Blackburn Rovers

Preston make the 10-mile trip east to Blackburn for an intriguing Lancashire derby on Friday night (20:00 GMT).

Rovers have dropped out of the play-off places to lie seventh, and though they remain eight places ahead of North End, they only have five points more.

• Blackburn have failed to win any of their past five league games against Preston (D3 L2), with both losses during that time coming at Ewood Park.

• Preston have lost just one of their past eight away league games against Blackburn (W5 D2), failing to score in just one of those matches.

• Rovers have lost each of their past three league games, last enduring a longer losing run in December 2023 (four games).

• After beating Watford and Middlesbrough both 2-1 in their past two league games, Preston will be looking to win three Championship matches in succession for the first time since February 2024.

• Altogether, 17 different players have scored for Blackburn in the Championship this season; the joint-most for any team in the division (excluding own goals), along with Hull City.

Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End and Stoke will have to wait until later this week to find out whether Liverpool will let 19-year-old forward Jayden Danns leave on loan. (The Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Read Tuesday's gossip column here.

Andy Bayes
Sports Editor, BBC Radio Lancashire

Saturday's defeat at Bristol City is becoming a familiar story.

Nobody is doubting the desire, the work-rate, the will to win, the playing through the pain barrier - but for the sixth time in nine matches, after six wins in a row before that, Rovers were on the wrong end of a scoreline that has eventually removed them from the top six.

For the second Saturday in a row, a wicked deflection beating a helpless Aynsley Pears consigned them to defeat.

John Eustace told me after the match that defender Owen Beck is basically running on empty, and with Harry Pickering still more than a month away from returning he had to change his system to a back three. Beck isn't the only one feeling the effects of both a busy schedule and an inability to rotate.

Four players were scanned for various knocks on Tuesday after the defeat by Coventry. All four played at Ashton Gate, Callum Brittain completing the whole match and continuing his excellent form in the process.

But with Scott Wharton, Hayden Carter, Harry Pickering, Sondre Tronstad, Todd Cantwell, Arnor Sigurdsson and Yuki Ohashi missing, the options for Eustace remain extremely limited.

The transfer window business is expected to ramp up nationwide over the next week. Eustace is in no doubt where his priorities lie.

Number one has to be a striker, number two is an attacking midfield player.

Rovers lack a cutting edge, and for all their good build-up play they are not working goalkeepers enough in games.

Eustace would also like another left-sided defender. If they could get one equally comfortable at centre-back, that would help.

It's certainly a case of quality wanted, not quantity. Players who might just have that X-factor to help them sneak in to fifth or sixth spot in a very congested table.

Frustration is growing among the fanbase regarding the wait for new faces to add to Dion Sanderson and Adam Forshaw's arrivals.

The high-profile winter-window registration errors of the past two years are still fresh in the mind.

Adding players to impact the starting XI can only help them in the long run.

It's over to the powers that be to provide their ambitious head coach with what he feels is needed to sustain an unlikely play-off push.

Image source, Rex Features

John Eustace hopes to boost his Blackburn Rovers squad with up to three new additions to help them halt their dip in form.

Rovers suffered a third straight Championship defeat after they were edged out 2-1 at Bristol City.

Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, head coach Eustace said: "The spirit the boys showed was outstanding - we had a couple more drop out just before kick-off. The group showed great spirit and togetherness and i thought we were really good today.

"We want to be competitive and play our style of football and against a good team be difficult to play against and I thought we were.

"I certainly don't think we deserved to lose the game but its getting a bit of a broken record and it's important we just stick together and keep performing like that.

"When we get a few more players back from injury, and hopefully we can bring two or three good quality players into the group as well, things will change.

"We've got to brush ourselves off and get ready to go again. Forty six games in the Championship, you're going to get your highs and lows and we're going through a difficult moment with results but performances are there.

"Everyone can see that, we're a very good team and we have just got to keep believing in what we're doing."

