Blackburn Rovers go into the final day with their Championship safety secured and Leicester City already relegated when the teams meet at Ewood Park. The sides face each other on Saturday after Blackburn beat Sheffield United 3-1 in midweek and Leicester’s fall was confirmed last week with a draw against Hull City.
Yuki Ohashi and Ryoya Morishita scored for Blackburn in that victory, while Harrison Burrows netted a second-half consolation for Sheffield United. The result ended any lingering concern around Blackburn, who were in the remaining relegation spot when Michael O'Neill was appointed as interim manager halfway through February.
O'Neill has steadied a side that looked headed for trouble when he arrived. In 14 matches under his charge, Blackburn have won five, drawn five and lost four, a return built on just enough consistency to move them clear of danger. That run matters now because it allows them to finish the campaign on home soil without the pressure that surrounded them two months ago.
Leicester arrive with a very different burden. They are already set for League One next season after relegation was sealed by the draw with Hull, and they followed that up with a 1-1 draw against Millwall. The club also carried a six-point deduction for breaches of EFL regulations, a blow that sharpened the damage in a season that has unravelled quickly.
The fall is striking even by the standards of a club with a 142-year history. Leicester became only the fifth side to suffer relegations from the Premier League and Championship in consecutive seasons, and it is their second drop in a row after winning the Premier League title a decade ago. The contrast with Blackburn is stark: one side has escaped, the other is still counting the cost of a collapse that began long before April.
There is still one practical question left for O'Neill and Blackburn, and it is not about survival. He will be without Hayden Carter, Axel Henriksson and Lewis Miller for the visit of Leicester, which leaves the manager to manage the final day with a limited group. Blackburn already beat Leicester 2-0 in the reverse fixture, so the home side will now try to end the season by repeating that result against a relegated opponent that has spent the spring looking backward.
