Blackburn Rovers v Watford: play-off push meets survival fight | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers face Watford in the Championship at Ewood Park on 24 January 2026, with the hosts trying to climb out of the relegation places and the visitors chasing the play-offs.

Blackburn Rovers are 22nd with 28 points, Watford sit seventh on 42. Rovers won the reverse fixture 1-0 in September and also edged the most recent home meeting 2-1 in April 2025.

Form-wise, Blackburn Rovers are winless in five league games. The Hornets have three wins in their last five Championship matches, but only one point from their last two.

Blackburn Rovers list 10 injured players, including Ryan Hedges, Scott Wharton and goalkeeper Aynsley Pears. The Hornets are without Matthew Pollock and Othmane Maamma.

Rovers average 0.9 goals per game and have yet to score from a set piece, so they may lean on open play deliveries, where their cross accuracy is 19.28%. Hornets score 1.4 per game with 81.32% pass completion, and carry threat via Luca Kjerrumgaard on seven league goals and creator Imran Louzan with six assists.

A home win would take Blackburn Rovers to 31 points and could move them out of the bottom three. Victory would lift the Hornets to 45 points and could push them into the play-off places.