Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs. Derby County - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides that remain in Championship relegation danger face off at Ewood Park on Friday evening as Blackburn Rovers host Derby County.

The visitors have lost back-to-back games and enter this contest two places above the dropzone, while Rovers are 17th following a seven-game winless streak.

Match preview

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Derby's 1-0 home loss to league leaders Norwich City last weekend - Kieran Dowell scoring the only goal in that one - leaves them just four points above the relegation zone.

Should Rotherham United and Coventry City win their games in hand, Wayne Rooney's side will find themselves in the relegation zone.

Blackburn have a slightly healthier margin on the bottom three, though defeat on Friday and Tony Mowbray's men will well and truly be in the relegation mix.

This is a big game for both sides, then, as they each attempt to get back to winning ways with only four matches to go after this one.

The Blue and Whites can be happy with their point away at Cardiff City last time out, with Adam Armstrong scoring his second goal in added time to snatch a 2-2 draw.

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However, Rovers have now won just one of their last 15 league games, losing nine and drawing five. Not since February 2016, meanwhile, have they gone more games without a win.

Derby have won of their last ten Championship fixtures, conceding 14 goals and scoring just six in that stretch.

Indeed, since the start of that run on February 26, no team has picked up fewer points than the Rams in the entire division (six).

Bringing an end to that run on Friday will be difficult if recent results between these sides are anything to go by, with Derby losing three in a row at Ewood Park without scoring.

The Rams have lost five of their last seven league matches with Rovers overall, most recently falling to a 4-0 defeat earlier this season.

In what is a big game at the bottom end of the table, another loss here and Derby will be at serious risk of dropping into the third tier.

Team News

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Martyn Waghorn and Matt Clarke are in contention to return from respective hamstring and groin issues, while Nathan Byrne is also back after recovering from a head injury.

However, Derby remain without Lee Gregory, Jack Stretton and George Edmundson for this clash, which has been brought forward a day to avoid clashing with Prince Philip's funeral.

Louie Sibley, Louie Watson and Festy Ebosele were brought on as second-half substitutes against Norwich and are each pushing for inclusion in the starting lineup here.

As for the hosts, Bradley Dack will not play again this season - and possibly the rest of 2020 - while Joe Rothwell suffered an injury last week that ruled him out against Cardiff.

Lewis Holtby was brought on as part of a quintet of changes made after 78 minutes in the Cardiff game, giving an idea of what Mowbray thought of the performance up to that point.

While changes can be expected on Friday, Armstrong and Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott are surely assured of a starting spot in attack.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Kaminski; Nyambe, Lenihan, Harwood-Bellis, Douglas; Johnson, Trybull, Rothwell; Elliott, Armstrong, Dolan

Derby County possible starting lineup:

Marshall; Macdonald, Wisdom, Mengi, Forsyth; Roberts, Bird, Shinnie, Jozwiak; Kazim-Richards, Lawrence

We say: Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Derby County

Blackburn are winless in seven home games, failing to score in the last three of those, while Derby are without a victory in six away matches, failing to score in four.

This is likely to be a real scrap and, going by that recent form, we are tipping this one to finish as a low-scoring draw.