- Fourth-placed Norwich are looking to leapfrog Blackburn to put themselves back on the fringes of automatic promotion
- Blackburn have lost three of their last four Championship games, conceding seven goals in the last two
- Recommended bet: Norwich to win and over 2.5 goals

Fourth welcomes third in a crucial Championship promotion clash, but Blackburn supporters will be starting to worry about their top-six chances after heavy defeats either side of the World Cup break.

Last weekend's 4-1 loss to Preston came as a shock to a side who are used to winning on home soil, but their recent away form will be more of a concern ahead of this trip to a promotion rival.

Jon Dahl Tomasson's visitors have lost seven of their last 10 league away games and now head to fourth-placed Norwich, who will be chasing a victory that would lift them above Blackburn into third place – and back within touching distance of the automatic promotion places.

Team news

Norwich manager Dean Smith will be without full-back Sam Byram and youngster Jon Rowe until January with hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively. Midfielder Jacob Sorensen remains out with an ankle injury that has sidelined him since August but is hoping to return in the next fortnight.

Midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Marcelino Nunez missed last weekend's trip to Swansea and are doubts on Saturday.

Blackburn will be without right-back Callum Brittain until February after he damaged knee ligaments last weekend, while young striker Jake Vale is expected to be sidelined until the end of the month with a calf injury. 

Rovers left-back Harry Pickering is a slight doubt with illness. 

The stats 

Blackburn have lost five of their last seven Championship away games and all three of their trips to teams in the top nine this season have produced 3-0 defeats for Rovers. 

However, while Norwich's recent form of three wins and just one defeat in five games suggests the hosts should take all three points, Smith's men have struggled to shut opponents out at Carrow Road. 

The Canaries have managed just one clean sheet in their last seven home league matches, conceding 1.43 goals per game in that run, and have won to nil in just five of 22 Championship outings this term. 

Prediction 

While Norwich's recent run of form rightly makes them favourites against a Blackburn side who have struggled on the road in 2022-23, this might not be plain sailing for the hosts. 

Prior to their run of 10 points from five games, the Canaries had endured a six-match winless run in which they had lost four times. 

And their defensive struggles point to an end-to-end encounter against Rovers, who have lost three of their last four matches and have shipped seven goals in their last two, but have still found the net in six of their last eight games. 

In Ben Brereton, Rovers have one of the most sought-after strikers in the division, with a host of Premier League clubs showing an interest in the Chile international last summer. His return of nine goals this season makes him the joint-top scorer in the division and he could be of interest to Bet Builder players. 

But while Rovers may fancy their chances of scoring at Carrow Road, the hosts have the quality and form to take all three points from a crunch clash – back Norwich and over 2.5 goals at 9/5 with LiveScore Bet.