Image source, Getty Images

Blackburn Rovers chief executive Steve Waggott says the club are actively looking to bolster their squad in the January transfer window as injuries continue to plague the side.

Rovers have made two winter signings so far - Plymouth Argyle's Adam Forshaw and a loan deal for Birmingham City's Dion Sanderson.

In a statement issued to BBC Radio Lancashire, Waggott said Rovers are looking to "keep intact the togetherness of the squad" by selecting those who would be "a good fit".

"The aim has always been to look at improving the attacking threat of the team, but with injuries that have been sustained since the turn of the year, we are now also looking at other potential positions and available options until our injured players return to full fitness," the statement said.

"As is always the case during this very limited January winter window, most clubs are looking for the same areas of improvement, but we will continue to pursue our list of targets in the hope that we can secure players to add strength and depth to this hard-working and honest group of players for the remainder of the season."

Attacking threat remains a priority for Rovers, however, and they have been recently linked to Cesena forward Augustus Kargbo (pictured above) as well as Coventry City's Brandon Thomas-Asante earlier in the window.

Blackburn have only won one of their past eight league matches, losing their past two but clinging on to a play-off spot.

Blackburn Rovers have bid £675k for Cesena forward Augustus Kargbo. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column.

Image source, Rex Features

John Eustace has been handed a fitness boost as Blackburn Rovers prepare to visit Bristol City on Saturday as keeper Aynsley Pears and Lewis Travis both return to the squad.

Pears missed the 2-0 defeat by Coventry on Tuesday through illness while defensive midfielder and skipper Travis has missed seven games with a hamstring injury picked up just before Christmas.

Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire four other players had scans this week after injuries picked up on Tuesday.

It's better news than expected with Callum Brittain, Danny Batth and Joe Rankin-Costello having avoided serious injuries but they're considered doubts for Saturday's trip to Ashton Gate.

Amario Cozier-Duberry is fit to take his place in the squad, despite a knock on his back during the Coventry match.

Bristol City will welcome Blackburn Rovers to Ashton Gate on Saturday (15:00 GMT) for a game with big implications in the Championship play-off race.

The 9th-placed Robins are four points behind Rovers, who are sixth and occupying the final play-off spot.

• City have lost one of their past seven home league games against Blackburn Rovers (W4 D2 L1), winning this fixture last season 5-0 – the Robins' biggest-ever victory in this fixture's history.

• Blackburn won the reverse fixture 3-0 this season – they last did the league double over City in 2019-20, while they have never done so without conceding.

• City have won each of their past three home league games without conceding a goal. The Robins have not won four in succession at Ashton Gate whilst keeping a clean sheet in each since January 2004.

• Each of Blackburn's past six away league games have either been 1-0 (W3 D1 L2) or 1-1. They last scored more than once on the road against Cardiff in November (3-1), and last conceded more than once against Plymouth in October (1-2).

• City's Nahki Wells has scored more league goals against Blackburn in his Football League career than he has against any other opponent (9).

Andy Bayes
Sport editor, BBC Radio Lancashire

Image source, Getty Images

If ever a night were to sum up where Blackburn Rovers find themselves at the moment, the home defeat by Coventry was it.

A side decimated by injuries before kick-off and ending the match with the medical team - just as much as the playing staff - needing reinforcements!

In almost all of the metrics provided by the BBC, Rovers were the team in control.

More shots, more possession, the opposition goalkeeper worked more... and so on.

As we all know, the only important statistic is the final score and Coventry managed the game well after Brandon Thomas-Asante (a Rovers target) scored early in the second half.

After six straight wins in the league before Christmas, Rovers have come undone of late, losing five of the next eight.

In all of the games lost, the team haven't scored a goal.

It's a worrying trend and one that head coach John Eustace is desperate to address during the transfer window.

Over the last decade, they've lost prolific goalscorers in Jordan Rhodes, Rudy Gestede, Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz but there has always seemed to be the next cab off the rank to lighten the load. This year feels different.

