentum and confidence following their survival should give them the edge.

We expect the hosts to end the season on a high with a second win in a row at Ewood Park.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.