Blackburn Rovers

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Blackburn Rovers midfielder Ryan Hedges says their recent good form will be wasted if they don't maintain their promotion push.

Rovers go into Saturday's Championship meeting with Luton on the back of a five-game winning streak which has propelled them up to fifth place in the table.

"We've been in this position before since I've been at this club and it came to nothing so we know that it means nothing at this moment in time," Hedges told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Most of the squad has been here and experienced the highs and lows so we have to learn from that."

A run of just three wins from their final 16 matches last season saw Rovers finish 19th last term having been seventh at the halfway stage of the season.

But Hedges believes they are better prepared this time around with more experienced figures in the dressing room.

"We're in a much better place with the squad depth," he added.

"This time last year I was the oldest player in the changing room at 28 whereas now I'm in the middle of the pack, which is what you would find in most dressing rooms."

Both Blackburn and Luton picked up three points in their midweek games, with Rovers winning 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday and the Hatters beating Stoke 2-1.

Blackburn are on an impressive run of five straight victories and are fifth in the Championship, seven points off the automatic promotion spots with a game in hand.

Luton are 15th and five points above the drop zone but have won just once away from home this season (D1 L7) and conceded 15 goals in their past four games on the road.

• Blackburn Rovers have won just one of their past 11 league games against Luton Town (D4 L6), a 1-0 victory in January 2021 courtesy of an Adam Armstrong strike.

• Luton have lost just one of their past five away league games against Blackburn (W2 D2), having lost five of their previous six league trips there (D1).

• Blackburn have won six of their nine league games at Ewood Park so far this season (D1 L2); since 2001-02 Rovers have only won at least seven of their first 10 such games to begin a campaign, doing so in 2022-23 (8).

• Luton have lost each of their past six away league games, conceding 20 goals in that run (3.3 per game); the Hatters haven't endured a longer such run in the EFL in February 2020 (run of 11).

• Luton have lost 14 away league games in 2024, their most in a year as an EFL side since 2008 (also 14). They last suffered more away defeats in a year back in 1991 (15).

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Blackburn Rovers' squad depth and unity will allow some players not currently in contention for selection to eventually be heroes, boss John Eustace said.

Tuesday's 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday, which lifted Rovers to fifth in the Championship, came despite a substantial amount of absentees.

"I said after Saturday [against Hull City] that those players who aren't involved in that game are going to be matchwinners and really important members in the team throughout the season, and tonight [against Sheffield Wednesday] was a fine example of that," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We've got nine players out so it just shows whoever is needed and ready.

"All these players who aren't playing at the moment are going to be huge parts of the playing staff going forward.

"We've got 27 games to go so those who aren't heroes at the moment will certainly be heroes at the end of the season."

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Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace welcomes back club captain Lewis Travis for the midweek Championship trip to Sheffield Wednesday.

The 27-year-old midfielder picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Leeds United on 30 November, meaning he missed Saturday's 1-0 win at Hull City - Rovers' fourth league victory in a row.

Travis was replaced by Stoke City loanee Lewis Baker at the base of the midfield at the MKM Stadium but is likely to return to the starting line-up at Hillsborough on Tuesday.

Rovers' win on Saturday also marked the 900th consecutive game in which an academy player was available to play for the club's first team, a record going all the way back to 2009.

And Eustace revealed he was proud of the club's continued record of producing homegrown talent.

"It just shows you what a special football club this is and the work that goes on behind the scenes from the academy staff is second to none," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Sheffield Wednesday are looking to put themselves in the promotion mix after their recent climb up the table and face Blackburn on Tuesday evening.

The Owls are unbeaten in their past four games (W2 D2) - a run of results that has lifted them from 15th to ninth and five points behind Rovers in the play-off spots.

Blackburn arrive at Hillsborough off the back of four straight wins and also have a game in hand on the five sides above them.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their past three league games against Blackburn, last winning more in a row over Rovers via a streak of five victories between 1964 and 1966.

• Blackburn Rovers have lost five of their past six away league games against Sheffield Wednesday, winning the other 5-0 in January 2020.

• Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten in six midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W3 D3), keeping a clean sheet in each of their past four and winning both of their past two in succession.

• After their 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in November, Blackburn could win successive away midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games for the first time since February 2018 (5 in a row).

• Josh Windass has scored in each of his past three league appearances against Blackburn Rovers for Sheffield Wednesday (3 goals).

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Premier League winner Mark Atkins says Blackburn will be in with half a chance of making the play-offs if they can negotiate the next few weeks and invest in January.

Rovers have won four on the bounce - and kept three clean sheets in the process, following Saturday's 1-0 win at Hull City - to return to the Championship's top six.

Rovers face seven matches in less than four weeks, starting with a trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday before games against Luton, Millwall, Sunderland and Hull to come in December before Leeds and Burnley await in the first four days of 2025.

Atkins told BBC Radio Lancashire that Rovers' form was "massively impressive", adding: "Two or three weeks ago, they'd lost three on the trot. To take that to four wins on the bounce is fantastic and the clean sheets are a massive bonus.

