- Blackburn failed to win any of their final five home games last season 
- Carlos Corberan has a 51.52% win rate since becoming West Brom boss 
- Recommended bet: West Brom draw no bet

After saving West Brom from an unthinkable relegation last season, Carlos Corberan’s next job as Baggies boss is to challenge for a play-off spot, and he begins that quest at Blackburn on Saturday. 

Albion finished ninth last season, a decent turnaround having been bottom of the table at one point, and were only three points off a top-six chasing Rovers side in the final standings. 

Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson worked wonders to get the Lancashire side into the play-off mix before a late collapse and they look prone for regression this season after a difficult summer which has seen a worrying lack of investment in the squad.

Team news

Blackburn’s main area of concern is up front, where they have lost Bradley Dack and talisman Ben Brereton Diaz, with both players moving on in the summer.

They have attempted to replace the pair with Arnor Sigurdsson and Niall Ennis but both new signings could miss Saturday’s clash through injury, while fellow striker Sam Gallagher has already been ruled out by Tomasson. 

Winger Ryan Hedges missed Blackburn’s final pre-season game and is a doubt to face a West Brom side that is missing USA international striker Daryl Dike, who has an Achilles issue.

Winger Adam Reach is also out and new signing Jeremy Sarmiento is struggling for fitness, but Jayson Molumby should start, despite missing time in pre-season.

The stats

Blackburn missed out on the play-offs on goal difference last season with a run of five home games without a win to end the campaign proving costly. 

Rovers failed to score in three of those five games and are now without Dack and Brereton, who scored a combined 23 of Blackburn’s 52 Championship goals last season. 

West Brom won two of their final four away games last season and only drew a blank once in their final six road assignments.

West Brom have avoided defeat in five of their last seven opening-day games and have lost only one of the last six meetings with Blackburn.

Prediction

It has not been an easy summer for Blackburn or West Brom with off-field issues leading to a far from ideal build-up to the 2023-24 Championship season. 

But the Baggies go to post in better shape than Rovers, who look painfully thin up front. 

Tomasson has also recently spoken out about his frustration at the lack of new signings and tensions are bubbling under the surface at Ewood Park. 

Blackburn let the play-offs slip through their grasp last season and their poor run of form at home to end the campaign means they are worth opposing. 

West Brom’s pre-season results have not been all that impressive but they have retained the majority of last season’s squad, minus Dara O’Shea, that turned things around under Corberan so impressively. 

Josh Maja and Sarmiento look like good additions to the Albion attack, one that only failed to score five times in 23 away games last season. 

There are more reasons to be positive about West Brom stealing a win on the opening day, while keeping the draw on side. 

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