The Lowdown: Saturday's Visitors To Filbert Way, Blackburn Rovers

Next Match | Friday 24 April Fri 24 Apr

MIL

(H)

01 D

04 H

46 M

22 S

Interviews & Features

Heritage

Photos

The Lowdown: Saturday's Visitors To Filbert Way, Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers travel to King Power Stadium on Saturday for Leicester City's next pre-season game before the 2020/21 campaign gets underway (1pm kick-off).

2020-09-03T11:14:00.000Z

by Sam Jones

Published

03 Sep, 2020

The Lowdown: Saturday's Visitors To Filbert Way, Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers travel to King Power Stadium on Saturday for Leicester City's next pre-season game before the 2020/21 campaign gets underway (1pm kick-off).

Sam Jones

2020-09-03T11:14:00.000Z

The Lowdown: Saturday's Visitors To Filbert Way, Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers travel to King Power Stadium on Saturday for Leicester City's next pre-season game before the 2020/21 campaign gets underway (1pm kick-off).

Sam Jones

2020-09-03T11:14:00.000Z

The Lowdown: Saturday's Visitors To Filbert Way, Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers travel to King Power Stadium on Saturday for Leicester City's next pre-season game before the 2020/21 campaign gets underway (1pm kick-off).

Sam Jones

2020-09-03T11:14:00.000Z

The Lowdown: Saturday's Visitors To Filbert Way, Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers travel to King Power Stadium on Saturday for Leicester City's next pre-season game before the 2020/21 campaign gets underway (1pm kick-off).

Sam Jones

2020-09-03T11:14:00.000Z

Ahead of this weekend's behind-closed-doors friendly fixture against Tony Mowbray's men, LCFC.com takes a detailed look at the Lancashire side, who finished 11th in Sky Bet Championship last term...

The squad

Rovers have recruited Belgian goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski in the current transfer window, signing the shot-stopper from KAA Gent for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old will become the Blues' No.1 for 2020/21, following the departure of Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Christian Walton.

Young Scottish striker Connor McBride has also joined the club, on a free transfer from Celtic, and is initially expected to link up the Under-23s side.

There have been several summer exits from Ewood Park, including striker Danny Graham, who spent four-and-a-half years in East Lancashire, playing 191 games and scoring 57 goals. Tough-talking midfielder Richie Smallwood also departed following the expiration of his contract and has since been named captain at Sky Bet League 1 side Hull City.

Both played an integral role in helping Rovers make an immediate return to the Championship in 2017/18, after relegation to the third tier. Dominic Samuel, Sam Hart and Jayson Leutwiler also left the club at the end of the extended 2019/20 campaign.

Adam Armstrong was Rovers' top scorer in 2019/20, netting 16 league goals and picking up a duo of awards in the form of Rovers' Goal of the Season prize and Player of the Year.

The diminutive forward was also Rovers' highest appearance maker last season, turning out 48 times in all competitions, ahead of goalkeeper Walton (46) and Lewis Travis (44).

The manager

Tony Mowbray is the second-longest serving manager in the Championship, having joined the club mid-way through the 2016/17 season.

Although he could not save them from relegation to the third tier, he guided Rovers straight back to the Championship at the first attempt, finishing second in League 1, before a respectable 15th-place finish upon their return to the second tier. Last season saw Rovers flirt with the play-off picture before eventually finishing 11th.

The majority of Mowbray's playing days saw him turn out for his hometown club, Middlesbrough, who he would also go on to manage between 2010 and 2013. He made 348 league appearances as a Boro player, captaining the side, before a four-year stint at Celtic, another team he would later take charge of, in 2009.

His career ended at Ipswich Town, where he enjoyed a five-year spell, including over a century of games, before taking the reins at Portman Road as interim manager after the turn of the century.

He then moved back up to Scotland to manage Hibernian, ahead of his most successful period, in charge of West Bromwich Albion, where he gained promotion to the Premier League in 2008. His last club before taking over at Rovers was Coventry City, who he managed between 2015 and 2016.

During his time at Rovers, Mowbray has won 74 of his 171 games, giving him a win ratio of 43.3 per cent - his highest in the English game.

Form guide

Rovers started well after English football's restart in June, with Bristol City dispatched 3-1 at Ewood Park, before back-to-back 2-0 defeats to relegation threatened Wigan Athletic and Barnsley made it an uphill task to reach the 2019/20 Championship play-offs.