Losing Sam Szmodics a week into the Championship season removed a potential 33 goals on its own. Without him last season, I firmly believe they'd be playing League One football this year.

Finding the formula to replace that output was always going to be a challenge.

The overseas markets have been used to bring in Yuki Ohashi and Makhtar Gueye but expecting them to hit the ground running and deliver goals on a regular basis is asking an awful lot.

It has done nothing but heighten the urgency for a proven championship, course and distance striker. A seasoned pro.

This league asks a lot from players with the current absentee list being a very good example of that.

I did feel at the start of the month that if Rovers lumped their entire budget on a striker (who, let's not forget, cost the most), then I'd be quite satisfied.

I now look at a depleted squad and think maybe that's not the way forward.

As many as 11 players could miss Saturday's visit to Bristol City - and I stress, could.

A team of Pears, Brittain, Carter, Wharton, Batth, Pickering, Travis, Tronstad, Rankin-Costello, Sigurdsson and Ohashi would be a pretty strong outfit. They either missed the Coventry defeat or picked up a knock during the match.

One league win since captain Lewis Travis went out of the team injured in December shows his great importance and now a six-week lay off for his midfield partner Sondre Tronstad is an enormous blow to go alongside it.

The club have allowed veteran defender Kyle McFadzean to terminate his contract with youngsters Connor O'Riordan and Leo Duru going out on loan and midfielder Jake Garrett likely to follow suit.

It means that more academy players will be needed to bulk up a nine-man bench.

Sixteen-year-old Isaac Dunn (son of Rovers favourite David Dunn) is likely to be involved with the seniors until reinforcements arrive either from the treatment table or the transfer market.

Rovers fans will say they've been in this position before in January. In the top six, dreaming of a return to the Premier League and in need of quality additions to help them have a realistic chance of getting over the line.

The focus switches to the ownership in India and the boardroom in Blackburn.

Will they be able to provide the tools that John Eustace needs at his disposal to keep alive this unlikely play-off push?

My view is that Eustace, as head coach, needs to be in control of who is recruited.

He's doing an incredible job. I'm not sure that even the most optimistic Blackburn Rovers supporter would have expected a place in the top six after 28 games.

Eustace knows players are needed and he's also sure that everyone in recruitment or executive roles are on the same page.

It's only fair to say that the market has been slow for Championship clubs spending cash, especially those without parachute money.

Will that change before February 3? I suppose only time will tell.

I'd be surprised if any of the teams in the top four drop below fourth between now and May 3.

They seem in a mini-league of their own, with potentially more than a dozen other clubs eyeing places five and six.

The championship might be producing the highest quality football but it never fails to deliver in terms of its unpredictability.

Image source, PA Media

Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire following his side's defeat by Coventry City.

"The effort of the boys was excellent tonight and the attitude was very good. We had five big chances which we didn't put away unfortunately," he said.

"Coventry scored with the first effort on goal, I think it was, right before half-time so it was a tough one to take.

"You can see we've got 11 senior boys out but the effort the boys put in on the pitch tonight was there for everyone to see.

"We have to defend better from the corner and second phase.

"The goal after half-time was a disappointment because we spoke about things we had to do defensively which we didn't, then after that we were huffing and puffing but the attitude was very good."

Blackburn Rovers host Coventry City in a bid to stay within the play-off spots on Tuesday evening (19:45 GMT).

Rovers lost to a buoyant Oxford United last time out, while the Sky Blues beat Bristol City to edge further away from relegation danger.

Coventry striker Brandon Thomas-Asante was the one to deliver the winner in their victory over the Robins and the Ghana international also has fond memories of playing against their weeknight opponents.

• Blackburn Rovers are winless across their past eight league games against Coventry City (D5 L3), failing to score in each of their past three matches against the Sky Blues.

• After winning the reverse league fixture 3-0 in October, Coventry City are looking to complete a league double over Blackburn Rovers for the first time since the 1966-67 season.

