Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers Prediction: Rovers coming with some hot form

Preston North End will host Blackburn Rovers at Deepdale Stadium during Game Week 6 of the English Championship. Rovers are coming in with some hot form in the derby. Who will top after 90 minutes?

Preston North End form

Despite the odds being against them, Preston North End booked their ticket to the last 16 of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night after registering a penalty shootout win with a score of 16-15. Both goals from Ryan Ledson and Fulham's Reiss Nelson were taken to the lottery as both sides took a match apiece in penalties before Preston emerged victorious. A great win against a top-flight team has ensured positive headlines for new manager Paul Heckingbottom who joined the club at the end of August. Preston remain 21st in the Championship table but the experience in promotion-winning campaigns under him at Sheffield United will give that many reasons to turn it around. The team will face a Lancashire derby at Deepdale this weekend, hoping to continue their unbeaten run against local rivals. Their last loss in the game occurred when they lost to Blackburn in December 2022.

Preston North End Expected Starting Lineup

Woodman; Potts, Whatmough, Storey, Hughes; Whiteman, McCann, Bowler, Frokjaer-Jensen, Greenwood; Jakobsen

Blackburn Rovers Form

Having only avoided relegation to League One through a slender three-point margin at the end of last season, Blackburn Rovers were expected to spend the 2024-25 season rebuilding under the management of John Eustace. Early results, however, claim they are likely to be fighting for a much better place because at present, they are sitting unbeaten in the Championship, winning three and drawing two of their first five matches to sit third in the standings alongside the league leaders West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United led by Chris Wilder.

Again, this was evident when they posted an excellent attacking show in the latest outing wherein they won 3-nil over Bristol City-an outcome that was similar to their performance when they posted the figures of four goals against Derby County and six against Stockport County last August. New signing Yuki Ohashi from the J1 League scored a brace, bringing his Championship tally to four as he continues to fill the vacuum left by the Golden Boot winner last season, Sammie Szmodics, who has joined the Premier League side Ipswich Town.

Despite being on the back foot all season in having to fight back, Blackburn Rovers show time and again their capacity for that under Eustace in coming away with back-to-back draws against Norwich City and Burnley .

Predicted Blackburn Rovers Starting Lineup

Pears; Batth, Carter, Hyam, Beck; Travis, Tronstad, Baker, Dolan, Hedges; Ohashi

Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers Tip Expert

Preston have won their last three matches at Deepdale in any competition, so Blackburn, still unbeaten, will find it pretty tough to take on them in a hot contest on Sunday. Though Preston have come through impressively of late, Blackburn have been sensational at the start of the season in the Championship and are likely to collect all three points in the second Lancashire derby of the season.