West Bromwich Albion host Blackburn Rovers at the Hawthorns in what is the first gameweek of the 2025/26 Championship season.
Our Three Predictions for West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers
- First Prediction: Match to end in a draw – 5/2
- Second Prediction: Both teams to score – 1/1
- Third Prediction: Karlan Grant to score at any time – 41/20
First Prediction for West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers – Match to end in a draw – 5/2
With it being the opening weekend of fixtures in the Championship, there will be a hint of unpredictability and rustiness among both players and teams as clubs look to get up to speed with the Championship’s pace after pre-season. West Brom had a mixed pre-season in terms of results, and come into this game on the back of two losses, one draw and one win, whilst their opponents come into this game on a loss, but four back-to-back wins before the loss last Saturday. Both sides are entering this season with managers who are yet to have a full first season in charge of their clubs: the hosts, with Ryan Mason, and the visitors, with Valerien Ismael. This may mean both sides aren’t at their best in this encounter, and could lead to this game finishing level at full time.
Second Prediction for West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers – Both teams to score – 1/1
Scoring has proved to be no problem for either side in pre-season so far, the home side managing to score seven goals in four games, whilst Rovers have scored 10 in five. Neither side struggled for goals last season, either; however, defensively, neither side has been perfect in that department. The Baggies have conceded eight goals, one more than they have scored, in their four pre-season games, whilst Blackburn have conceded five fewer in one more game, but to arguably easier opponents. On top of this, with it being the first game of the season in the second tier, teams are more prone to mistakes, and won’t be as sound structurally as they would be halfway through a season, for example. The fact that both sides have proved they can find where the back of the net is, mixed with the unpredictability of the first game of the season, means that both teams look likely to score in this encounter.
Third Prediction for West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers – Karlan Grant to score at any time – 41/20
With the absence of key attacking players such as Daryl Dike and Tammer Bany, other key players getting up to speed as a result of injury, such as striker Josh Maja, and players getting used to the English game, such as their new Norwegian striker Aune Selland Heggebø, wide players like Karlan Grant will need to step up in this game. One player West Brom will be hoping can perform is winger Grant, who scored seven goals and provided a further two assists in last year’s campaign. The 27-year-old is known for his attacking versatility and has already got off to a good goalscoring start in pre-season, scoring two goals in his last two. West Brom and Grant alike will be hoping he can get his league campaign off to a goalscoring start on Saturday.
Best Odds for West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers
| West Bromwich Albion | Draw | Blackburn Rovers | |
| Myriad Play | 17/20 | 5/2 | 17/5 |
| Gentleman Jim | 4/5 | 23/10 | 16/5 |
| Betarno | 4/5 | 12/5 | 16/5 |
Full Preview of the Game – Last Results and Head-To-Head
Blackburn and West Brom had very similar seasons in last year’s campaign, both narrowly missing out on the play-offs due to managerial changes and patches of poor form.
Both sides will be looking to improve on the success they had last season and get into the play-offs, although the Championship is looking strong this season. The Baggies will be hoping to improve on their ninth-placed finish, which they achieved last season, whilst Rovers will be looking to close the marginal two-point gap and improve on their form they experienced towards the back end of the season.
Since 2010, these sides have met each other 16 times in both the Premier League and the Championship. Blackburn have the majority of the wins in these ties, although it is close, with six, whilst West Brom have won five times. The other five matches have ended level at full time. The most recent matchup between the two sides saw Blackburn take all three points at the Hawthorns in February thanks to a brace from Makhtar Gueye.
Confrontation
09/08/2025
Championship Championship
West Bromwich
Blackburn
1
0
12/02/2025
Championship Championship
West Bromwich Albion
Blackburn Rovers
0
2
23/10/2024
Championship Championship
Blackburn Rovers
West Bromwich Albion
0
0
13/01/2024
Championship Championship
West Bromwich Albion
Blackburn Rovers
4
1
05/08/2023
Championship Championship
Blackburn Rovers
West Bromwich Albion
2
1
Last Results - West Brom 
08/11/2025
Championship Championship
West Brom
Oxford Utd
2
1
W
04/11/2025
Championship Championship
Charlton
West Brom
1
0
L
01/11/2025
Championship Championship
West Brom
Sheffield Wed
0
0
D
25/10/2025
Championship Championship
Ipswich
West Brom
1
0
L
22/10/2025
Championship Championship
Watford
West Brom
2
1
L
Last Results - Blackburn
08/11/2025
Championship Championship
Blackburn
Derby
1
2
L
04/11/2025
Championship Championship
Bristol City
Blackburn
0
1
W
01/11/2025
Championship Championship
Leicester
Blackburn
0
2
W
25/10/2025
Championship Championship
Blackburn
Southampton
2
1
W
21/10/2025
Championship Championship
Blackburn
Sheffield Utd
1
3
L
Where to watch West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers
Where can you watch this game, either on TV or in person?
- Location: The Hawthorns, Birmingham
- Date: Saturday August 9, 2025
- TV Channel: Sky Sports +
Probable Lineups for West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers
What sort of lineups can we expect for this opening Championship clash?
Predicted West Bromwich Albion Lineup:
- Lineup: J. Griffiths; D. Furlong, T. Heggem, N. Phillips, C. Styles; J. Molumby, A. Mowatt; T. Fellows, K. Grant, M. Johnston; A. Heggebø
- Injured/suspended: D. Dike, T. Bany
- Manager: Ryan Mason
Predicted Blackburn Rovers Lineup:
- Lineup: B. Toth; Y. Riberio, S. McLoughlin, D. Hyam, H. Carter; L. Travis, S. Tronstad; T. Cantwell, A. Kargbo, D. De Neve; Y. Ohashi
- Injured/suspended: L. Miller, J. Garrett
- Manager: Valerien Ismael
Media Centre – News about West Bromwich Albion vs Blackburn Rovers
The real stuff gets going this weekend. 🔜
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) August 7, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
🎟️ We will be selling tickets for Saturday’s opener against West Bromwich Albion online until 1pm today 🕐@WBA will be selling to #Rovers fans on the day from the East Stand Ticket Office – cash and card accepted.#WBAvROV 🔵⚪️ https://t.co/DAmw9ECf7s
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) August 7, 2025
