Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

Blackburn Rovers aim to move further away from the Championship relegation zone this Friday evening when they host Lancashire rivals Preston North End at Ewood Park.

The visitors will be aiming to move back into the playoff places with a victory and, in the process, get the bragging rights over their local adversaries.

Match preview

Blackburn have struggled for most of the season, as they currently occupy 20th in the division, collecting only 35 points from their 32 fixtures in the Championship this campaign, leaving them only three points above the drop zone.

This poor performance and the real threat of relegation led to the departure of Valerien Ismael with his replacement being current Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, who will do both jobs until the end of the season.

Rovers fans will be encouraged by the start of his tenure, as he secured a 3-1 victory away to Queens Park Rangers, but they will know there is still a lot of work to do to secure their status in the division for next season.

The hosts will be desperate to win consecutive games in the league for the first time since November, and should they do so, they will complete a league double over their Lancashire rivals; it would be the third time they could achieve it this millennium after doing so in 2001 and 2022.

Blackburn have had the better of Preston of late, as they are unbeaten in their last four Championship fixtures against them, last suffering a league defeat to the Lilywhites in November 2023.

Fans will hope that new manager O’Neill can improve the club’s home record, as only Sheffield Wednesday (four) have collected fewer points on their own turf than Rovers (14) this season.

The visitors come into this game on a three-match unbeaten run in the league and are still battling to finish in the playoffs by the end of the campaign.

Preston currently occupy eighth in the Championship, level on points with Derby County, who are sixth, after 32 league fixtures with 12 wins and 12 draws while suffering defeat on eight occasions.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side will be desperate to improve their recent away record in the division, as they have only managed one win in their last five, when they beat Bristol City 2-0 on January 4.

Preston will be confident of avoiding defeat to Blackburn this weekend due to their recent record at Ewood Park, as they have only lost two of the last nine, with five of those games being wins.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

L D L W L W

Preston North End Championship form:

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Team News

Blackburn have had their injury problems this season, and this will continue for the visit of Preston with Scott Wharton, Ryan Hedges, Matty Litherland, Augustus Kargbo, Sidnei Tavares and George Pratt all ruled out.

O’Neill has also confirmed that they will be without Todd Cantwell for the next couple of weeks, while Lewis Miller will be ruled out for the rest of the season after being stretchered off in the victory over QPR.

Preston are still expected to be without Daniel Iversen, Robbie Brady and Brad Potts due to injury for this match.

Callum Lang made his debut for the club last weekend off the bench, but he may be in line to make his first start for Preston in this crucial game against their Lancashire rivals.

Heckingbottom will likely start the pair of Lewis Dobbin and Milutin Osmajic up front against Rovers, as they are the top goalscorers for the club so far this league season, with the English striker netting seven and the Montenegrin registering six.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Toth; Alebiosu, Carter, McLoughlin, Cashin; Baradji, Tronstad; Morishita, Jorgensen, Afolayan; Gudjohnsen

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Cornell; Gibson, Storey, Offiah; Lang, McCann, Whiteman, Devine, Vukcevic; Dobbin, Osmajic

We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Preston North End

Blackburn will be desperate to improve their home record to benefit their fight against relegation; however, Preston have their own ambitions, and a win will help them move into the playoffs.

It should end in a draw, as while both sides desperately want a win, they may approach it in a negative fashion, as a loss could be detrimental to the pair.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.