Rotherham saw their winless run extended to seven matches across all competitions after they were comprehensively beaten 4-1 away against Ipswich Town in the FA Cup third round last weekend.
Conor Washington restored parity from the penalty spot just two minutes after the break to provide the travelling Millers supporters with hope of a comeback. However, three goals in the final 15 minutes, including a strike from former Rotherham man Freddie Ladapo, helped the League One outfit secure their place in the fourth round.
Matt Taylor has now lost 10 of his 17 games as Rotherham boss since replacing Paul Warne in October and the pressure is beginning to mount on the 40-year-old, with his side struggling at the wrong end of the Championship table.
Indeed, a 3-0 loss away at Millwall on New Year’s Day has seen the Millers slip to 21st in the table, just one point above the relegation zone where they could end up at the end of this weekend if they fail to beat Blackburn.
Rotherham head into Saturday’s clash having won only one of their last 12 league meetings against Blackburn and suffered a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture at Ewood Park in October.
Unlike Rotherham, Blackburn managed to progress to the FA Cup fourth round courtesy of a slender 1-0 away win at Norwich City on Sunday, with Jack Vale – returning from injury – scoring the only goal of the game just after the half-hour mark.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side now turn their attention back to the Championship and they are still the only team in England’s top four divisions who are yet to draw so far this campaign, winning 14 and losing 12 of their 26 league matches.
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Indeed, their 1-0 victory away at Cardiff City on New Year’s Day equalled Bolton Wanderers’ second-tier record of 26 successive games without a draw back in 1934-35; either a win or defeat on Saturday will see Rovers break the all-time record.
A run of five defeats in their last eight league matches has seen Blackburn’s hopes of securing an automatic promotion spot slip away, as they now sit nine points behind Sheffield United in second and 14 points adrift of Burnley at the summit.
Blackburn’s recent wins over Cardiff and Norwich will have given them confidence ahead of Saturday’s trip to Rotherham, although they head to the New York Stadium having failed to win each of their last four visits to the Millers.
