English Championship: Game Week 2
Stadium: New York Stadium
12th August 2023
Rotherham United will welcome Blackburn Rovers at New York Stadium in Gameweek 2 of the English Championship. The home side will be looking for their first point of the campaign. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?
Receive Your Welcome Bonus!Rotherham United form
After the departure of long-time manager Paul Warne early in the previous season, Matt Taylor took over as the head coach of Rotherham United in October. Under his guidance, the team managed to secure their first Championship survival since 2016 and finished in 19th place with 50 points, comfortably avoiding relegation. Now, in Taylor's first full season in charge, the focus is on maintaining their second-tier status. The team had a successful preparation period, winning consecutive friendly matches against Mansfield Town, Sheffield United, and Lincoln City. However, their first Championship game of the season proved to be challenging, as they faced Stoke City away and suffered a 4-1 defeat. They quickly had the opportunity to bounce back in the EFL Cup match against Morecambe, but only managed to secure a win through a penalty shootout. With the heavy opening-day defeat behind them, Rotherham United is now eager to earn their first three points in the Championship as they prepare for their first home league game of the season on Saturday.
Rotherham United Predicted Lineup
Johansson; Humphreys, Morrison, Blackett; Onyedinma, Rathbone, Wiles, Odoffin, Bramall; Hugill, Kayode
Blackburn Rovers form
Blackburn Rovers will face a tough challenge as they aim to continue their winning start to the season after narrowly missing out on the playoffs last year. Led by new manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, the team performed well, finishing in seventh place with 69 points, narrowly missing out on a top-six spot. In their pre-season matches, they secured victories over Barnsley and Stockport County and narrowly lost to La Liga team Girona. Their championship campaign began with a strong performance against West Bromwich Albion, with Ivan Markanday scoring in the 20th minute and Harry Leonard adding a second goal. They carried this momentum into their EFL Cup first-round match against Walsall, which ended in a thrilling 4-3 victory. With confidence high, Blackburn Rovers will now face their first competitive away game of the season, aiming for their third consecutive win and their second win in the English second tier.
Blackburn Rovers Predicted Lineup
Pears; Rankin-Costello, Hyam, Carter, Pickering; Travis, Wharton; Markanday, Szmodics, Dolan; Leonard
Rotherham United vs Blackburn Rovers Expert Tips
On the first day of their match, Rotherham United did not manage to make a strong impression, unlike their opponents who celebrated a promising win. However, we predict that Rotherham United will show more resilience when playing at home, and we do not expect Blackburn to secure a victory. Instead, we anticipate a low-scoring draw or home side win in South Yorkshire