Blackburn Rovers get their 2026-27 campaign underway when they visit the Pirelli Stadium to face Burton Albion in the opening round of the EFL Cup on Saturday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since February 2017, when they played out a 1-1 stalemate in the EFL Championship.
Burton Albion wrapped up a rather unconvincing pre-season run on a high last Saturday when they secured a 1-0 victory over EFL Championship side Derby County.
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With just one win from five warm-up games, there remain lots of question marks ahead of the new League One campaign, with Gary Bowyer’s side aiming to secure promotion to the Championship for the first time since going down in 2018.
Burton Albion endured a disappointing EFL Cup campaign last season, crashing out in the second round courtesy of a 1-0 home defeat against Lincoln City.
Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers will be desperate to improve on their forgettable EFL Cup run from last term, when they were sent packing in the first round after a 2-1 loss against Bradford at Ewood Park.
It was a generally disappointing campaign for Tony Mowbray’s side, who finished 20th in the EFL Championship standings with 52 points from 46 games, just five points above the relegation zone.
Blackburn head into the new season off the back of a decent run of results in pre-season, where they picked up one win and two draws from their four warm-up matches.
Burton Albion vs Blackburn Rovers Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the third meeting between Burton Albion and Blackburn Rovers, with their previous two encounters ending all square.
- They first met in the Championship back in August 2016, when they played out a 2-2 draw at Ewood Park, before sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw six months later.
- Blackburn Rovers have lost just one of their last five competitive away matches, while picking up three wins and one draw since March 14.
- Burton are unbeaten in six of their most recent eight competitive home games, picking up four wins and two draws since February 17.
Burton Albion vs Blackburn Rovers Prediction
Burton Albion and Blackburn Rovers will be aiming to kick off the new season on a high, but it is the visitors who are favorites this weekend, given their superior squad on paper.
While we expect Burton to put up a fight, we predict the Rovers will show their quality at the Pirelli Stadium.
Prediction: Burton Albion 0-2 Blackburn Rovers
Burton Albion vs Blackburn Rovers Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result – Blackburn Rovers to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals – No (There have been fewer than three goals scored in four of Blackburn’s last five games)
Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards – No (There have been fewer than five bookings in the visitors’ last five outings)
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli