Blackburn v Derby: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Derby County are back in the Championship after a two-year absence and will be hoping to make a decent start in their first assignment which comes on Friday evening at Ewood Park against Blackburn.

Paul Warne, the man who masterminded three promotions from League One with Rotherham, has now completed a four-timer with Derby.

But it was staying up that Warne found a challenge with the Millers and, if Derby are to have more luck in their quest, then they could do with not dropping points at places like Blackburn, who only just stayed up last term.

Blackburn vs Derby betting tips and predictions

Blackburn to win - 6/5

Don't expect too many Friday night fireworks at Ewood Park, but do expect Blackburn to deliver for the home fans.

Rovers became a far tougher team to beat after John Eustace replaced Jon Dahl Tomasson in February, with nine of the 18 games under their current boss yielding draws. Four of those ended 0-0.

That defensive resolve certainly transformed the side and probably ensured they stayed up, coupled with some incredible results at the back end - with wins over Leeds and Leicester and a draw with Southampton housed in their last six matches.

They were better under Eustace though still reliant on Sammie Szmodics for goals and it seems last term's Golden Boot winner either won't be involved in this game, or won't even be at the club after a summer of heightening transfer speculation.

That will please Derby, but the fact that Blackburn improved under Eustace, are far sounder at the back and have made a few decent summer additions to his squad, should encourage the idea that Rovers are the best option.

They certainly enjoyed an unbeaten if unspectacular pre-season while integrating new players, the most exciting of whom are Japanese striker Yuki Ohashi, who was scoring goals for Sanfrecce in the J-League just three weeks ago, and bruising Senegal target man Makhtar Gueye who scored 11 times last season for Belgian top-flight outfit Mechelen.

Rovers have a bottom-half Championship feel about them, but Derby have a bottom-six look about them.

Warne's success rate in this level is poor and there is a feeling that with a few injuries to contend with and a style to be refined in a new division, the early days could be a struggle.

Yuki Ohashi any time scorer - 21/10

Rovers' fans have been counting down the days until last season's 27-goal top scorer Szmodics was sold for big bucks and weren't ever realistically planning for his involvement at Ewood Park.

And nor was manager Eustace judging by his decision to bring in bags of new firepower, including veteran Andi Weimann, Senegal powerhouse Gueye and, arguably best of all, Ohashi.

The relatively untapped Japanese market seems to have thrown up a gem in the pacy 28-year-old, who looked very exciting in Rovers' final pre-season game, a 1-0 win at Stockport.

The beauty of Ohashi is that not only has he enjoyed a decent 2024 in Japan - he has scored 15 goals in 27 league and cup matches - but he is also game-ready having signed off for Sanfrecce Hiroshima less than three weeks ago.

Ohashi could be a fascinating addition to the Rovers' attack and is well worth a dabble in the anytime scorer market.

Eiran Cashin to be booked - 21/10

Derby are set to spend a lot more time without the ball and defending than they did in 2023/24 and the pressure will be piled on the likes of Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin at the back.

Cashin is an outstanding Pride Park academy graduate, still only 22, and will be a busy man this season in either a four or five-man rearguard depending on how Warne sets up his defence.

He does like to bring the ball forward, is a threat in the box, but is also prone to picking up yellow cards. He earned 10 last season in a team who were going well, matching his 10 from the previous season.

He is a prime candidate to get a caution at Ewood Park.

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Blackburn v Derby odds

Blackburn - 6/5
Draw - 5/2
Derby - 21/10

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.