Following a one-year absence due to their Premier League adventures, Burnley will take part in the East Lancashire derby on Saturday afternoon as Blackburn Rovers visit Turf Moor in the Championship.
The Clarets have endured a difficult seven days across all competitions as August nears its conclusion, whilst Rovers were also on the losing side during the week.
Match preview
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Most likely accompanied by flashbacks of their troubling 2023-24 term in the Premier League, Burnley have suffered back-to-back defeats over the past week across the Championship and the EFL Cup, with the Lancashire giants losing two away matches without scoring a goal.
After thrashing both Luton Town and Cardiff City by an aggregate scoreline of 9-1 during the opening two weekends of the second-tier term, the Clarets received a rude awakening at the Stadium of Light last Saturday, when a first-half Romaine Mundle strike sentenced the visitors to a maiden defeat of the campaign.
Looking to make amends for their first competitive loss of the 2024-25 schedule, Scott Parker's side travelled to Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night for an EFL Cup second-round tie, in which the top-flight hosts advanced courtesy of a Goncalo Guedes brace.
Having collected a respectable tally of six points from their opening three matches back in the Championship, the Clarets currently occupy fifth in the very early second-tier standings, three points behind pacesetters Sunderland and Watford - the only two sides who still have their 100% records intact.
With the summer transfer window drawing towards its dramatic conclusion, Burnley have added a pair of Premier League faces to their ranks over the past week as they look to secure an immediate return to England's top table, with Hannibal Mejbri and Joe Worrall joining from Manchester United and Nottingham Forest respectively.
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After navigating their first four fixtures of the competitive schedule unbeaten, Blackburn Rovers were one of the shock losers in the second round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, when the Lancashire club were dumped out of the competition by League One visitors Blackpool.
Rovers appeared as if they would cruise into the third-round draw after Makhtar Gueye held his nerve from 12 yards out to hand the hosts a deserved lead, but John Eustace's men were victims of a second-half comeback from the Seasiders, who secured progression courtesy of efforts from Jake Beesley and Hayden Coulson.
Focusing on Championship matters, Blackburn have enjoyed a stellar start to the season despite the loss of last campaign's Golden Boot winner Sammie Szmodics to Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town, earning seven points from three matches, meaning that they sit ahead of arch rivals Burnley heading into this weekend's clash.
Following the recent trend of poaching talent from the J1 League, Rovers secured the services of Yuki Ohashi over the off-season, with the 28-year-old proving to be a shrewd addition so far, scoring two goals during his first three Championship appearances despite starting just the single fixture.
Blackburn will be looking to end a six-game losing streak in the East Lancashire derby stretching back to September 2013 on Saturday afternoon, with the Clarets' most recent success in this fixture coming back in April 2023, when Vincent Kompany's troops secured the second-tier title at Ewood Park.
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Team News
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Burnley remain without the services of attacker Mike Tresor during the early stages of the season, with the Belgian recovering from a leg injury.
The Clarets are also unable to call upon the second-tier knowhow of Nathan Redmond, who is expected back in October from a troubling knee problem.
Plying his trade at full-back last season for Kompany's Burnley, Vitinho is being used in a more advanced position on the right flank for the hosts by Parker this term.
Blackburn's options at centre-back are limited by the absence of Scott Wharton, who is set to miss the remainder of the calendar year due to a cruciate ligament injury.
After being rested from the start during the defeat to Blackpool in the EFL Cup, the likes of Ohashi, Tyrhys Dolan and Ryan Hedges should return to the starting XI at Turf Moor.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Hladky; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Pires; Vitinho, Cullen, Brownhill, Hountondji; Foster, Rodriguez
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Brittain, Carter, Hyam, Pickering; Tronstad, Travis, Rankin-Costello, Dolan, Hedges; Ohashi
We say: Burnley 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Burnley have enjoyed all of the bragging rights from this fixture over the past decade and will be confident of continuing their excellent record in the East Lancashire derby on Saturday.
Blackburn are still a major threat in attack despite the departure of Szmodics, but we feel that the visitors will narrowly lose out at Turf Moor this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
