Luton Town, Portsmouth FC may be licking their lips at current Blackburn Rovers trend | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers' poor form under new manager Valerien Ismael will offer hope to Luton Town and Portsmouth ahead of their upcoming games.

It is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive battle to avoid relegation from the Championship, and Portsmouth and Luton Town are two of the teams still in danger of dropping into League One.

It looked as though Portsmouth had all but secured safety after an impressive 1-0 home win over league leaders Leeds United earlier this month, but back-to-back defeats to Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End have dragged John Mousinho's men back into the survival fight, and they are currently only four points clear of the relegation zone.

Matt Bloomfield endured a tough start to life at Luton after making the move from League One high-flyer Wycombe Wanderers to replace Rob Edwards in January, but his side have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks.

The Hatters picked up a crucial 2-1 victory over relegation rivals Cardiff City earlier this month before following it up with a 0-0 draw at home to play-off chasing Middlesbrough last time out, but they remain 23rd in the table, four points from safety.

It is set to be a tense period for Portsmouth and Luton between now and the end of the season, but they are both due to face Blackburn Rovers in the coming weeks, and the current poor form of the Lancashire outfit will give the pair hope of recording a much-needed victory.

Alarming Blackburn Rovers trend will encourage Portsmouth and Luton Town

Blackburn suffered a huge blow last month as head coach John Eustace departed to take over at relegation-threatened Derby County, with a lack of support from the club's board said to have been the reason behind his decision to move on.

Despite his poor record in his previous two Championship jobs at West Bromwich Albion and Watford, Valerien Ismael was surprisingly named as Eustace's replacement, but it has been a nightmare start for the Frenchman at Ewood Park.

Andreas Weimann's 96th-minute equaliser salvaged a point for Rovers in a 1-1 draw against Norwich City in Ismael's first game in charge, but since then, they have suffered three consecutive defeats against sides near the bottom of the table in Derby, Stoke City and Cardiff City.

In fairness to Ismael, Blackburn's form was already in decline long before his arrival, and they lost seven of Eustace's final 11 games prior to his move to Pride Park, but recent results have done little to reassure those supporters who were concerned by the appointment of the 49-year-old.

Having been sixth when Ismael took over, Rovers are now five points from the play-off places, and Eustace's exit has reignited long-standing frustrations with the club's ownership, with talk of potential protest action over the coming weeks.

With that context in mind, it could be argued that it is the perfect time for Portsmouth and Luton to face Blackburn, and they will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of their relegation rivals, who have taken points off Ismael's side.

Portsmouth and Luton Town should be optimistic ahead of Blackburn Rovers clashes

While their away form has left a lot to be desired, Fratton Park has become something of a fortress for Portsmouth in recent months, and they will no doubt be relishing the visit of Blackburn on Saturday.

Pompey suffered a rare home defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by bottom side Plymouth Argyle earlier this month, but prior to that, they had won their previous three games on their own patch, including the aforementioned victory over Leeds.

In contrast, Blackburn have won just one of their last nine away games, suffering seven defeats in that time, and given their struggles under Ismael, it is difficult to make a case for them picking up a result on the South Coast this weekend.

Like Portsmouth, Luton have been much stronger at home than away this season, with 27 of their 35 points coming at Kenilworth Road, and they host Rovers on 12th April.

Blackburn have three games before their trip to take on the Hatters, so there is a chance that their form could have improved by then, and the international break may have come at the perfect time to allow Ismael to implement more of his ideas on the training ground.

Given the inconsistency of those challenging for the play-offs, Ismael's men do still have an opportunity to reach the top six this season if they can turn their fortunes around, but that looks highly unlikely at this stage.

While their own season seems to be petering out towards a disappointing mid-table finish, Blackburn could have a big part to play in the relegation battle, and Portsmouth and Luton