Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

Both looking to post their second victories of a hectic Championship week, West Bromwich Albion and playoff-chasing Blackburn Rovers lock horns at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.

The Baggies produced a marvellous second-half comeback to win at Wrexham on Tuesday night, whereas the Rovers had a heroic goalkeeping performance to thank for maximum points at Bristol City.

Match preview

Back-to-back derby-day defeats by Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City either side of the international break took the shine off a promising start to the season for West Brom, who then responded positively in Wales on Tuesday night.

It appeared as if the Baggies were hurtling towards three consecutive losses for the first time under head coach James Morrison when Kieffer Moore netted a stunner for Wrexham, however, late efforts from Isaac Price and Aune Heggebo won the contest for the visitors.

After turning out victorious in exactly half of their 10 second-tier contests so far in 2026-27, West Brom are currently occupying sixth spot in the Championship standings, two points ahead of Saturday's visitors Blackburn in ninth position.

Much was made in pre-season of the small size of Morrison's Albion squad, although the Baggies rotated well at the Racecourse Ground, with George Campbell slotting into defence as Nat Phillips took a breather following errors in the losses to Wolves and Birmingham.

Aiming to record back-to-back Championship successes for the third time already this campaign, West Brom return to The Hawthorns, where they have collected just a single point from recent clashes with Queens Park Rangers (1-1) and Birmingham (0-1).

With the threat of a Championship relegation battle looming over his head, Blackburn head coach Tony Mowbray pleaded with the club's owners on the eve of this season, asking for further reinforcements in the summer transfer window.

Unsurprisingly, significant financial backing did not arrive from the Venky's, however, the 62-year-old has still managed to guide Rovers away from trouble as the campaign reaches its quarter-way mark.

Since a 2-1 home defeat by Sheffield United on September 8, Blackburn have won three of their past four Championship matches, collecting a commendable 10 points, keeping them on the coattails on the playoffs.

The Rovers' fourth second-tier victory of the term arrived on Tuesday night at Ashton Gate, where a long-range effort from Oladapo Afolayan and seven-save performance by Balazs Toth led to the demise of Bristol City.

Blackburn are now on a mission to enjoy three straight Championship wins for the first time since November 2025, with Mowbray's former employers standing in the way of that achievement.

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

Team News

After turning the Wrexham game on its head off the bench earlier in the week, West Brom pair Heggebo and Jimmy-Jay Morgan should return to the starting XI on Saturday.

That Morrison decision would likely lead to academy graduate Harry Whitwell and summer signing Barney Stewart dropping out of the side.

The Baggies are without the services of right-back Noah Galves (knee) for the remainder of the season, so Brayann Pereira is set to continue in defence.

Blackburn boss Mowbray has confirmed that Scott Wharton will travel to The Hawthorns this weekend, with the club set to make a last-minute decision on whether the defender should feature.

The return of the 29-year-old left-footer is set to eventually reduce the workload of Sean McLoughlin, who has played all 900 minutes of Rovers' Championship campaign so far.

Whilst Andri Gudjohnsen and Afolayan continue on the goalscoring trail, fellow striker Yuki Ohashi is recovering from a hamstring injury.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

O'Leary; Pereira, Phillips, Campbell, Styles; Molumby, Diakite, Nzingoula, Price; Morgan, Heggebo

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:

Toth; Atcheson, Carter, McLoughlin; Alebiosu, Morsy, Montgomery, Pickering; Afolayan, Cantwell, Gudjohnsen

We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Blackburn Rovers

West Brom will be high on confidence after turning the game around late on at Wrexham earlier in the week.

With Morgan and Heggebo rotated back into the XI, the Baggies should be strong enough to beat Blackburn, who had to work extremely hard for victory at Bristol City on Tuesday.

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