Blackburn Rovers vs Derby County

Blackburn Rover’s new Championship campaign gets underway at Ewood Park as they take on newly-promoted Derby County.

Blackburn Rovers barely kept hold of their Championship status last term, finishing 19th out of 24. Despite a torrid campaign, the Rovers have decided to stick with manager John Eustace, who arrived at the club in February. Blackburn notoriously struggled for consistency toward the end of 2023/24, with their last nine league matches alternating between different outcomes (W3, D3, L3). But seven of those nine games saw one or both teams fail to get on the scoresheet, suggesting whoever opens the scoring in this fixture would likely take three points. Despite their underwhelming 2023/24 campaign, the Riversiders head into proceedings in a buoyant mood, having defeated Derby in six of their last seven league meetings (L1), including a thumping 3-1 win in this corresponding fixture in March 2022.

On the other hand, Derby County steamrolled to a runner-up finish in the 2023/24 League One season to earn an immediate Championship promotion after financial turmoil saw them relegated to the third tier two years ago. Much of the credit for Derby’s lightning-fast return to the second-tier competition goes to manager Paul Warne, who built the team from scratch in the summer of 2023. Warne’s men have blown hot and cold across their 11 league travels in 2024 (W5, D3, L3), but their recent record at Ewood Park casts doubt on Derby’s bid to mark their Championship return with a win. The Rams have lost their last five away league matches against Blackburn, failing to score on three occasions.