Derby County travel to Blackburn Rovers in their opening game of the season next week.
Derby County head to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in the opening game of their 2024/25 Championship season.
It’s a return to the Championship for the Rams who spent two years in League One, with current boss Paul Warne the man to guide the Rams out of the third tier.
Blackburn Rovers are spending their seventh season in the Championship.
Last time round, Rovers finished in 19th place of the table, with former Birmingham City boss John Eustace getting Rovers over the line.
It was a shaky season for Blackburn who toyed with the bottom-end of the table for much of the campaign.
And for Eustace, it was an equally rocky campaign after being sacked by Birmingham City with the club in 6th, only to watch his Blackburn side finish above Birmingham City who were relegated to League One.
Here we look at how Blackburn Rovers have shaped up during this summer’s pre-season…
Who has John Eustace signed at Blackburn Rovers this summer
Blackburn Rovers have spent a bit of money this summer, mainly bolstering their attacking third.
Rovers have spent a reported fee or around £1.8million on signing striker Makhtar Gueye from Belgian outfit RWD Molenbeek, as well as spending around £1.25million on striker Yuki Ohashi from Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Elsewhere, left-winger Aodhan Doherty has joined from Northern Ireland’s Linfield, with experienced Championship duo Andreas Weimann and Danny Batth joining on free transfers, along with former Everton youth goalkeeper Jack Barrett.
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What has Blackburn Rover’s pre-season looked like so far
Blackburn Rovers have so far played seven pre-season games, winning three, drawing two, and losing two, with a game away at League One Stockport County on Friday concluding their pre-season.
Rovers have spent time in Austria where they faced German outfit Nurnberg, playing them twice on the same day and losing both games 2-1.
Blackburn have beaten Tranmere Rovers twice in two games on the same day, also beating Accrington at the start of the summer.
Their last two friendlies have ended in 1-1 draws; against Morecambe and then Wigan Athletic.
In total, Rovers have scored 14 goals in pre-season, conceding eight.
What should Derby County and Paul Warne expect from John Eustace’s Blackburn Rovers
Eustace certainly steadied the ship for Blackburn Rovers last season.
And he did so by playing largely the same style and tempo that he played at Birmingham City, which heavily favoured sitting back, soaking up pressure, and then breaking.
His Rovers side grounded out results against some of the leagues big-hitters in Leeds United, Southampton, Coventry City, and Leicester City in the final weeks of the season, so Derby should certainly approach this game with a lot of caution.
But Derby can take hope from the fact that Rovers’ home form was poor last time round; they finished 23rd in the home form table, taking 25 points from a possible 75 at Ewood Park.
Rovers also bolstered in the necessary places this summer. They’ve added some unknown quantities to their attacking in Gueye and Ohashi as well as some always-vital Championship expertise in Weimann and Batth.
So Blackburn look as though they have a well-rounded squad, and a very psychical one too with the additions of Weimann and Batth at either end of the pitch.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this new-look, and arguably more technical Rams side copes against what’ll be a physical and tiring Blackburn Rovers outfit next week.