Blackburn Rovers vs Preston North End prediction, H2H and probable lineups — 20 February 2026
In the 33rd round of the English Championship, Blackburn will face Preston in what promises to be an intriguing contest. The match is scheduled for Friday, 20 February, with kick-off set for 21:00 Central European Time. I'm offering a bet focused on the game's goal output.
Match preview
Blackburn are enduring a tough season in the Championship — the team is stuck in the lower reaches of the table and battling to avoid relegation. Ahead of this clash with Preston, Rovers have a modest points tally, reflecting the difficulties they've encountered in recent outings.
In attack, Blackburn have some exciting talents like Gudjohnsen and Ohashi, but overall the team hasn't been as prolific as they'd hope. The hosts' average goal output is just below one per game, underlining their struggles up front.
Their defensive issues are even more pronounced — Rovers concede quite a lot, which highlights their problems with defensive organisation and set-piece awareness. This also makes their home games unpredictable and often open to counter-attacks from the opposition.
Notably, Blackburn have been dreadful at home, rarely giving their fans something to cheer about. In terms of points collected, Rovers are ahead of only Sheffield Wednesday, whom they managed to beat in a recent fixture.
Preston North End, meanwhile, have looked far more confident and stable in the 2025/26 campaign than their upcoming opponents. The team sits significantly higher than Blackburn in the table and boasts a positive points balance, a testament to the visitors' consistency throughout the season.
In attack, Preston display moderate productivity — the club averages just over a goal per match, capitalising on creative midfield play and rapid transitions. Their approach is often pragmatic, enabling them to pick up points even in tricky away fixtures.
Defensively, however, Preston can be vulnerable, especially against opponents capable of quick transitions from defence to attack. The number of goals they've conceded in certain matches shows that the visitors are prone to open games, where focus is required for the full 90 minutes.
After 32 rounds, Preston are positioned near the play-off zone and are once again eyeing promotion. At this stage, the "Lilywhites" are among the contenders for sixth place, but the table is incredibly tight and everything could change in just a few rounds.
Match facts
- Blackburn have won just one of their last five home matches.
- Preston are unbeaten in their last three games.
- Blackburn average 1 goal per game at home, while Preston average 1.2 goals per game away.
Probable lineups
- Blackburn Rovers: Tota, Cashin, Carter, Alebiosu, McLaughlin, Tronstad, Baradji, Jorgensen, Morishita, Ohashi, Gudjohnsen.
- Preston North End: Cornell, Gibson, Storey, Offiah, Valentin, Vukcevic, Devine, McCann, Whiteman, Osmajic, Dobbin.
H2H
- Blackburn have won their last two encounters against Preston.
- There hasn’t been a draw between these sides at Ewood Park since 2020.
Prediction
Given both sides’ struggles in attack, there's every reason to expect a tight and hard-fought contest. I expect more battling than flowing football, so my recommended bet is on under 2.5 total goals.
