Russell Martin begins his Swansea City reign with a trip to face Blackburn Rovers in the club's Championship opener for 2021-22.
Despite a quiet summer on the transfer front, Tony Mowbray will be looking to get Rovers off to a positive start at Ewood Park.
Match preview
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After a poor second half to last season, it was expected that Blackburn would opt for a change in the dugout, ending Mowbray's four-year stay at the North-West outfit.
However, both parties ultimately agreed that it was mutually beneficial to continue their partnership, Rovers looking for stability and Mowbray keen to remain at a second-tier club.
Blackburn are yet to respond to a number of outgoings over the summer, while it remains possible that last season's top goalscorer Adam Armstrong could still leave for a Premier League side.
The scenario in front of Mowbray means that a respectable start to the campaign would be deemed a considerable bonus, but Rovers have been presented with a favourable opening triple-header.
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With the 2021 Championship playoff runners-up in front of them this weekend, some may argue that Blackburn could have been afforded an easier start.
However, the departure of Steve Cooper will inevitably lead to changes at the Liberty Stadium, and Russell Martin has a big task on his hands to replicate the progression of the past two years.
The former MK Dons boss is boosted by an array of prospects arriving in South Wales, but getting the best out of ex-PSV Eindhoven striker Joel Piroe will be his first task.
Piroe has been selected as the player to fill the boots of experienced Ghanaian Andre Ayew, whose second spell in South Wales came to an end earlier this summer.
Like their hosts, Swansea will miss the loanees which returned to their parent clubs over the summer, and the majority of their supporters will not know what to expect ahead of the visit to Ewood Park.
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Team News
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Blackburn may have a decision to make regarding the availability of Armstrong, who is allegedly the subject of a big-money offer from Norwich City.
While Daniel Ayala did not feature against Bolton Wanderers last weekend, Mowbray has hinted that the Spaniard is in contention for this contest.
Joe Rothwell and Sam Gallagher may also be involved after starting the last pre-season friendly as substitutes.
Swansea will be without the suspended Jay Fulton after the midfielder was sent off in last season's playoff final.
Connor Roberts is also absent through injury, leaving Kyle Naughton to deputise at right-back and Joel Latibeaudiere to feature in the back three.
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Nyambe, Ayala, Lenihan, Pickering; Davenport, Travis; Brereton, Rothwell, Gallagher; Armstrong
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Benda; Latibeaudiere, Bennett, Cabango; Naughton, Grimes, Smith, Manning; Dhanda; Piroe, Lowe
We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Swansea City
With neither team enjoying the best preparations for the new season, we feel that both clubs will be focused on avoiding an opening-day defeat. With that in mind, do not expect much entertainment at Ewood Park in a game which could end in a low-scoring draw.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Swansea City win with a probability of 37.27%. A win for Blackburn Rovers had a probability of 35.33% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Swansea City win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.04%) and 0-2 (6.7%). The likeliest Blackburn Rovers win was 1-0 (10.46%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.97%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood.
