ENG. CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING PREVIEW - WOLVES VS BLACKBURN ROVERS

Eng. Championship

2026-08-14 - Wolves vs Blackburn Rovers

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Wolves v Blackburn Rovers
Football: English Championship
Friday 14th August 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV

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Wolves

Relegation from the Premier League felt inevitable before Christmas and Wolves appointed Rob Edwards with one eye on the Championship or so it seemed... A surprising decision was made by the board to part with the manager they enticed away from Middlesbrough and who had made it clear that the Wolves job was his dream one and instead Wolves will return to the second tier with Cesar Peixoto.

The lack of experience of English Football has to be a concern for Wolves fans who have grown disillusioned with the direction of the club under the current owners. Relegation from the Premier League will have hurt and Wolves only picked up 20 points in that Division, but this is a squad that looks packed with quality capable of dealing with the drop in level.

Wolves spent almost a decade in the Premier League and the last campaign in the second tier ended with the title and 99 points. It took the club a number of years to recover when they last dropped out of the Premier League, but fans will be expectant of a team that opened the season with a 3-0 win over Port Vale in the League Cup First Round. Wolves have lost just 2 of the last 8 home games in all competitions.

Blackburn Rovers

Three different managers took charge of Blackburn Rovers last season and Michael O'Neill eventually decided to remain in charge of the Northern Ireland national team so Tony Mowbray has been appointed ahead of the 2026/27 season. They only just scraped away from the bottom three of the Championship and expectations are pretty low at Ewood Park going into the new campaign.

The Championship has a new Play Off format with the places between 3rd and 8th now having the chance to earn a spot in the Premier League. In three of the four seasons prior to the last one, Blackburn Rovers actually finished in the top eight of the Championship and it is a Division where teams can build up momentum at any time. Last season home form was an issue for Blackburn Rovers, but they did finish with a 9-4-10 away record, which is the same number of away wins as Ipswich Town managed.

Blackburn Rovers came from behind to avoid the upset and beat Burton Albion in the League Cup First Round last weekend. They had concluded the last campaign with a single win from the last 6 Championship games played. Blackburn Rovers have won 4 of the last 6 away games played in all competitions having opened the season with a win at the Pirelli Stadium in the League Cup.

Head to Head

These two clubs last met in February 2025 when Wolves won a FA Cup tie here 0-2.

Wolves are unbeaten in 4 at Molineux against Blackburn Rovers, but 3 of those have ended in draws, including the last meeting here in April 2017.

Prediction

In recent seasons a real gap has begun to develop between the Premier League and Championship and that has seen those promoted struggling to consolidate at the next level and those relegated challenging for an immediate return to the top flight.

The 2026/27 Championship season begins at the home of one of the relegated clubs when Wolves host Blackburn Rovers and both are being managed by new appointments.

The Wolves decision to Sack Rob Edwards has really baffled many and it is important for Cesar Peixoto to get his team off to a strong start. A lack of experience of English Football has to be a concern, but Wolves have a squad that have plenty of their own and that can aid the manager.

Wolves will have to improve the home form after struggling here in the Premier League, but Rob Edwards had found something positive and they did pick up 13 points from the last 10 home League games. That may not sound that impressive, but it was a big improvement and the win over Port Vale in the League Cup gives the squad an early boost.

They will have to respect Blackburn Rovers who won at Burton Albion last weekend and who won 9 away League games in the 2025/26 season.

However, Blackburn Rovers were pretty well beaten when visiting Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Southampton and they failed to score in any of those away fixtures. They also failed to score in a goalless draw at Middlesbrough and Wolves may make an early statement with the quality of players they can call upon in this opening fixture.

The Pick :

Wolves 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Wolves to Win & Over 1 Total Goal (Bet Builder) at 1.83 with Bet365 (early payout if a team is leading by two goals)