Michael Carrick’s ‘difficult’ Blackburn Rovers verdict may have had Middlesbrough worried, they won’t be now

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Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers meet for the third time this season on Friday night, with Michael Carrick’s side in search of their first win of the campaign against the Lancashire outfit.

The previous league outing ended 1-0 at The Riverside thanks to Dom Hyam’s late goal. Just a matter of weeks later, they met again in the FA Cup third round, with Boro losing at home via the same scoreline.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
7	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	39	16	9	14	59	49	10	57
8	Bristol CityBristol City	39	14	15	10	49	42	7	57
9	WatfordWatford	39	15	8	16	47	51	-4	53
10	NorwichNorwich	39	13	13	13	61	54	7	52
11	BlackburnBlackburn	39	15	7	17	42	41	1	52
12	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	39	14	10	15	54	60	-6	52
13	MillwallMillwall	39	13	12	14	37	40	-3	51
14	PrestonPreston	38	10	17	11	39	44	-5	47
15	QPRQPR	39	11	12	16	45	53	-8	45

Andi Weimann’s goal settled the scores in the cup defeat against John Eustace’s men, but Michael Carrick is now set to face Valerien Ismael at Ewood Park. Blackburn’s play-off hopes hang by a thread and it could be a potentially pivotal fixture for numerous sides in the play-off race.

Middlesbrough could crash into the play-offs for the first time since mid-January with a win against Rovers, while applying pressure to the likes of Coventry City and West Brom in the process.

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Michael Carrick drops Blackburn Rovers verdict

Carrick has done a terrific job on Riverside, and while there may be some Middlesbrough fans concerned by an away trip to a side that have twice won against them, it’s a different game against an out-of-form Rovers.

Since Ismael took charge of his first match as Blackburn boss in the 1-1 home draw with Norwich City on the first day of March, that remains his best result in charge of the club.

All of the last four games have been defeats against Championship relegation-threatened sides in the shape of Derby County, Stoke City, Cardiff City, and Portsmouth respectively.

Speaking pre-match prior to their FA Cup defeat in January, via the Middlesbrough website, Carrick said: “They’re a really, really good team.

“They made it difficult for us when we played them earlier in the season and we weren’t at our best.

“They’ve had some really good results. John Eustace has done a terrific job and they’re right up there with us, up and around it.

“What Saturday looks like, we’ll have to wait and see. It’s about us and what we need to get from the game, how we can approach the game and putting in a good performance.”

It’s fair to say that the good team comment could not be further from the truth, with Blackburn’s season going up in flames without a dramatic turnaround in the coming weeks.

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Blackburn Rovers are the worst Championship team in 2025

In the time that Ismael has been at Blackburn, no other side has accrued fewer points than him in the Championship. Only QPR have picked up one point in that time, with every other team winning at least four in the same time frame.

It’s even worse viewing when taking the table since the turn of the year, with Blackburn miles off the required form, standards, and momentum to be a serious play-off contender. A reset and perhaps the sale of the club from the Venky’s is now required.

The same problem applies to Boro, who may have recently picked up in form, but they have given themselves more work to do after a difficult start to January and some of February.

They have less to fear at Ewood Park, though. Boro have won four and drawn one in the last six league games, and their firepower could overwhelm Blackburn in the reverse fixture after disappointment on Teesside.