'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Cardiff City will be aiming to recover from a heavy defeat when they host struggling Blackburn Rovers at the Cardiff City Stadium in the Championship on Saturday.
The Bluebirds were thrashed 5-0 by Sheffield Wednesday earlier this week, their biggest loss of the season.
Darren Moore's side were rampant, racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening stanza before scoring two more goals to deal the Welsh outfit a hammer blow.
Even though they remain in eighth position, back-to-back losses have allowed Millwall to close the gap on them. The only thing separating the sides is goal difference.
Blackburn are in a much worse position, languishing down in 17th and without a victory in six consecutive games.
In fact, they've only won once from their last 14 outings. Having once seemed like promotion hopefuls, the Riversiders are now left teetering near the relegation zone.
Cardiff City vs Blackburn Rovers Head-To-Head
In 71 meetings between the sides, the spoils are closely shared, with Cardiff winning 24 times against Blackburn and losing another 26.
They played out a goalless stalemate earlier in the campaign but the corresponding fixture last year resulted in a 3-2 win for the visitors.
Cardiff City Form Guide (all competitions): L-D-W-L-L
Blackburn Rovers Form Guide (all competitions): L-D-D-L-L
Cardiff City vs Blackburn Rovers Team News
Cardiff City
The Bluebirds will be without captain Sean Morrison once again due to a calf strain he suffered in the loss to Nottingham Forest last week.
Joel Bagan has undergone shoulder surgery and will play no part here. Meanwhile, Joe Bennett is still working on his recovery from an ACL injury.
Injured: Sean Morrison, Joel Bagan, and Joe Bennett
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Blackburn Rovers
Lewis Holtby returned from a knee injury in their last game, coming off the bench in the second half for his first league appearance since mid-February.
However, fellow midfielder Bradley Dack is still recovering from his cruciate ligament damage and will be out for the game.
Joe Rankin-Costello was taken off before halftime in their Good Friday game against Wycombe Wanderers. He has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a metatarsal fracture.
Injured: Bradley Dack and Joe Rankin-Costello
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Cardiff City vs Blackburn Rovers Predicted XI
Cardiff City (3-4-3): Dillon Phillips; Curtis Nelson, Aden Flint, Ciaron Brown; Perry Ng, Marlon Pack, Will Vaulks, Joe Ralls; Jonathan Wilson, Kieffer Moore, Sheyi Ojo.
Blackburn Rovers (4-3-3): Thomas Kaminski; Ryan Nyambe, Darragh Lenihan, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Barry Douglas; Bradley Johnson, Tom Trybull, Joe Rothwell; Harvey Elliott, Adam Armstrong, Tyrhys Dolan.
Cardiff City vs Blackburn Rovers Prediction
Both sides are coming off back-to-back losses in the league, so this could go either way.
But given the fragile defenses in both camps, we believe this game will produce a low-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: Cardiff City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
