Swansea vs Blackburn prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-08-05 14:00.
After coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Rotherham last weekend, Swansea City look to pick up their first victory of the campaign as they entertain Blackburn, who have never won at the Liberty Stadium (D1, L4). Indeed, the Welsh outfit certainly boast the better recent H2H record between the two sides, having suffered just one defeat in their last nine league meetings (W4, D4).
Russell Martin’s side finished in a disappointing 15th place in the Championship last year, their lowest position in 14 seasons. They must improve their tally of just nine home wins (D8, L6) from the 2021/22 campaign if they are to push towards the top six, and new signings such as Joe Allen, if fit, Harry Darling and Nathan Wood will be crucial towards that.
Blackburn, meanwhile, opened up their 2022/23 season with an impressive 1-0 victory against QPR in their first match under new manager Jon Dahl Tomasson. Lewis Travis’ rare strike, only his fifth in over 150 club appearances, was enough to seal the points for a side who fell agonisingly short of the play-offs last year after winning just five of their final 19 matches.
Rovers are very much going in a different direction after parting company with previous boss Tony Mowbray in May. Callum Brittain is an exciting summer arrival from Barnsley, but their best bit of business remains keeping hold of Ben Brereton Diaz, who bagged 22 goals for the club last season, including a crucial penalty in a 2-1 victory over Swansea at Ewood Park 12 months ago.
Players to watch: Striker Michael Obafemi netted 11 goals in his final 19 appearances for Swansea last season, starting with the winner against Blackburn at this venue in February. Meanwhile, Rovers’ Sam Gallagher has scored twice in six previous appearances against the Swans, finishing on the losing side just once (W2, D3).
Hot stat: The last time Blackburn won their opening two league games of a season was in 1997/98, when they beat Derby (1-0) and Aston Villa (4-0) in the Premier League