Blackburn vs Preston Prediction and Betting Tips: Two bets for local match up

Perhaps not the most high profile rivalry in the region, things are still always tasty when Blackburn and Preston clash. Fans on both sides of the debate cannot stand the other and with this season seeing both make strong starts in the Championship we can expect a bumper Ewood Park crowd and a hostile atmosphere on Friday night. With our resident Rover Anthony Eadson off gallivanting across Europe, Billy Grimshaw steps in to provide a punting preview...

Home side Blackburn seem to have bounced back from their wretched run of four defeats in a row recently, winning four of their last five to claw their way back into the play-off mix, the goal in pre-season. In particular last weekend's win away at Norwich by 3 goals to 1 was a huge fillip for the resurgent Rovers.

Preston started the season like a house on fire but had a stinking run of their own, with 2 draws, 3 losses and just one victory in their last six. The positive for the visitors on Friday night is that the aforementioned success came last week, with a morale boosting 3-2 win in a thriller at Deepdale against Coventry. After five points from their last four games, green shoots of recovery are emerging for Preston in a similar style as Blackburn's turnaround a few weeks ago.

This is a strange game on the home / away form table as Blackburn's record at Ewood Park is poor this campaign, losing four of seven. However, the Lilywhites will rock up on the back of three successive away defeats. One of the North West sides will improve their record here and hopefully an entertaining, goal laden game is in order.

Blackburn are facing a bit of an injury crisis in central defence heading into this game, and I think this will lend itself to our main play of over 2.5 goals landing. Preston have seen this selection land in 9/15 games this campaign while for the hosts it is a whopping 11/15! Clearly these are two entertaining teams to watch, particularly for the neutral as both have been on the end of some heavy defeats so far this campaign as well as some entertaining victories.

Hayden Carter and Dominic Hyam missing at centre back will hurt the Rovers' rear guard, and there have certainly been signs of resurrection for Preston's goalscoring fortunes in recent weeks. After consecutive losses to nil to West Brom and Leicester, Preston stopped the rot in bagging twice in a 4-2 loss to Ipswich  They bagged another couple in a 2-2 draw with Southampton, before being nilled again by Hull and then snatching 3 goals last weekend against Coventry.

Sammie Szmodics is having a whale of a time in front of goal for the hosts and he sits atop the golden boot standings in the Championship heading into this round. With Preston sure to play their standard back three in this derby game, there is potential Szmodics can find space and as we have seen this campaign he is lethal when given a chance.

Blackburn have scored 2, 4 and 2 in their last three Championship games and with both sides displaying ropey defences and an appetite for goals, I cannot see this one being anything other than a high scoring thriller.

Doubling down on my opinion that we are in for an entertaining game to light up our screens on Friday night, I like the chances of both teams to score in both halves at 11/1 with BetMGM. Blackburn in particular this season have been no stranger to a high scoring thriller with goalmouth action at both ends, and under the lights on a Friday night its not hard to envisage things beginning at a frenetic pace and not slowing down until the final whistle.

This bet has copped in one of Blackburn's league games thus far, a 4-3 loss to Ipswich, but also in a couple of their entertaining Cup clashes. For the visitors, the bet of course landed just last week when Coventry came to town and the careless abandon with which PNE played could well be a blueprint for how they choose to attack this Friday fixture.

Obviously the injury woes Blackburn's defensive unit faces lends itself to this bet, but Preston are by no means a brick wall at the back and although their back three often becomes a back five, they are susceptible to quick breaks when their marauding wing backs are out of position. Preston do not have a bagsman who can match Szmodic this season, but while their big lump of a centre forward Milutin Osmajic may not be prolific, he is a nuisance in the box and could cause chaos for Rovers when set pieces or crossed balls come flying in for the makeshift backline to defend.