Middlesbrough will look to return to winning ways on Boxing Day when they host Blackburn Rovers at the Riverside Stadium in the Championship.
Our Three Predictions For Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers
- First Prediction: Middlesbrough To Win – 5/6
- Second Prediction: Both Teams To Score – 4/5
- Third Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals – 9/10
First Prediction For Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers – Middlesbrough To Win – 5/6
Middlesbrough missed a glorious opportunity to move within 3 points of leaders Coventry City on Saturday when they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Bristol City. This signalled the first loss for new boss Kim Hellberg, who had started life at the Riverside Stadium with 4 straight wins.
A return to home soil on Boxing Day should provide all the tools to bounce back. The 37-year-old has won both his games on Teesside to date, recording victories over Derby County and Queens Park Rangers.
Meanwhile, Blackburn ended a run of 5 games without a win at the weekend when they secured a 2-0 triumph over high-fliers Millwall at Ewood Park. Still, it’s been a miserable campaign for the 1995 Premier League champions and they currently sit just 2 places above the relegation zone.
Valerien Ismael will be keen to return to the kind of away form which saw them pick up maximum points at Leicester City, Bristol City and Preston North End in November. This will be a tough ask though against a team which boast one of the best home records in the Championship.
Second Prediction For Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers – Both Teams To Score – 4/5
Middlesbrough have surged up the table in the both teams to score market in recent weeks, with the loss at Bristol City the first time since the beginning of November they haven’t scored and conceded in the same outing. This ended a run of 8 successive games, including the first 4 of Hellberg’s tenure.
Overall, Boro have achieved this feat in 64% of their fixtures to date. However, this does rise slightly to 70% at the Riverside Stadium.
Blackburn rank considerably lower here, with 52% of their games seeing both defences breached. This has increased in recent weeks though, with 3 successive 1-1 draws against Wrexham, Ipswich Town and Oxford United followed by a 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth.
Furthermore, the Lancashire-based side have failed to score just once in their last 12.
Third Prediction For Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers – Over 2.5 Goals – 9/10
A prediction which follows nicely into the last one. Middlesbrough have been involved in games featuring 3 or more goals on 12 occasions this season, with Saturday’s result the ending a run of 5 successive high scoring affairs.
The last 4 at the Riverside Stadium have all achieved this feat and as they haven’t kept a clean sheet since a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in October, they’re likely to need to score twice to secure a vital 3 points.
Despite their lowly position, Blackburn have been relatively strong in front of goal. Although they rank quite low in this market, with just 43% of their outings going over this market, this has been dragged down by their spate of draws in recent weeks.
Their opponents have scored at least twice in their last 4 home games and it’s hard to bet against them following suit here.
Best Odds For Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers
| Bookmaker | Middlesbrough | Draw | Blackburn Rovers |
| NRGBet Sports | 5/6 | 13/5 | 31/10 |
| Bet442 Sport | 17/20 | 13/5 | 13/4 |
| 7bet Sports | 7/9 | 13/5 | 3/1 |
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
Middlesbrough have put themselves in an excellent position at the halfway stage of the season to challenge for a place in the Premier League next year. They hold a 5 point gap over third placed Ipswich Town, although Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Bristol City was hugely disappointing.
Leaders Coventry City have suffered a blip in recent weeks, which saw Boro half their lead at the top of the table prior to the weekend. The Sky Blues once again dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Southampton, which could have seen the Teessiders move within 3 points.
That opportunity has gone though, and Kim Hellberg will be keen to return to the kind of form which saw him become an instant hero at the Riverside Stadium. Taking over following the 4-2 defeat to Coventry, the Swede picked up 4 successive wins to kick start his tenure, beating Derby County (2-1), Hull City (4-1), Charlton Athletic (2-1) and Queens Park Rangers (3-1).
Meanwhile, Blackburn look to be shaping up for a fight to stay in the Championship. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Millwall did ease the pressure somewhat, opening up a 6 point gap on the bottom 3.
That victory also ended a run of 5 games without a win, which started with a 1-0 home defeat against QPR. They followed this with 3 successive 1-1 draws against Wrexham, Ipswich and Oxford United before falling to a 2-1 loss at Portsmouth.
Middlesbrough won the last meeting between the pair when they left Ewood Park with a 2-0 victory in April. However, Blackburn did secure 2 wins at the Riverside Stadium last season, triumphing 1-0 twice in the league and the FA Cup.
Overall, Rovers have the far superior record in this fixture. They have picked up 65 wins from 146 prior clashes, whilst Boro have won 41 times. The duo have played out 40 draws, the last of which was in March 2024.
26/12/2025
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Blackburn 0 0 04/04/2025
Championship
Championship
Blackburn Rovers Middlesbrough 0 2 11/01/2025
FA Cup
FA Cup
Middlesbrough Blackburn Rovers 0 1 27/11/2024
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Blackburn Rovers 0 1 16/03/2024
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Blackburn Rovers 0 0 10/01/2026
FA Cup
FA Cup
Fulham Middlesbrough 3 1 L 04/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Southampton 4 0 W 01/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Derby Middlesbrough 1 0 L 29/12/2025
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Hull 0 1 L 26/12/2025
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Blackburn 0 0 D 04/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Blackburn Charlton 2 2 D 01/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Blackburn Wrexham 0 2 L 29/12/2025
Championship
Championship
Sheffield Wed Blackburn 0 0 D 26/12/2025
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Blackburn 0 0 D 20/12/2025
Championship
Championship
Blackburn Millwall 2 0 WConfrontation
Last Results - Middlesbrough
Last Results - Blackburn
Where To Watch Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers
Where can I watch this game, either in person or on TV?
- Location: The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, TS3 6RS
- Date: December 26th, 2025
- TV Channel: Sky Sports +
Probable Lineups For Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers
Predicted Middlesbrough Lineup
- Lineup: Brynn; Brittain, Jones, Targett, Ayling; Whittaker. Browne, Hackney, Gilbert; Conway, Stelrac
- Injured/Suspended: Dieng, Lenihan, Kante, Fry, Morris, McGree
- Manager: Kim Hellberg
Predicted Blackburn Rovers Lineup
- Lineup: Pears; Miller, McLoughlin, Pratt; Litherland, Morishita, Tronstad, Pickering; Cantwell; Ohashi, Gudjohnsen
- Injured/Suspended: Toth, Garrett, Wharton, Kargbo, Carter, Montgomery, Forshaw, Ribeiro, Alebiosu
- Manager: Valerien Ismael
