🔎 MansionBet Match Preview: Blackburn Rovers (H)

Friday, November 19th 2021

Get an in-depth looks at City’s opponents as Blackburn Rovers visit Ashton Gate on Saturday as Sky Bet Championship football resumes (3pm).

🔴 OURSELVES

City have been boosted by the return of manager Nigel Pearson to the Robins High Performance Centre after spending a period of time at home recovering from COVID-19.

Speaking to Robins TV, Pearson said: “It’s good to be back and important that as manager I am around and visible. But it's about doing the job and it's important that I am on my game too."

On squad availability Pearson confirmed that Nathan Baker, Tommy Conway, Antoine Semenyo and Joe Williams are all in contention, but George Tanner will be out of action for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury, while Andy King and Matty James are also still recovering.

The Robins are aiming to start the next block of fixtures on the front foot against Rovers this weekend, with winger Callum O’Dowda stating the international window has provided a period for the City squad to ‘reset and reflect’.

🧳 OUR OPPONENTS

Blackburn Rovers are finely poised in the Championship table occupying seventh, after winning three of their final four matches prior to the two-week international break.

Rovers, who have picked 27 points from their 17 Sky Bet Championship fixtures, have demonstrated a level of consistency under experienced manager Tony Mowbray, bar a major blip against high-flying Fulham who hit the Riversiders for seven in early-November.

The Blue and Whites’ last outing prior to the break provided an appropriate response from the drumming they received at the hands of Fulham with a commanding 3-1 victory over Sheffield United.

Ian Poveda-Ocampo, on loan from Leeds United, played a crucial role in the victory over the Blades grabbing a goal and assist to earn himself a spot in the Championship Team of the Week.

📝 BLACKBURN ROVERS PROFILE

Formed: 1875
Stadium: Ewood Park
Nickname: Rovers
Manager: Tony Mowbray
Finish last season: 15th, Sky Bet Championship

Honours:

Football League/Premier League champions 1911/12, 1913/14, 1994/95
FA Cup winners 1883/84, 1884/85, 1885/86, 1889/90, 1890/91, 1927/28
League Cup winners2001/02
Community Shield winners 1912
Full Members Cup winners 1987
Second tier winners 1938/39
Third tier winners 1974/75

📍 MATCH DETAILS

Where: Ashton Gate Stadium
When: Saturday, November 20th (3pm)
Competition: Sky Bet Championship

Referee: John Busby
Assistant Referee: James Wilson
Assistant Referee: Robert Hyde
Fourth Official: Christopher Sarginson

🆚 HEAD TO HEAD

BRISTOL CITY

Match vs the opposition: 48
Won: 20
Drew: 12
Lost 16

The 2021/22 Sky Bet Championship season so far...

Goals scored: 21
Goals conceded: 27

Championship position: 18th (19 points)
Carabao Cup: Round One
FA Cup: Round Three (January 2022)

Yellow cards: 27
Red cards:

Top goalscorer: Andi Weimann (7)
Top assists: Chris Martin (3)

Blackburn Rovers

Match vs the opposition: 48
Won: 16
Drew: 12
Lost 20

The 2021/22 Sky Bet Championship season so far...

Goals scored: 29
Goals conceded: 28

Championship position: 7th (27 points)
Carabao Cup: Round Three
FA Cup: Round Three (January 2022)

Yellow cards: 38
Red cards: 2

Top goalscorer: Ben Bereton-Diaz (13)
Top assists: Joe Rothwell (4)

⏮ MATCH REWIND...

Result: Bristol City 4-1 Blackburn Rovers
When: 02.09.18
Competition: SkyBet Championship
Where: Ashton Gate

Despite their early dominance at Ashton Gate, City fell behind through a freak corner which sailed straight into the net, courtesy of Charlie Mulgrew.

Josh Brownhill, who had earlier curled an effort wide from open play this time found the back of the net in style with a free kick. Ryan Nyambe fouled Andreas Weimann on the edge of the area and up stepped City’s number eight who bent the ball around the wall, right-footed past Raya.

Marley Watkins then tapped home to make it 2-1. Nicholas Eliasson trapped a diagonal pass with a beautiful touch, before cutting in off the right-wing and picking out Matty Taylor with a cross. The striker took one touch to chest the ball into his Wales teammate and Watkins made no error in rolling the ball into the bottom left corner of Raya’s goal.

Famara Diédhiou added City’s fourth in his first start of the 2018/19 campaign after a swift counter-attacking lead by Weimann allowed the Senegal striker to pick out the bottom corner.

👀 ONE TO WATCH

BRETT BRERETON-DIAZ

The Stoke-on-Trent born Chilean international has been in scintillating form in front of goal this season with 13 goals to his name to this point, including a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Cardiff City.

The 22-year-old sits as the Championship’s joint-second top goalscorer for the season behind Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and level on goals with AFC Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke.

On the international stage, Brereton-Diaz represented England at youth level – finishing joint top-scorer at the 2017 European Under-19 Championship – before opting to represent Chile, his mother's birthplace. He has scored three times from nine appearances for his adopted country to date.

🎟 TICKET NEWS

Supporters can still purchase tickets for Saturday's SkyBet Championship clash against Blackburn Rovers online or pay on the day via the the South Stand ticket office.

SECURE YOUR SEAT