• Each of Blackburn's past six home league wins have ended with them keeping a clean sheet, while 11 of their past 12 league games at Ewood Park have had at least one side keep a clean sheet.

• After winning their first away league game under Frank Lampard at Millwall in December, Coventry are winless in their past four away league matches (D1 L3).

• Coventry's Thomas-Asante has scored three goals in his past two league games against Blackburn, though failed to score in his only league game against Rovers at Ewood Park in August 2023.

Image source, Rex Features

Blackburn Rovers' veteran defender Kyle McFadzean could be on his way out of the Championship club, according to boss John Eustace.

The 37-year-old joined Rovers in January 2024 on an initial short-term deal however he extended his time at Rovers during the summer.

He has made three appearances for the club this term, all of which have come from the bench, with his most recent coming in their 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday in December.

"He came in today and there's an opportunity for him to move elsewhere. He'll be talking to that club today or tomorrow," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He's a fantastic professional and most importantly, a fantastic person.

"It was very important that we re-signed him in the summer. You can see the effect he's had on the whole group.

"It's been a frustrating time for him because the centre-halves have done so well. He's someone that I've got huge respect for."

Eustace also revealed the club were interested in signing one player with two weeks of the January transfer window remaining, while Jake Garrett and Connor O'Riordan could depart on loan.

"I think there was a bid for one player. I don't know how that's turned out. Apart from that, I'm not sure about anything else," he added.

"Those two [Garrett and O'Riordan] will go out on loan again. They'll get the minutes for their development."

Kevin Gallacher
Premier League title winner and BBC Radio Lancashire summariser

Image source, Rex Features

After seeing Rovers beaten 1-0 at Oxford it's clear to me that defensively we're quite sound but attacking wise we're still not getting it right.

The full-backs were staying as part of a back four and rarely getting forward. I'm so used to seeing Owen Beck and Callum Brittain getting crosses in - granted there may not have been people in the box but we only really saw it in the final 10 minutes.

Maybe it's down to the performances of Oxford's Przemyslaw Placheta and Siriki Dembele, who have both been coached by John Eustace before, that they were limited. Both of those players would certainly improve Rovers' squad.

To me, this was an opportunity to get a result and we've thrown it away.

Eustace has been clear that he needs reinforcements. A striker and a wide player with pace are on the wish list. We'll just have to wait and see if he gets them before 3 February.

There's no doubt about it, we need help from the top for John to get them over the line. Now there are injuries, you really notice that the squad is not deep enough. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that it happens.

Sondre Tronstad will be a big miss and I'm hoping his hamstring injury isn't going to rule him out for long. He's been consistently the best player at the club for some time.

Depending on what players we get, they need to hit the ground running. Some might not have played regularly this season, so they'll need time to catch up.

If we're ambitious enough, who knows, we might make the play-offs. Eustace has maximised what he's got so far this season so it would be great to see him backed in the transfer market.

Image source, Rex Features

John Eustace says his Blackburn side will have to adapt to the loss of their "player of the season" if Sondre Tronstad misses games with a hamstring injury.

The midfielder was substituted after pulling up in the first half of the 1-0 defeat at Oxford United.

And Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire the Norway international will be a huge miss if he is ruled out after assessment this week.

"Sonny has done something to his hamstring so we will have to look at that on Sunday. He has been player of the season up to now and you can see when he goes off the pitch we were a little bit different.

"We will have to adapt [if he is ruled out]."

Eustace said the Oxford defeat was a frustrating afternoon for his Rovers side.

"I didn't think we started very well and rode our luck in the first 15 minutes," he said. "But after that I thought we grew into it and played some good stuff.

"We were disappointed not to take any of our chances and we need to be better in that final third. Second half we couldn't match them for 10 minutes and then they have punished us with a very good free-kick.

"It is something we have to learn from. We are down to the bare bones with the squad and there are players who are having a second or third game in a week who haven't been playing as much.

"We have to learn from it and move on. It was pleasing to see the boys' efforts fighting and pushing at the end but we were not good enough."