Match Pack: Blackburn Rovers v Watford

• Blackburn Rovers v Watford
• Sky Bet Championship
• Ewood Park
• Saturday December 23, 3pm KO
• Yellow and black home kit

• Referee: Dean Whitestone
• Assistant Referees: Daniel Leach and Carl Fitch-Jackson
• Fourth Official: Andrew Kitchen

Having just missed out on the play-offs last term - finishing seventh - Blackburn Rovers enjoyed a decent start to 2023/24, with three wins and a draw in their first six games, including a 1-0 triumph against Watford at Vicarage Road in August.

A run of four straight defeats then preceded three wins in a row, and a smattering of wins and losses since sees Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men struggling for consistency.

Rovers will be looking to banish memories of a 4-0 thrashing away to Southampton last time out (Saturday December 16), as they welcome the Hornets to Ewood Park sat 11th in the Sky Bet Championship table, with the teams separated only by virtue of goal difference.

• This is the first time since 1970 that Watford and Blackburn are meeting three times in a calendar year in the Football League – the Hornets won two of the three encounters that year (L1).

• Watford have won their last two away league games, more than in their previous 17 away games combined (1). The Hornets haven’t strung together three consecutive away wins since September 2017 in the Premier League.

• Blackburn are looking to complete a league double over Watford for the first time since the 1969/70 campaign, following their 1-0 win at Vicarage Road in August.

For a full statistical breakdown, check out Stats Buzz: Blackburn Rovers In Numbers.

Watford boss Valérien Ismaël reported in his pre-match press conference that defender Jeremy Ngakia remains the only player unavailable for selection through injury, ahead of Saturday’s match.

Hosts Blackburn will be without second-tier top scorer Sam Szmodics, due to fatigue, while the likes of Aynsley Pears, Joe Rankin-Costello, Ryan Hedges, Sam Gallagher and Tyrhys Dolan are all set to be absent.

Valérien Ismaël, Watford Head Coach:

“We’ve had a good week again, but we know the tough festive period starts tomorrow and we’ve just had to make sure that the players are refreshed and ready to go. We have had great confidence and focus in the training sessions, and everyone’s got a great desire to keep pushing forward in the right direction.

“The home game against Blackburn towards the start of the season was one we should never have lost. We dominated, and especially in the second half we missed a lot of chances and eventually were punished. We have learnt a lot since then, we are another team now, and tomorrow is about the next step for us.

“There’s no doubt that Blackburn are a very good team with a good manager, though. It’s another tough game, we have to be ready and we will be ready.”

Jon Dahl Tomasson, Blackburn Rovers Head Coach:

“Watford are a good team, they have top-class players. They got a good result at Preston, so it will be an interesting game. Hopefully, we can give our fans an early Christmas present.

“We know in transition they are good, they have great individual players with quality. They create chances, they shoot a lot from distance, but every team also has a weakness. We are looking to find out what they are and trying to exploit it. We want to start this period tomorrow in the right way.”

Overall:

Won: 13
Drawn: 13
Lost: 15

Last Six:

August 2023: Watford 0-1 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)
February 2023: Watford 1-1 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)
September 2022: Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Watford (Championship)
February 2021: Blackburn Rovers 2-3 Watford (Championship)
October 2020: Watford 3-1 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)
February 2015: Watford 1-0 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)

Watford’s most recent win over Blackburn came at Ewood Park in February 2021, with goals from João Pedro, Ismaïla Sarr and Ken Sema clinching the 3-2 triumph en route to promotion.