Having recently been competing for an automatic spot, Blackburn would have hoped to make sure of a top-six position over the closing games of the season.
However, a run of nine points from 11 matches have left Tony Mowbray’s team as outsiders for a return to the Premier League, Rovers having played at least one more match than many of their rivals.
After fighting back to defeat Derby County, Mowbray would have hoped for a second win in quick succession ahead of the trip to fellow strugglers Reading before the international break.
Instead, the Royals scored the only goal of the game 12 minutes from time, leaving Blackburn in a position where defeat on Saturday would leave them at risk of dropping down to ninth spot.
Mowbray’s make the trip to the Coventry Building Society Arena having failed to win on their travels since January 15, a run spanning seven fixtures.
Their hosts have also struggled in recent weeks, the Sky Blues heading into this fixture having prevailed in just one of their last six games.
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That said, looking at the bigger picture, Coventry have only recorded back-to-back wins on one occasion since the middle of September, a startling statistic given that they have remained in and around the playoff picture for so long.
Mark Robins’s team head into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw at Derby County, making it four points from three games, but the winless streak over the previous period has ultimately cost them.
While Coventry are certainly not out of the playoff race, they are very close to must-win territory, and success over a direct rival could act as the catalyst that they require to keep the pressure on the teams above them
