Sheffield Wednesday travel to Blackburn Rovers in the Championship this weekend.
Sheffield Wednesday make the trip to Lancashire on Sunday where they face a Blackburn Rovers side who’ve shored up in recent weeks.
Not so long ago, Rovers looked as though they could drop into the bottom three.
But John Eustace’s side have moved up into 17th after losing just one of their last four in the Championship, now having a five-point gap to safety.
Danny Rohl‘s Owls meanwhile remain in 23rd.
Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their last seven now, but have also lost just one of their last five outings.
This weekend, 7,000 Sheffield Wednesday fans will travel to Blackburn in what is a sell-out away end.
Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield Wednesday H2H
The reverse fixture was a memorable one for Sheffield Wednesday fans.
The Owls won 3-1 in a win that arguably got the Owls going under Rohl, with Wednesday then going on to claim wins against Stoke City and QPR in the next few games.
In their club history, Sheffield Wednesday have beaten Blackburn Rovers 61 times, losing 57 and drawing 39.
The Owls have won their last two games against Blackburn Rovers but haven’t won at Ewood Park since 2016.
Last time these two teams met at Ewood, the game ended 1-1, with Adam Reach scoring for Wednesday on Boxing Day of the 2020/21 campaign.
Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield Wednesday score prediction
And giving his score prediction for the game this weekend, former Owls midfielder and now Sky Sports pundit David Prutton highlighted the form of Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics.
He’s now scored 24 in the Championship this season, netting the winner for Blackburn in their impressive 1-0 win away at Leeds United last time out.
Prutton said:
“He’s very much in the form of his life, so I think they’re going to have a pretty tough task to try and pin him down. The goal that he scored against Leeds was wonderful, giving Illan Meslier the eyes and going over him instead of round to the bottom. So it’s an intriguing one. I think Wednesday have definitely got their work cut out keeping him quiet.”
Prutton predicts a 2-2 scoreline.
How can Danny Rohl keep Sammie Szmodics at bay
Szmodics is certainly a danger man and someone who’ll be right at the fore of Rohl’s thinking this weekend.
Right now, Di’Shon Bernard is sidelined but nearing a return, though returning to the XI and having to deal with Szmodics may be a big ask of the Wednesday centre-back.
Michael Ihiekwe will no doubt start, and Rohl might fancy deploying the athletic Bambo Diaby as a sort of man marker on Szmodics; though there’ll be the fear of Diaby giving away a penalty with Szmodics also very agile.
The defensive shape and selection this weekend will certainly be a talking point, and if Bernard is fit to start then he’ll no doubt walk into the XI.
Kick off this weekend is at 12:30pm on Sunday.