Blackburn Rovers play host to Luton Town on Monday evening knowing that they can realistically ill-afford defeat if they want to give themselves every chance of making the Championship playoffs.
From Luton’s perspective, they require one win from the final two games to guarantee third in the table, although they have already assured themselves of a home second leg in the playoff semi-finals
Given the amount of time that they have spent in the top six this season, Blackburn will feel that they deserve a spot in the playoffs, yet they are now no more than outsiders.
That is a result of just one win and four defeats across an eight-game period which has come at the wrong time, Rovers now needing a bare minimum of four points to keep their hopes alive.
Defensively, Blackburn have conceded just three goals in four games, but shipping last-gasp equalisers to Coventry City and Preston North End could prove pivotal come the end of the season.
Coincidentally, Blackburn have fifth-placed Millwall on the final day of the season, opponents who sit three points ahead of Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side having played a game more.
The schedule of that fixture means that a draw would be enough to keep spirits up ahead of the long trip to London, yet earning a share of the spoils is far easier said than done.
Luton have put together a 12-match undefeated streak to ensure that they have secured a place in the playoffs with multiple matches to spare.
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Only Sheffield United holding their nerve has prevented a bid for the second automatic spot, but Rob Edwards would have always been realistic about their aim becoming a reality.
Instead, the 2-1 victory over fourth-placed Middlesbrough on Monday has given the Hatters every chance of finishing in third spot, and Edwards will use that as motivation to try to keep the performance levels of his players as high as possible ahead of what are effectively two meaningless games.
That said, Luton will want to extend an undefeated away streak which has lasted since December, a run which has now reached 11 matches, while Burnley are the only team to have beat Luton since the middle of January.
