Blackburn Rovers Have Overachieved – John Mousinho | OneFootball

Gary Oakley/Getty Images

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho feels that Blackburn Rovers have overachieved in the Championship this season and expects Rovers to make it very tough for his team to play at Fratton Park on Saturday.

Blackburn are currently in a battle to secure a playoff spot at the end of the campaign, as they sit ninth in the Championship table, five points behind sixth-placed West Brom.

Valerien Ismael’s men have, however, endured a poor run form recently, losing three on the bounce and are winless in their last five matches.

Mousinho believes the international break would have provided Ismael the opportunity to implement his style of play in the team, after the 49-year-old was appointed as Rovers boss last month.

The Pompey boss feels that the Ewood Park outfit have overachieved this season, as Rovers finished 19th in the Championship last season, just three points outside the relegation zone.

Mousinho expects the game to be a difficult one against Ismael’s men this weekend but also revealed his interest to see how Blackburn set up against Pompey at Fratton Park.

He told Pompey TV (1:09): “I think it is difficult to predict, first and foremost because the new manager probably had his first stint and actually had a good spell with the players.

“An important point is that even the side that he inherited they have had quite a few games relatively.

“But still maybe we have not seen the manager’s ability to actually put his mark on the team and I think having the international break we might see a bit more of that.

“So it is going to be interesting to see what Blackburn side we see at the weekend but they have been very good this year, an excellent side.

“They have overachieved I think and they will come to Fratton Park and make it a difficult game.”

Blackburn are currently on a six-game undefeated run against Pompey, with their latest victory coming earlier this season in January, when Andreas Weimann, Callum Brittain and Makhtar Gueye scored in the second half to secure a 3-0 win for Rovers.

Portsmouth will hope to end their winless run against the Ewood Park outfit, which stretches back to 2008, as Pompey look to secure their status as a Championship club for at least another season.