Another loss, at home to promotion chasing Leeds United, was followed by an encouraging away win over Cardiff City and a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

But defeat in their next fixture, at Millwall, ended any hopes of sneaking into the top six and the Blues ended their campaign with two entertaining games - beating Reading 4-3 before losing 3-2 to Luton Town on the final day of the season.

Rovers' 2020/21 campaign got underway on Saturday as they beat Doncaster Rovers 3-2 in the first round of the Carabao Cup at Ewood Park. Lewis Holtby's stunning free-kick, a first senior goal for Joe Rankin-Costello and Adam Armstrong's penalty ensured Rovers went into the hat for the next round.

Tony Mowbray's side have also played two away games in pre-season, beating League 1 opposition Fleetwood Town 4-1 before a 3-1 victory over Blackpool, ahead of their trip to King Power Stadium.

Previous encounters

Leicester's most recent clash against Blackburn came at Ewood Park in March 2014, when Jamie Vardy's opener was cancelled out by Matt Kilgallon to earn the home side a point. The stalemate saw Nigel Pearson's side remain unbeaten during 2014 and they would go on to gain promotion to the Premier League.

The Foxes' last victory over Rovers came on Filbert Way near the start of that 2013/14 season as City won 2-1 thanks to goals from Lloyd Dyer and David Nugent and moved to the top of the Championship table.

Rovers have won 23 of the 55 previous encounters between the two sides, while Leicester have triumphed 17 times in total. Fifteen of the previous competitive games between the pair have ended in a draw, while both teams have inflicted a 6-0 reverse on each other in the past.

Trophy cabinet

Blackburn Rovers were crowned Premier League champions in 1994/95, the season after finishing as runners-up, becoming just the second team to lift the coveted trophy and are now one of seven clubs to do so. They also won the First Division title in both 1911/12 and 1913/14.

Rovers' success in the late 19th and early 20th centuries featured six FA Cup triumphs, including winning the competition three years running (1884, 1885, 1886) and back-to-back triumphs in 1890 and 1891. Rovers' last FA Cup Final win came in 1928.

The Blues are one-time winners of the second tier of English football in 1938/39, finishing as runners-up twice (1958 and 2001). Promotion to the top flight was also earned via the 1991/92 play-offs, beating Leicester at Wembley to enter the inaugural Premier League season.

Rovers have made it out of the third tier on three occasions, winning the division in 1974/75 and finishing as runners-up in both 1979/80, and in 2017/18.

The East Lancashire outfit lifted the League Cup in 2001, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in Cardiff to claim their most recent cup silverware.

The stadium

Ewood Park has been Rovers' home since 1890 and currently holds 31,367 spectators.

The stadium, which sits on the bank of the River Darwen, hosted England international fixtures against Scotland in 1891 and Wales in 1924. It was also a venue for the 2005 UEFA Women's European Championships, hosting two of the Lionesses' group stage fixtures and the tournament final.

The ground's record attendance came back in March 1929 for the FA Cup Sixth Round tie against Bolton Wanderers, when 62,255 fans attended the fixture.

Upcoming fixtures

Rovers' 2020/21 Championship campaign begins with a long away trip to AFC Bournemouth, who will be playing their first game in the second tier since Premier League relegation. The game at Vitality Stadium is scheduled for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday 12 September.

Mowbray's side then host newly-promoted Wycombe Wanderers, who are starting their first-ever season in the second tier, on Saturday 19 September (3pm kick-off).

The Blues' next league fixture will see them travel to take on Derby County, before back-to-back home games against Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest either side of the international break.

All times BST.

Please note, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Saturday's pre-season friendly at King Power Stadium will be staged behind closed doors.

LATEST HEADLINES

James ‘Unlikely To Start’ Against Millwall, Says Rowett Gary Rowett provided an update on Jordan James after the midfielder limped off in our 2-2 draw with Hull City on Tuesday.

23 Mins Ago

Fan Zone Open Ahead Of Millwall Game Our Fan Zone will be open on Friday night ahead of our Sky Bet Championship fixture against Millwall at King Power Stadium.

3 Hours 43 Mins Ago

McLoughlin Scores in Young Lionesses Cup Final Success Olivia McLoughlin found the net for England Under-23s who won silverware over the international break, while there were wins for LCFC Women players in the hunt for FIFA World Cup qualification.

5 Hours 13 Mins Ago

London City vs. LCFC Women: Tickets & Coverage Our Barclays WSL campaign resumes this Sunday (12pm kick-off) when we make the trip to CopperJax Community Stadium to face London City Lionesses, in search of valuable points.

7 Hours 13 Mins Ago