Blackburn Rovers vs Oxford United Prediction: Blackburn are unbeaten this season

Blackburn Rovers will welcome Oxford United at Ewood Park in Game Week 3 of the English Championship. Blackburn are unbeaten in the league so far. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Following Sammie Szmodics departure to Ipswich Town, Blackburn and manager John Eustace are faced with the challenge of finding a replacement for last season's top goal scorer in the Championship. Despite uncertainties surrounding their performance against Norwich City last weekend, Eustace was content with a draw at Carrow Road. The initial lead was taken by Ryan Hedges before Yuki Ohashi, a promising summer signing, equalized with three minutes left in the game. With five goals conceded in three matches across all competitions, Eustace needs to address defensive issues, but Blackburn appears to have the potential for a promotion push. Eustace is expected to have funds available for new signings in the final week of the transfer window.

Pears; Brittain, Carter, Hyam, Pickering; Tronstad, Travis; Rankin-Costello, Dolan, Hedges; Gueye

Oxford suffered their first loss of the season in a 3-2 defeat to Coventry City on Friday. Despite twice equalizing at the Sky Blues' home ground, they ultimately fell to a late winner from Haji Wright. However, there are still positives to be drawn from their performances, particularly after securing 2-0 wins against Norwich and Peterborough United in previous games. While manager Des Buckingham may want to manage expectations at the Kassam Stadium, there is confidence that they can achieve a positive result against their upcoming opponents.

Cumming; Long, Moore, Brown, Bennett; Vaulks; Goodrham, Rodrigues, Brannagan, Placheta; Harris

Eustace is faced with a decision on whether to start Ohashi, who has been consistently scoring for Blackburn, or stick with Gueye. The only potential selection issue may involve Carter, who was substituted late in the last game against Norwich. Buckingham may choose to keep the Oxford lineup unchanged as they were level with Coventry before any substitutions were made. This means players like Sibley, Phillips, and Ebiowei are still waiting for their first league start. Striker Harris has scored in both of his Championship appearances so far this season.

Despite Blackburn adjusting to playing with Szmodics, Oxford may see an opportunity to capitalize. However, we predict that Blackburn will ultimately secure a hard-fought victory.