In this article…
Blackburn v Derby
📅
Kick Off: Friday 9th August at 20:00
🏆
Competition: Championship
📺
Watch Live: Sky Sports Main Event
A brand new season, but very familiar issues for Blackburn, they begin their seventh consecutive season in the Championship and fourteenth season under the ownership of the Venkys Group.
Problems with ownership are causing the greatest concern for the fans of the Ewood Park club. This has been a common issue since the 2010 takeover, which has been fairly disastrous for the former Premier League champions. The fans feel a certain sense of desperation as they seem further away from returning to the top flight than ever, and a lack of investment has meant that the facilities and the squad have shown signs of deterioration over recent years.
Derby County, on the other hand, are back on the up after a couple of seasons in League One. Their previous ownership issues were solved on relegation in 2022, and the appointment of Paul Warne in September 2022 allowed Derby to develop a blueprint for the restoration of Championship status. This plan involved getting strong characters and sturdy bodies into the team, and that experience and powerful style was ideal for achieving promotion.
Both of these teams are more likely to be keeping half an eye on the relegation battle than the top six, but pre-season optimism should mean that a rapturous atmosphere will greet the teams on the opening evening of the new season.
As the EFL makes its long-awaited return, make sure you stick around with Andy’s Bet Club for all of your football betting prediction needs. Whilst you’re here, we have plenty of Championship acca tips, in addition to a wide range of EFL betting tips for you to sink your teeth into.
We will be keeping you busy with a constant supply of expertly researched content including our both teams to score tips, as well as predictions for all of you bet builder lovers out there, including card betting tips, player shots on target tips and fouls betting predictions once the Premier League season gets underway.
Each goalkeeper to make 1+ saves in each half
Blackburn v Derby Best Bets
It is always difficult to know exactly where teams are at the very beginning of the season. On a general basis, both of these teams have concerns about their seasons as a whole, but it looks as though Blackburn are closer to a formula that the manager is happy with than Derby are.
We can expect a fair bit of continuity from last season in the starting XI of both sides. Blackburn will likely only give a single debut, but it is an important one. Makhtar Gueye needs to provide a platform for the team up front, but it is a tactic that could work well for Rovers if the 6’5 signing from RWDM in Belgium can hold the ball up and involve the likes of Tyrhys Dolan, Ryan Hedges, and, in a new role, Joe Rankin-Costello in the attack.
It is a slight concern that John Eustace didn’t manage to get a win over the line as Blackburn’s manager yet because this looks like a good opportunity to do so. In truth, the match looks to be a bit short on attacking quality, but Derby’s loose defence in pre-season edges thoughts slightly towards Rovers. Backing Blackburn in the draw no bet market, as the draw looks to be a dangerous runner here, could be the solution at 1.57.
Other good bets to consider here include looking at Joe Rankin-Costello in attacking markets. Rankin-Costello was always a dangerous attacking option from right-back or central midfield, but Eustace is playing him in a more advanced role, and he has bagged in pre-season already. First goalscorer is an option at 10.0, as is anytime goalscorer at 5.0.
Lewis Travis is back in the Blackburn team as captain after a loan away at Ipswich and will look to be his usual disruptive self. A card for him at 2.88 is worth considering, but also his direct opponents are likely to feel his presence too, and Ben Osborn, on debut, is a big price for a card at 6.0.
📂 Blackburn v Derby Cheat Sheet
There are so many ways to use our Cheat Sheets and we encourage you to find your own formula to pick a winning bet builder, however, if you’re unsure of how to use a Cheat Sheet, just click the link for some quick tips to help you make the most of it.
You can find even more match stats for Blackburn v Derby County on my bet builder stats tool, along with official line-ups one hour before kick-off.
To make sure you’re getting the full value of the betting market, check out our list of the best betting sites for accumulators and the top bet builder sites. You can take advantage of all the latest free bet offers and weekly free bet clubs, while our collated list of the best UK sports betting sites is also worth browsing.
We are committed to helping you become better sports punters, so if you’re unfamiliar with certain betting terminologies, we have plenty of useful resources to keep you clued in such as our xG in football article, available on-site.
If you enjoy this preview, make sure to check out our Blackburn v Derby County Bet Builder Tips to cover all bases ahead of the clash.
📊 Blackburn Form and Stats
There isn’t a great deal of evidence from Blackburn’s pre-season to go on. Rovers went unbeaten in pre-season but didn’t play any public matches against a team who would be ranked above them either domestically or on a worldwide basis.
They defeated Stockport 1-0 with a penalty tucked away by Tyrhys Dolan at Edgeley Park last week, and that also saw a starting debut for new striker Makhtar Gueye.
Gueye, and fellow new boy Yuki Ohashi, will be looking to help fill the void left by last season’s Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics, and, on the face of it, the signings make sense. Gueye’s back to goal work, and running of the channels, should create space for Ohashi to play his normal game just working off him.
From a Championship perspective, Blackburn actually didn’t win any of their last seven home matches and don’t have an official home win under John Eustace as a manager. That is a concern, and it is fair to say that Eustace encouraged a low-margin style of play in his stint at the end of the season, so it is important to observe whether this is likely to remain the same for this season.
📊 Derby Form and Stats
There are some warning signs from Derby’s pre-season work that are concerning enough to look out for as the season begins.
Goals have been conceded on a regular basis, four to Barnsley and four to Chesterfield in away defeats. Things were healed somewhat by a good 2-1 win at home to Spanish opposition Valladolid last week, which, at least, gave the home fans some optimism ahead of the season starting.
There is plenty of Championship experience in the Derby County XI so there is very little chance that they will be overawed by the occasion. The greater question is whether they can demonstrate the quality required to get the results to keep them in the Championship this season.
All of Derby’s pre-season friendlies went over 2.5 goals, but their last four League One matches saw BTTS-No collect, as did eight of their last ten league matches in total.
⚔️ Blackburn v Derby Head-to-Head
Both of these teams were part of the first-ever Football League season in 1888/89, so their official encounters go all the way back there. For the record, Blackburn won both matches in that inaugural season by an aggregate score of 5-0.
It would be churlish to suggest that the 1888/89 form helps us much with any form for this match though. Indeed, as Derby have spent two seasons in League One, there isn’t much recent form to go on at all.
Blackburn and Derby have met each other 159 times, and Blackburn actually have a substantial 61-42 lead in the head-to-head.
Indeed, Blackburn did the double over Derby in the last two seasons that Derby played in the Championship. Derby haven’t actually won at Ewood Park since 2014, and that victory was in turn the first one away at Blackburn since a Premier League meeting in 2001.
* We recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
18+ please gamble responsibly.
