Eng. Championship
2021-09-18 - Barnsley vs Blackburn Rovers
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Championship
Saturday 18th September 2021 - Kick Off 3pm
Barnsley
Some of the performances in the early part of this season are underlining the point that Barnsley are perhaps having some teething problems under a new manager. They overachieved massively last season when finishing in the Play Off positions, but Barnsley look like they will struggle to reach that kind of level over the coming campaign barring a massive improvement.
They did earn an important point during the week at Stoke City, but Barnsley are 17th in the Championship table with 7 points earned. The side have a 1-1-1 record at Oakwell and Barnsley have scored and conceded 2 goals in those matches.
Barnsley did avoid defeat during the week, but the result at the Bet365 Stadium means they have won 1 of their last 12 games in all competitions going back to last season. They have not won either of their last 2 home games in the League against Luton Town (0-1) and Birmingham City (1-1).
Blackburn Rovers
After weathering early pressure, Blackburn Rovers showed their quality in the final third in the win over Hull City. That result came days after blowing a lead in injury time, but the performance to follow will have pleased Tony Mowbray who has high expectations of his team despite selling Adam Armstrong in the summer transfer window.
The three points earned on Tuesday have pushed Blackburn Rovers up to 8th in the Championship table with 12 points produced so far this season. Fans are hopeful that Blackburn Rovers have enough to earn a spot in the Play Offs at the end of this campaign, and they do have a 1-2-0 record away from home in the League.
Blackburn Rovers have lost 1 of their last 6 games, but the manager will be looking for the team to turn a few more results into wins having drawn half of those fixtures. While Blackburn Rovers are unbeaten in 4 away League games, the flip side is they have won 1 of their last 8 on their travels in the Championship.
Head to Head
Both Barnsley and Blackburn Rovers beat the other 2-1 at home last season in the Championship.
The last 4 between these clubs have all been won by home teams.
Barnsley are unbeaten in 4 at home against Blackburn Rovers and they have won 3 in a row against them at Oakwell.
Prediction
This is a really interesting fixture between two clubs who have had mixed results and performances to open this season.
Barnsley have really been struggling in their defensive third to contain opponents, but they have a squad with high character judging by the way they dig in and still earn positive results. However, it will be difficult to win games consistently with the chances being given up and Blackburn Rovers are a team that have shown enough in the final third to believe they can expose any defensive vulnerabilities.
However, Blackburn Rovers have a poor record at Oakwell which cannot be set aside. They are also a team that have struggled to produce wins away from Ewood Park, but Blackburn Rovers have shown a little more consistency in the final third at both ends of the pitch.
It has been an issue for Barnsley early in this season and Blackburn Rovers may be capable of producing a big result at this ground on Saturday.
The Pick :
Barnsley 0-1 Blackburn Rovers
