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Sheffield United host Blackburn Rovers this weekend with Valerien Ismael’s side needing a victory, and other results to go their way, to sneak into the Championship play-off places.
Blackburn Rovers’ hopes for a finish in the Championship play-offs looked dead just weeks ago, with pressure mounting significantly on Valerien Ismael.
Ismael started on a poor run since taking over from John Eustace, but his Rovers side have been in stunning form as the second tier climax approaches, taking 13 points from their last 15 on offer.
Rovers head to Sheffield United on Saturday, needing to take three points from Chris Wilder’s high-flying side who have already cemented third-place, to have any hopes of a top-six finish.
In-form creative spark Todd Cantwell has now revealed Rovers’ mission for the imperative final day fixture.
Todd Cantwell wants to ‘put a marker down’ in Sheffield United vs Blackburn Rovers
Ismael’s side have enjoyed an impressive purple patch over recent weeks, winning their last four on the spin, including a surprise 1-0 win at Sunderland.
Most recently, Rovers beat Watford 2-1 after going a goal behind in which Cantwell scored the equaliser, buoyed by fellow top-six hopefuls Coventry controversially losing at Luton and Middlesbrough enduring a goalless draw to Norwich.
Results will need to go Rovers’ way again this weekend, with Ismael’s side currently one point adrift of sixth-place in the Championship table before the final day, meaning they need a win at Bramall Lane while Frank Lampard’s side and Millwall both drop points against Boro and Burnley respectively.
Regardless of table permutations, Rovers’ first order of business is three points against the Blades, and Cantwell believes the clash offers Ismael’s side a chance to show their quality in light of a potential sixth vs third reverse fixture in next month’s promotion-defining campaign.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 5 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 45 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 57 | 53 | 4 | 67 |
| 6 |  CoventryCoventry | 45 | 19 | 9 | 17 | 62 | 58 | 4 | 66 |
| 7 |  MillwallMillwall | 45 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 66 |
| 8 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 45 | 19 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 47 | 5 | 65 |
| 9 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 45 | 18 | 10 | 17 | 64 | 54 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 |  West BromWest Brom | 45 | 14 | 19 | 12 | 52 | 44 | 8 | 61 |
Per Rovers TV, Cantwell said: “It’s been a bit of an up-and-down season, but our recent run of form has been really solid and really positive, so to get that win leaves it all down to the final day,
“It’s a sign of good character. The manager’s big on never losing a game in a bad way. Always fight back, always keep going.
“You never know what can happen, you can score two goals in two minutes. So I think the second half (against Watford) was really positive.
“I think that’s a really good momentum builder. If we do win the game and we do find ourselves in the play-offs, I think our momentum will be probably one of the best,
“It’s the drama of the Championship. I think from the bottom of the league to the play-off run, I think anything could happen.
“All we can do is put it in our hands by winning the game. That’s not going to be easy against Sheffield United, because they want to keep their momentum up.
“If we want to potentially beat them in the play-offs, we need to go there and put a marker down and it’d be a good time to do so.”
Ismael believes Cantwell can make the difference in their promotion push, but must do better than the reverse fixture against the Blades back in November, if Rovers are to sneak into the play-off places.
Worrying Blackburn Rovers statistic from reverse fixture vs Sheffield United
Under Eustace, Rovers were beaten 2-0 at home by the Blades back in early November, thanks to goals from Harrison Burrows and Tyrese Campbell that sent Sheffield United second in the table.
Rovers dominated the possession, enjoying 58 percent of the ball, but failed to lay a glove on Wilder’s side. Even more worrying is the fact that Rovers failed to register a shot on target against the Blades, with all of their nine shots during the defeat failing to worry Michael Cooper.
Fast forward to today, Rovers are the form team in the second tier going into final day, winning four on the spin and scoring eight goals in their last four outings. Ismael’s side needs to take that hot goalscoring streak into the Sheffield United clash to have any chance of a top-six finish and defy OPTA’s play-offs prediction.