"It's a great start, but it's just a start at the minute, they have got to keep going. December is a big month – if you can get through December and still be in those play-offs then you're in with half a chance."

Rovers have only scored 10 goals in their past 13 games and Atkins hopes the January transfer window is used to strengthen in attack.

"The centre forward area is a problem, you need somebody who is going to score goals," said the 56-year-old, who made more than 300 appearances in seven years with Rovers and was part of the team that won the Premier League title in 1995.

"If they can get somebody who is going to get you 10 goals before the end of the Championship season then that would be fantastic. That's the one position you'd say is a bit weak at the minute."

Andi Weimann and Yuki Ohashi are Rovers' joint leading scorers with five apiece, with Sammie Szmodics in third place on three, having left the club in mid-August.

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Managerless Hull head into their home clash against Blackburn seeking to avoid a sixth successive defeat - something they have not experienced since the end of the 2019/20 season, when they were relegated from the Championship.

The Tigers, who sacked Tim Walter just over a week ago, have gleaned just three points from their last 10 games but could climb out of the bottom three with a much-needed victory.

However, they face a Rovers side who cross the Pennines in good form after winning three games in a row, including victories over promotion contenders Middlesbrough and Leeds - and could climb into the top six themselves with another three points at the MKM Stadium.

● Hull City won both of their league games against Blackburn Rovers last season and will be looking to win three in succession for the first time in this fixture's history which was first contested back in August 1949.

● Blackburn have won three of their last five away league games against Hull City (L2), with each of those victories coming via a 1-0 score line.

● Hull are winless in their last 10 league games (D3 L7), losing the last five in a row. They last had a longer league losing streak in July 2020 (6).

● After a run of four games without a win (D1 L3), Blackburn have won each of their last three league games; they last won four in a row in March 2023.

● Only Plymouth (14) have conceded the opening goal in more Championship games this season than Hull City (13), losing each of their last seven games in the competition in which they've done so.

Image source, BBC Sport

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Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace has given an update on some of the club's injury worries ahead of their upcoming trip to Hull City on Saturday (kicks-off at 15:00 GMT).

Midfielder Arnor Sigurdsson is a couple of weeks away from a return after sustaining a thigh injury at the start of November.

"We've got to be really careful with Siggy. He came back about three weeks ago and just pushed it a little bit too early so we've got to build him up properly," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It's important when he comes back next time that he doesn't break down so we've got to look after him."

Meanwhile goal keeper Balazs Toth is "still struggling" with his ankle injury and forward Andi Weimann (knee) will also miss out on the visit to the MKM Stadium.

Defender Hayden Carter is recovering from his knee surgery and is currently expected to make his return towards the end of January or early February.

Matthew Cresswell
BBC Sport England

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Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace has singled out Tyrhys Dolan for praise following his side's 1-0 victory over Leeds United at the weekend.

Dolan was awarded the player-of-the-match award after his excellent jinking run into the box led to him being up-ended by Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka and a penalty being awarded, which was duly despatched by Todd Cantwell - the game's match-deciding moment.

"He was outstanding," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire. "Ty’s a fantastic young player, he’s got a lot of games under his belt.

"There’s a lot of pressure on him to perform and when we were playing him in that number 10 role, coming in for Sammie [Szmodics], that might have been playing on his mind a little bit.

"But the way that he’s took to his task the last couple of games has been outstanding."

Dolan has started 14 of Rovers' 16 Championship matches, scoring twice and providing two assists, and Eustace has been impressed with the level of the 22-year-old's performances so far this campaign.

"His work-rate and his endeavour, quality as well, is there for everyone to see and I’m really pleased for Ty," he added.

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It is one of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the football calendar as Premier League and Championship clubs join the FA Cup action from round three.

The draw will take place on Monday, 2 December from 19:00 GMT and can be watched live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

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Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace is looking forward to a "big challenge" when his side face league leaders Leeds United on Saturday.

Rovers are coming off the back of back-to-back wins in the Championship either side of the international break, most recently beating in-form Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night.

Blackburn overcame Leeds at Elland Road in April, a key moment in their run-in which saw them stay in the second-tier on the final day of last season at the expense of Eustace's former club Birmingham City.

However, the 45-year-old believes his side are in for a tough test as they welcome the Whites to Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon (13:30 GMT).

"They've just carried on, they've got a fantastic squad," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"They’ll be in the top six, probably top two I’d have thought, they’ve got Premier League quality- I'm looking forward to a really big challenge."

Eustace did admit his side had made progress of their own since the summer, although he emphasised he was not getting overly excited.

"We’ve shown everyone that we’re a good team, we're evolving as a group and that’s the most pleasing thing," Eustace added.

"I think its very important you don’t get carried away with the early results.

"We have to look at the squad, injuries, suspensions, that could take a toll in the end- the important thing is that this group of players are fully committed and that can get you a long way in this league."