We have several fixtures to look forward to on the 30th of July as the 2022/23 Championship season begins including the meeting between Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers.
The game will be played at Ewood Park and both teams will be hoping to get off to a winning start as they chase promotion to the Premier League.
💬 "It’s flown by this summer, our first under the new gaffer, everyone’s looking forward to the first game of the season."👊 Lewis Travis is determined to ensure Jon Dahl Tomasson's first home game in charge ends with a positive outcome.#Rovers 🔵⚪️https://t.co/2hPf3uLGlX— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) July 27, 2022
💬 "It’s flown by this summer, our first under the new gaffer, everyone’s looking forward to the first game of the season."👊 Lewis Travis is determined to ensure Jon Dahl Tomasson's first home game in charge ends with a positive outcome.#Rovers 🔵⚪️https://t.co/2hPf3uLGlX
Blackburn Rovers enter the new campaign on the back of an unbeaten preseason. They played Dundee and Celtic away and held both teams to a draw before beating Hartlepool United and Lincoln City, both of which were also away fixtures.
Blackburn Rovers finished 6 points off the playoffs last season and had a disappointing end to the campaign that saw them lose 3 of their final 5 matches.
They recorded only 2 wins from their last 8 Championship games and that proved costly in terms of reaching the playoffs.
Trends show Blackburn Rovers have won only 1 of their 6 most recent home Championship matches and that came against Derby County, who were relegated last season.
Blackburn Rovers have conceded at least one goal in their last 10 league games and there have been over 2.5 goals in their 3 most recent Championship matches.
Jon Dahl Tomasson will be hoping to get off to a good start with a win in this game and will be using the performance against Celtic as a benchmark for the coming season.
Queens Park Rangers suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat in their final friendly of the summer as they lost at home to Crystal Palace of the Premier League.
However, there were some victories prior to that defeat with a 4-0 win at Zwickau and comprehensive 8-2 win at Wealdstone.
Towards the end of last season, Queens Park Rangers struggled to win matches. They have won only 2 of their 10 most recent Championship fixtures, one of which was at home to relegated Derby County and the other away to Swansea City.
Trends show, in their last 6 away games in the Championship, Queens Park Rangers have recorded only 1 win.
Queens Park Rangers have been struggling to keep clean sheets on the road and they have conceded goals in 14 of their last 15 away league matches. Both teams have scored in 9 of their last 15 away Championship games.
Team news and Blackburn Rovers should have a full squad available for this match. John Buckley will be a key man for the hosts amid interest from Premier League clubs.
Queens Park Rangers should also be at full strength for this game. Tyler Roberts has arrived from Leeds United and could form a striker partnership with Lyndon Dykes.
We expect to see both teams score and over 2.5 goals in this game. The first fixture of the season is always difficult to predict but home advantage could make the difference, with Blackburn Rovers winning by a 1 goal margin.