Bournemouth make the trip to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers looking for the victory which will strengthen their bid to finish in second position in the Championship standings.

At a time when the Cherries are bidding for automatic promotion, Blackburn remain in the hunt for the playoffs, the home side sitting three points adrift of the top six.

Match preview

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With Nottingham Forest now breathing down their necks and beating Fulham on Tuesday night, Scott Parker would have been aghast to see his Bournemouth side 3-0 down at Swansea City.

However, should they eventually seal second spot, their comeback in South Wales will go down as one of their most important in recent years, the Cherries netting three times in the final 18 minutes to claim a miraculous share of the spoils.

Kieffer Moore, back from injury, changed the game with a double from the substitutes' bench, and the Wales international has the potential to be the difference maker when it comes to fending off Forest.

Next week's showdown between the two clubs will already be on a lot of people's minds, but Parker and his squad know that they can ill afford to get distracted ahead of a game against opponents who have no choice but to go on the offensive.

Although Bournemouth have posted four draws in an unbeaten five-match streak, their last two points have been salvaged in added-on time, providing them with momentum heading into this contest as they bid to remain at least three points ahead of Forest.

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Tony Mowbray has spent the last few months as Blackburn manager becoming increasingly frustrated, his side frequently squandering chances and points to drop outside of the playoffs.

On Monday evening, however, there were signs that Rovers could click back into gear before the end of the campaign, the visitors recording a much-needed 4-1 victory at Preston North End.

Each of those strikes came within the opening 52 minutes, a ruthlessness not seen since December, and it has put Blackburn in a position where wins over Bournemouth and Birmingham City may be enough to creep into the top six.

Mowbray would have been encouraged to see four different players get on the scoresheet, although he may have taken more satisfaction out of Ben Brereton Diaz making a contribution given his struggles since the turn of the year.

With Sheffield United still to face Fulham, there is a window of opportunity for the North-West side, and Mowbray can only hope that his talented squad seize their chance to remain competitive heading into the final weekend.

Team News

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Mowbray made the decision to switch to a back four against Preston, and the move likely paid off in part due to Preston being surprised by the change of approach.

Nevertheless, Rovers are expected to line up with the same team for this contest, Ryan Hedges keeping his place on the right flank after struggling for game time since his move from Aberdeen.

Ian Poveda-Ocampo has recently returned from a long-term injury and will only be considered for another place on the substitutes' bench at best.

As for Bournemouth, Parker will almost certainly hand a recall to Philip Billing, who could be preferred to Ryan Christie in midfield.

Despite the impact that he made against Swansea, Moore will only feature among the replacements with Parker having no reason to switch to two frontline strikers.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Lenihan, Van Hecke, Wharton, Pickering; Travis, Rothwell; Hedges, Buckley, Brereton Diaz; Gallagher

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Travers; Laird, Phillips, Kelly, Smith; Lerma, Cook, Billing; Lowe, Solanke, Anthony

We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-3 Bournemouth

Playing catch-up with just two matches remaining, Blackburn must throw caution to the wind, aware that anything but a victory could see them miss out on the playoffs. However, that plays into the hands of Bournemouth, and we expect their superior attack to net several times in a comfortable victory.

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