Blackburn 1/1 to beat Preston in Friday’s Championship derby showdown

Competition: Championship

Market: Blackburn win

Odds: 1/1 @ 888sport

Opening up this weekend’s Championship fixtures with a Lancashire derby at an empty Ewood Park, Blackburn will host Preston on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, after being left disappointed to have suffered a 1-0 loss away at QPR last weekend, there is no doubt that Blackburn will be desperate to make a return to winning ways. After missing a real chance and now sat six points adrift of finding a route back into the play-off spots, Head Coach Tony Mowbray also saw his side’s four-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end. Never the less, while the Rovers might have left West London empty-handed last time out, Blackburn should be smelling a golden chance on home soil this week. Still largely impressive since opening the New Year, it should also be highlighted they picked up a thumping victory when they faced off against their local rivals earlier in the season. Landing a 3-0 romp when they made the trip to Deepdale back in November, it’s worth keeping an eye out for Mowbray’s men on Friday.

As for the visitors, while Preston might still just be hanging onto their spot in the top-half of the Championship table, Alex Neil’s men do find themselves in the midst of a real sluggish patch. Eventually hit with a 2-1 loss at home against second-tier returners Rotherham last weekend, the former Norwich boss has seen his side suffer back-to-back defeats. More worrying, collecting just a single point since January 24th, it appears that their close-fought 1-0 win against Birmingham last month was just a minor boost. On the verge of slipping out of the top-12, the Whites have recorded just a single win across any competition since opening 2021. With their recent issues highlighted by a stunning 4-1 drumming at the hands of Wycombe in the FA Cup last month, we’re backing another tricky night for Preston across Lancashire this week.

Bet: Blackburn 1/1 to beat Preston in Friday’s Championship derby showdown @ 888sport