Blackburn vs Charlton Predictions

Despite winning promotion from the third tier last season, things aren’t all well at Charlton. Issues between the fans and ownership rumble on, while the achievements of Lee Bowyer remain underestimated by those in the boardroom at the Valley. Now they’re out to follow Blackburn’s lead, as they try to secure safety in the second tier. Meanwhile, the hosts are aiming to kick on after a strong first season back at this level. Can Tony Mowbray get his team to claim an opening day victory at Ewood Park?

The hosts have enjoyed a solid preseason campaign, as they have won four of their last five matches going into the new campaign. Off the pitch, they’ve done well, beefing up their squad with a few decent arrivals. They already had the bones of a strong squad last term, when they recorded a 15th place finish after an up and down season. Form at Ewood was crucial last season, as they picked up 62% of their points at home. That included an unbeaten run here against sides in the bottom eight – which is where Charlton are likely to be.

The Addicks are a great addition to the Championship, but they are also a surprise side following a late surge to move into promotion contention. Lee Bowyer pulled them into this division despite plenty of resistance from outside and within. They edged a tight League One promotion race while dealing with boardroom issues which won’t seem to go away. However, there were serious issues which plagued Charlton last season, including a poor away record.

The visitors won just two of 11 away trips to top-half sides in the third tier, losing over half of those. That isn’t likely to lead to a strong away record this term, while we see them having a tough afternoon at Ewood Park. This is traditionally a tough place for the Addicks to go, as they have lost their last three trips here 7-0 on aggregate.

Rovers have won four of the last six meetings between these two, while they finished the season with four wins in six. At home, they scored twice or more in four of their last five Championship games, while that should be enough to dent a Charlton side who have lost two quality attackers in the last six months. Rovers xG tally at the end of the season suggested they should be scoring more, while their forward line of Adam Armstrong, Sam Gallagher and Danny Graham – with Bradley Dack in support – points to more goals at Ewood this term. We expect a solid season from Blackburn, while we’re tipping them to start with a win.