Blackburn v Preston Tips: Friday night's feisty 10/1 Bet Builder

On Friday, this weekend’s Championship action gets underway in Lancashire with Blackburn v Preston.

The hosts have lost three games in a row, while the visitors have won their last two. It’s all up for grabs, and our tipster, James O’Rourke, is on hand to guide us through this game.

Blackburn v Preston tips

Under 2.5 Goals
Over 4.5 Blackburn corners
Danny Batth To have 1+ shots on target
Alistair McCann To Commit 1+ Fouls

A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 10/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.

WHEN: Friday 31st of January, 8pm
WHERE: Ewood Park, Blackburn
TV: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football

Under 2.5 goals

A typical and competitive Lancashire derby is set to play out here. The league table might suggest a relatively routine home victory will be the way this goes, however the form guide would suggest otherwise.

Blackburn sit just a few points outside the play-off positions, but a run of three straight defeats, including two without scoring, leaves them somewhat vulnerable. It is also just two victories in their previous ten in all competitions.

It could be more of a back-to-basics approach from John Eustace’s side here, which would reduce the likelihood of goals.

Preston may be eight places behind their rivals in the standings but are only four points away. A recent upturn in form, which has seen North End go five unbeaten in all competitions, including three triumphs in the last four, has raised hopes of a play-off push of their own.

A common theme recently is the number of close games they’ve played. Eight of their ten most recent encounters in league and cup have either been won by a one-goal margin or drawn. Something similar could easily occur on Friday night.

Goals generally have not followed these two teams in league action across the campaign. Blackburn’s Championship battles have averaged 2.07 goals, whereas for Preston it is 2.34. The earlier season meeting was a scrappy 0-0 draw at Deepdale, so another scrappy affair that probably won’t lead to too many goals is anticipated.

Over 4.5 Blackburn corners

Being the home side, Blackburn will look to retain a consistent attacking threat throughout. They are out of form, but there is a clear motivation to try and get back on track whilst defeating a local rival.

Over the league season, Rovers average shy of 4.00 corners per game, but they’ve recently proved that they can blow that number out of the water. Last weekend, in the defeat at Bristol City, they collected seven, plus in January home fixtures with Burnley and Portsmouth, they achieved ten and five, respectively.

The game state is always key regarding the corner count, but with this likely to be a close match, the motivation to get forward should be present throughout. Preston are also reasonably handy in conceding corners, as in the league, they give away an average of precisely 4.50 per game.

Being the away team in a big local derby, one would expect them to be slightly more cautious than usual. This is another factor in backing Blackburn to earn some corners here.

Danny Batth to have 1+ shots on target

Blackburn have struggled with goals recently. Based on the goals scored by each team in the Championship, Rovers are a bottom-half team.

The fact they’ve only got two players, Andreas Weimann and the currently injured Yuki Ohashi, who have netted five or more league goals this season, suggests they can have issues in front of goal as a team.

Only twice in Blackburn’s last ten matches in all competitions have they recorded at least two goals. Therefore, others must try to chip in on the goal front. Danny Batth has been threatening to do so in recent times.

The experienced centre-back has enjoyed a prolonged run in Eustace’s starting eleven this season, given the lengthy injuries to Hayden Carter and Scott Wharton. Across his previous six Championship appearances, the 34-year-old has recorded a shot on target in three of them.

When the team struggles for goals, set pieces become even more critical. In these situations, Batth will have the chance to offer a threat inside the opposition penalty area.

Although he has only had six shots on target throughout the season, half of those have come in 2025, suggesting he is a significant scoring threat. Two goals have also come from those six shots on target, including one in the 1-1 away draw at Leeds United a few weeks ago.

Alistair McCann to commit 1+ fouls

Northern Ireland international Alistair McCann has become a very important player for Preston this season. Indeed, since Paul Heckingbottom took charge in late August, McCann has become one of the first names on the team sheet.

He will relish this derby atmosphere, and tactically, he’ll also have an important role. Expect the former St Johnstone man to get stuck into challenges and try to break up play. A scrappy contest should play out, so the midfield area is where a good few fouls will likely be committed.

Therefore, there are good reasons to believe the central midfielder will commit at least a couple of offences that will cause match referee Josh Smith to take action.

The fact McCann is one booking away from triggering a two-match ban is kind of all you need to know! Furthermore, he is ranked third in the Preston squad for most fouls committed in Championship games.

The player also has a 50% success rate of making two or more fouls over his last six league appearances. He has done the same in 56% of his league displays this season, so his short-term and long-term form proves he has a decent chance of fouling at least twice versus Blackburn.

This is something he also did head-to-head in the earlier season.