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Matchday 9 · · Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City: lineups

Last updated:

Blackburn Rovers 16 · 9 points
Cardiff City 21 · 7 points

Predicted lineups Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City

Blackburn Rovers 5-4-1
22 Tóth or Pears
3 Pickering
15 McLoughlin
17 Carter
6 Atcheson
2 Alebiosu
21 Afolayan
31 Montgomery
8 Morsy
25 Morishita
10 Cantwell

Predicted lineup for Blackburn Rovers: Tóth, Pickering, McLoughlin, Carter, Atcheson, Alebiosu, Afolayan, Montgomery, Morsy, Morishita, Cantwell

Cardiff City 4-2-3-1
1 Trott
3 Bagan
4 Osho
48 Lawlor or Bielik
38 Ng
27 Colwill
18 Robertson
16 Willock
8 Moylan
11 Tanner
45 Ashford or Robinson

Predicted lineup for Cardiff City: Trott, Bagan, Osho, Lawlor, Ng, Colwill, Robertson, Willock, Moylan, Tanner, Ashford

Blackburn Rovers

Harry Pickering made his first start at left-back last time out, replacing Yuri Ribeiro, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury after four starts in the previous five matches. There was better news on Augustus Kargbo, who played and scored in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Everton on 2 October following his return from a hamstring problem.

Oladapo Afolayan has three goals and an assist in his last five appearances, while Ryoya Morishita and Kristi Montgomery have also found the net in that period. Tony Mowbray's side are also without Adam Forshaw, Mathias Jörgensen, Matthew Litherland, Scott Wharton, Yuki Ohashi and Lewis Miller.

Cardiff City

Krystian Bielik begins a two-match suspension at Blackburn after receiving an FA ban. Dylan Lawlor, available again after a muscle injury, is expected to come into the back four in his place, while Rubin Colwill is also ruled out with an ankle problem.

Will Fish is back in contention after a hernia issue, although he is not expected to start, and Isaak Davies has returned to training. Gabriel Osho should continue at centre-back, with Perry Ng and Joel Bagan unchanged at full-back. Jack Moylan has two goals and an assist in Cardiff’s last five games, while Yousef Salech has contributed a goal and an assist. The side are expected to retain the 4-2-3-1 used in each of those five matches.

Injuries and suspensions

Blackburn Rovers

  • Adam Forshaw Hip injury Unavailable
  • Augustus Kargbo Muscle injury Unavailable
  • Lewis Miller Achilles tendon injury Unavailable
  • Mathias Jörgensen Hamstring injury Unavailable
  • Matthew Litherland Muscle injury Unavailable
  • Scott Wharton Achilles tendon injury Unavailable
  • Yuki Ohashi Hamstring injury Unavailable
  • Yuri Ribeiro Hamstring injury Unavailable

Cardiff City

  • Calum Chambers Knee injury Unavailable
  • Dylan Lawlor Muscle injury Unavailable
  • Isaak Davies Muscle injury Unavailable
  • Rubin Colwill Health problems Unavailable
  • Will Fish Hernia Unavailable

Players to watch

The five players from each team with the most combined goals and assists this season.

All stats

Blackburn Rovers

  1. Oladapo Afolayan 3 goals 2 assists
  2. Andri Gudjohnsen 3 goals 1 assists
  3. Ryoya Morishita 2 goals 1 assists
  4. Sean McLoughlin 1 goals 0 assists
  5. Kristi Montgomery 1 goals 0 assists

Cardiff City

  1. Jack Moylan 3 goals 1 assists
  2. Yousef Salech 2 goals 1 assists
  3. Cian Ashford 2 goals 1 assists
  4. Rubin Colwill 1 goals 1 assists
  5. Perry Ng 1 goals 0 assists

Playing time and form

Who has played the most in recent weeks, and how have they performed?

Blackburn Rovers

Player Starts Min. Form
Sean McLoughlin 5/5 450 solid
Ryoya Morishita 5/5 450 mixed
Sam Morsy 5/5 427 solid
Kristi Montgomery 5/5 427 mixed
Ryan Alebiosu 5/5 404 solid
Todd Cantwell 5/5 404 mixed
Oladapo Afolayan 5/5 359 strong
Tom Atcheson 4/4 318 mixed

Cardiff City

Player Starts Min. Form
Nathan Trott 5/5 450 solid
Perry Ng 5/5 450 solid
Joel Bagan 5/5 449 solid
Alex Robertson 5/5 448 strong
Gabriel Osho 5/5 442 strong
Yousef Salech 5/5 435 mixed
Jack Moylan 5/5 432 solid
Ollie Tanner 5/5 422 solid

Pre-match prediction

Pre-match goals forecast
1.50 1.79
  • Predicted goals2.9
  • Both teams to score75%
  • Over 2.5 goals75%
  • Corners11.5

Team comparison

BLB home Per match CAR away
1.50 Points 0.25
1.75 Goals for 0.75
1.50 Goals against 1.75
1.50 xG for 1.79
1.64 xG against 1.55
4.5 Corners 7.0
WLLW Home and away form DLLL

Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City: head-to-head record

22 previous meetings
7 Blackburn Rovers 8 draws 7 Cardiff City
  • Goals per match2.50
  • Both teams scored55%
  • Over 2.5 goals41%
  • Mar 2025 Blackburn Rovers 1 - 2 Cardiff City
  • Nov 2024 Cardiff City 1 - 3 Blackburn Rovers
  • Feb 2024 Cardiff City 0 - 0 Blackburn Rovers
  • Oct 2023 Blackburn Rovers 1 - 0 Cardiff City
  • Sep 2023 Blackburn Rovers 5 - 2 Cardiff City
  • Jan 2023 Blackburn Rovers 1 - 0 Cardiff City
  • Oct 2022 Cardiff City 1 - 0 Blackburn Rovers
  • Jan 2022 Cardiff City 0 - 1 Blackburn Rovers
  • Sep 2021 Blackburn Rovers 5 - 1 Cardiff City
  • Apr 2021 Cardiff City 2 - 2 Blackburn Rovers

Frequently asked questions

Who is the referee for Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City?

Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City will be refereed by Tom Nield.

When will the lineup for Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City be announced?

Predicted lineups will appear on this page a few days before the match. Confirmed teams usually follow around an hour before kick-off, scheduled for .

Who is unavailable for Blackburn Rovers against Cardiff City?

Blackburn Rovers are without Adam Forshaw (hip injury), Augustus Kargbo (muscle injury), Lewis Miller (achilles tendon injury), Mathias Jörgensen (hamstring injury), Matthew Litherland (muscle injury) and Scott Wharton (achilles tendon injury). The full list is above, with the injuries and suspensions.

Who is unavailable for Cardiff City against Blackburn Rovers?

Cardiff City are without Calum Chambers (knee injury), Dylan Lawlor (muscle injury), Isaak Davies (muscle injury), Rubin Colwill (health problems) and Will Fish (hernia).

What formation do Blackburn Rovers play?

Blackburn Rovers have used a 5-4-1 in 2 of their last 5 matches. In their last match, they played a 5-4-1.

What formation do Cardiff City play?

Cardiff City have used a 4-2-3-1 formation in their last 5 matches under Barry-Murphy.

How did the last meeting between Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City finish?

On 15 March 2025, Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City finished 1-2.

Other matches from matchday 9 of the Championship

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