Blackburn v Middlesbrough: Azaz to make his mark at Ewood Park | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Middlesbrough have won four of their last six Championship contests

Play-off-chasing pair Blackburn and Middlesbrough clash in Friday night's Championship action. Betfair writer Mark O'Haire is backing Boro to pick up a positive result...

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Blackburn v MiddlesbroughFriday April 4, 20:00Live on Sky Sports

Blackburn suffer fourth successive loss

Blackburn boss Valerien Ismael said his sides' loss to relegation-threatened Portsmouth last weekend was "a big disappointment." The defeat was Rovers' fourth Championship loss in succession with the Lancashire team yet to win under their new head coach - the latest reverse has left Blackburn five points adrift of the play-off places as we turn for home.

Speaking post-match, Ismael said: "It was a big disappointment, especially how we approached the first half. We knew it would be difficult at the beginning with the pressure and energy. The second half was better, we played with more confidence, but we still need to believe more because we have the quality, and we need to take more risks on the ball."

On-loan Liverpool defender Owen Beck returned after eight weeks out but lasted only 10 minutes before going off with a repeat of his hamstring injury whilst Hayden Carter was also withdrawn with pain in his calf. Danny Batth did return to the Blackburn side but Rovers remain without the likes of Augustus Kargbo and Emmanuel Dennis on Friday night.

Middlesbrough finding form

Middlesbrough boosted their play-off hopes as they fought back to beat Oxford 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium. The U's had taken a surprise first half lead when Boro failed to deal with a long throw, however the hosts turned the tables in the second half with Kelechi Iheanacho levelling soon after the restart, and Neto Borges' audacious back-heel pocketing the points.

Michael Carrick's men had to work hard for victory, which pushed the Teessiders up to seventh in the Championship standings, only outside of the play-off places on goal difference. Boro dominated possession throughout but failed to produce a shot on target in the first half as they struggled to unlock a stubborn Oxford rearguard early on.

Reflecting on the success, Carrick said: "It was a good second half. It was a bit sticky, bit frustrating first half. It's easy to get down and frustrated but I thought there were chances for us to create and we stayed positive. I thought we chased the game well, controlled it, kept counter-pressing, kept the ball in their half and I thought we fully deserved the win."

Rovers recent return suggests a struggle

Blackburn boast an excellent recent record against Middlesbrough with Rovers tabling an impressive W7-D4-L1 across the last 12 meetings between the two teams. Boro have fired blanks in each of their last three meetings with Blackburn, a sample that includes two 1-0 defeats at The Riverside this season across the Championship and FA Cup.

Blackburn 2.94 have picked up a solitary point from their past six league showdowns (W0-D1-L5) to slide down the second-tier standings. But Rovers' poor form dates back to December with the Lancashire outfit posting only four triumphs in 19 (W4-D3-L12) with no Championship side returning a worse points per-game output in that same sample.

Middlesbrough 2.64 appear back on track following their own winter wobble. The Teessiders have taken top honours in four of their past six league outings (W4-D1-L1) to move back into play-off contention. However, Boro have tended to toil against the league's elite, returning W3-D4-L10 when facing-off against top-half teams this term.

Azaz to shine on Friday night

Blackburn's recent run suggests Rovers can be opposed. The Ewood Park side have managed just three shutouts in the second half of the campaign, leaking 24 goals in their last 19 dates, compared to 17 in their opening 20 tussles. Considering Middlesbrough are averaging 14.2 shots per-game, their highest average since 2014-15, a pro-Boro angle appeals.

Finn Azaz is enjoying a memorable season in the Boro attack, avergaing 0.64 goals involvements per-90. The Irish international has scored or assisted 21 Championship goals thus far and looks too big to turn down to for another on Friday night - the Sportsbook makes , an eye-catching price.

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Back Finn Azaz to score or assist @ 8/5