Blackburn Rovers finished 15th in the Championship last term after falling away from the promotion playoff places late in the campaign.
Swansea ended the Championship season in fourth place and qualified for the playoffs. They lost in the promotion playoff final to Brentford and will now experience at least another season in the second tier.
🔥 @benbreo 🔥#Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/rBBfCZvjX4— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) July 31, 2021
🔥 @benbreo 🔥#Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/rBBfCZvjX4
The Swans are beginning life without Steve Cooper after his successful stint with the club. Cooper left the team after stating he had taken the Swans as far as possible.
Russell Martin has arrived from MK Dons and should bring a more attacking brand of football to the team. However, Swansea lost their co-leading scorer from last season, Andre Ayew, and are expected to slip away from the top six this term.
Blackburn Rovers have one of the longest tenured managers in the division. Tony Mowbray has built a solid Championship side at Ewood Park and many EFL pundits expect the club to be in the mix for the promotion playoffs.
The Ewood Park club go into the season having lost Harvey Elliott after the winger returned to Liverpool following a brilliant loan at Blackburn Rovers. Elliott scored seven goals and tallied 12 assists.
Rovers do still have last season’s leading Adam Armstong – for now. Armstrong scored 28 goals and added five assists. However, with Danny Ings going to Aston Villa, the Saints are interested in Armstrong’s signature as is Crystal Palace.
If Blackburn Rovers sell Armstong, they should struggle to finish in the top six. Don’t expect Armstrong to play against Swansea on Saturday. He is reportedly in “advanced talks” with Crystal Palace.
So, what happens on Saturday between Blackburn Rovers and Swansea to kick off the Championship season?
The Swans went unbeaten against Blackburn Rovers last season outscoring the Ewood Park team 3-1. Losing a coach and the team’s co-leading scorer should be a major issue for Swansea. Blackburn Rovers are slightly more settled from last season.
Mowbray is established and has a defined philosophy. Blackburn were the Championship’s fifth-highest scoring team in the league in 2020-21 with 65 goals. Elliott and Armstrong were key to the attack, but Mowbray should be able to find goals to win on Saturday at home.
Martin is still getting the team together and getting tactics across. His short period of time as manager should be a problem this weekend as Blackburn Rovers claim a victory. Expect both teams to score with over 2.5 goals tallied.