Blackburn Rovers have proved to be the early-season entertainers, scoring a league high 25 goals so far. They come into the fixture in reasonable form, having won five of their 13 matches, and unbeaten in their last four. 

Barnsley have recovered well after a slow start to the season, and have started well under new manager Valérien Ismaël. The Yorkshire outfit have won three of their previous five league fixtures, including their last away match against Derby County

Ones to watch

Blackburn talisman Adam Armstrong leads the scoring charts, notching 12 in his side's 13 league games so far. Should Rovers emerge victorious, they will rely on their main man to provide the goals. 

Barnsley's main threat may come from Cauley Woodrow. The forward has four goals so far this campaign, and has also chipped in with two assists. 

Team news

Blackburn will be without three players for Saturday's match. Elliot Bennett, Bradley Dack and Lewis Travis will not be fit enough to undergo fitness tests, and miss out altogether. 

Barnsley have a fully fit squad to select from, apart from long term absentee Ben Williams, who will miss the season after undergoing ACL surgery. 

Predicted lineups

Blackburn (4-3-3):

Kaminski, Douglas, Wharton, Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell, Trybull, Holtby, Brereton, Armstrong, Gallagher.

Barnsley (3-4-3):

Walton, Sollbauer, Helik, Andersen, Styles, Mowatt, James, Brittain, Frieser, Woodrow, Chaplin. 

Managers' comments 

Tony Mowbray was conscious of the threat Barnsley pose, speaking in his press conference ahead of the match: 

“Barnsley are almost unique in this league in terms of how they play, it’s a different game, it’s one that we maybe can’t be as expansive, we have be conscious of counter-attacks and transition and them breaking through the middle very fast.”

Valérien Ismaël praised his side's attacking quality over the past few games, suggesting they will have to be at their best to beat a strong Blackburn side: 

“This is a very good challenge for my team to deal with the strength of the opponent, but we have our strength and quality to score and this is what we have to do."

How to watch 

You can watch the match by purchasing an "iFollow" match pass from either club's website.

The game kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 28th November.

 

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