Leicester vs Blackburn Prediction: Rovers can catch carefree Champions out

Leicester City's 3-0 win at Preston North End on Monday night confirmed their status as 2023/24 EFL Championship winners, but the Foxes have one more game to go until they can officially consider themselves a Premier League outfit, as Blackburn Rovers visit the King Power Stadium on Saturday (KO, 12:30).

Rovers aren't yet mathematically safe from relegation, so there is still a lot riding on this final-day fixture, which you can gear up for by reading my Leicester vs Blackburn prediction below.

Team News

Leicester made changes to their usual starting XI for the trip to Preston on Monday, with the likes of number two goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk, Conor Coady, Yunus Akgun and Kasey McAteer all handed opportunities to impress.

The quartet could keep their places for this weekend's game, and they may be joined by other fringe players including Tom Cannon, Callum Doyle and Dennis Praet.

It remains to be seen whether Jamie Vardy, who needs two more goals to hit 20 in the Championship this season, will be given the chance to add to his total from the start.

Scott Wharton, John Fleck and Harry Leonard will be sidelined for Blackburn's final fixture of the campaign, while there are doubts over Ryan Hedges and Arnor Sigurdsson.

Match Odds

Leicester are 3/5 to sign off in style this weekend, giving them an implied win probability of 62.5%, while Rovers can be backed at 18/5 (21.7%). The draw, which is all the visitors need to secure safety, is available at 11/4.

Both teams to score is 8/15 and a repeat of the 4-1 scoreline in favour of the Foxes in October can be found at 20/1.

Blackburn to win @ 18/5

Rovers only require a draw to confirm their Championship status for another season, but they won't want to be playing out a stalemate in the final stages and get hit with a late sucker punch that could send them down to League 1.

Therefore, I expect them to be going for victory on Saturday, and despite the 47-point gap between them and Leicester in the table, an away game at the league champions isn't as bad as it may seem.

I expect Enzo Maresca to ring the changes this weekend and give some of his fringe players and younger prospects the chance to show what they can offer in front of their supporters. That doesn't mean it will be a stroll in the park for Rovers - far from it as the hosts have a squad the envy of most in the division - but their starting XI could be made up of players who haven't played much this season, or at least not as a collective.

Blackburn thrashed Sunderland 5-1 away on April 1 and, more impressively, beat Leeds United at Elland Road on April 13. The Whites were still gunning for the title at that point and Rovers did a number on them.

There's no reason why they can't go to the King Power and do the same, against a potentially much weaker starting XI on paper, and produce a similar result.

Sammie Szmodics first goalscorer @ 15/2

Sammie Szmodics was the hero at Leeds as he fired the only goal of the game, and he has the chance to write his name further into Rovers folklore on Saturday.

After scoring five goals in 34 league appearances last season, you'd have been a very brave person to back the 28-year-old to be heading into the final day of the 2023/24 campaign as Championship top scorer, five ahead of anyone else.

But that's exactly what has transpired, with Szmodics' 25 goals pretty much the sole reason why Rovers are likely to preserve their league status.

Eustace's side have scored just twice in their last five games, and lo and behold, it is Szmodics who has struck both. He's responsible for eight of their last 10 league goals, and three of them have opened the scoring.

If Rovers are to win on Saturday, you'd back Szmodics to be heavily involved.

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