Blackburn Rovers vs Luton Town verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets

Blackburn Rovers Championship play-off hopes hang in the balance and they'll need to beat Luton Town on Monday to stand a chance.

Championship, Monday, May 1, Kick-off 5:30pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event

Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Luton Town

Under 2.5 goals

Blackburn's collapse has been dramatic. Rovers had won one of their last 10 to go from automatic challenger to play-off chaser.

Blackburn Rovers have a poor record against Luton, winning just one of the last 10 meetings.

Luton Town are unbeaten in 11 away matches, the second-longest unbeaten away run in club history.

Luton have lost once in their last 18 Championship matches, a 1-0 defeat at home to Champions Burnley.

John Buckley (leg), Sam Gallagher (leg), Jack Vale (ankle), Daniel Ayala (hamstring) and Clinton Mola (ankle) are all unavailable for the home side.

Gabriel Osho (knee), Reece Burke (groin), Dan Potts (hamstring) and Jack Walton (muscle) will all miss the trip to Ewood Park for Luton.

Blackburn Rovers are one of five teams who could still finish either side of the dotted play-off line going into the season's final week. Rovers' form has been atrocious for weeks, but they are the only side in the chasing pack with two games remaining.

Despite their poor form, Rovers were seconds away from back-to-back wins. Those results would have meant just one point from their remaining two games would have guaranteed a play-off place.

First, Coventry goalkeeper Ben Wilson scored a 95th-minute equaliser at Ewood Park. Days later, Dominic Hyam scored a 94th-minute own goal at Deepdale. Blackburn's fate is somewhat in their hands, but they'll need to win both games and hope for an 11-goal swing.

They would have liked an easier game than Luton Town. Although the Hatters have secured their play-off place and have one eye on the postseason, they look unbeatable.

Town have lost just one of their last 18 Championship matches, a 1-0 defeat at home to Burnley, and they're unbeaten in their last 11 away matches.

If a historic 11-goal swing is going to happen, it's unlikely to make much progress against Luton. The Hatters have conceded just five goals in their unbeaten run away from home.

From a betting point of view, it seems likely this will be a cagey, low-scoring game. Neither side are particularly expansive and a win for either would need to come in an attritional manner.

Luton are typically better at grinding out results in such games, as demonstrated by their 1-0 win away to Sheffield United recently, but Blackburn can't afford to settle for a draw and might have to open up at some point.

Regardless of what's on the line for the hosts, Luton have the defensive quality to stand firm and they'll want to maintain their unbeaten run going into the playoffs.