Championship experts share ‘low margin’ Derby County vs Blackburn Rovers score prediction amid John Eustace return

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An intriguing clash takes place this weekend with John Eustace facing his former club as his Derby County side host Blackburn Rovers at Pride Park on Saturday afternoon.

Derby have lost all three of their matches under their new head coach, conceding six goals without reply across those fixtures. The Rams take on a Blackburn side that sit just outside the play-off places in the Championship, as they look to return to the Premier League following a 13-year absence.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
5	CoventryCoventry	35	15	8	12	49	44	5	53
6	West BromWest Brom	35	12	16	7	45	32	13	52
7	Bristol CityBristol City	35	13	13	9	45	38	7	52
8	BlackburnBlackburn	35	15	7	13	40	35	5	52
9	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	35	14	8	13	55	46	9	50
10	WatfordWatford	35	14	7	14	45	48	-3	49
11	NorwichNorwich	35	12	12	11	56	48	8	48

Eustace made the surprise switch to Derby last month, swapping a promotion push with Rovers for a relegation battle at his former club. Eustace has opened up on the Blackburn reunion ahead of the match.

However, he will know what is at stake against a Rovers side that could move back into the top six with victory. Valerien Ismael replaced him and his new team drew their first game under his guidance, as Blackburn and Norwich City played out a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

It’s a potentially pivotal game at both ends of the table, with both managers looking for their first win in charge of their respective sides.

• READ MORE: Championship fans decide which three clubs will be relegated this season

Blackburn Rovers will be eyeing three points against John Eustace and Derby County

Derby are the only side in the division yet to win in 2025, and the Rams have lost 10 of their past 12 matches in the second tier so far.

It has been revealed that Derby have suffered transfer disappointment in recent months, and Blackburn would love to compound the misery on their former manager, which Championship experts are expecting on Saturday.

Speaking via the Championship check-in podcast, Benjamin Bloom and EFL pundit Sam Parkin have had their say on John Eustace coming up against his former side for the first time.

Bloom said: “John Eustace will not be getting a good reception from the Blackburn fans in this one, it will be interesting to see the motivation of the Blackburn players here.

“But if I know John Eustace, this is one he can really leverage with his ridiculous knowledge of that squad. The problem I’ve got here is, Derby. They’ve not even scored under Eustace yet.

“So I’m going to play a 1-1; it’ll be low margin.

“Even despite Derby’s terrible form, I think Eustace’s knowledge of Blackburn might be key.”

Parkin responded: “I can understand the thought process. I backed Derby to win at Boro and that didn’t go to plan.

“I have to go for Blackburn here. I think it’ll be narrow. But I’ll back Derby to score, in a 2-1 away win for Blackburn.”

• READ MORE: Derby County handed brutal ‘worst team’ verdict by Championship expert

John Eustace is under serious pressure at Derby County

If he loses to his former side at the weekend, Eustace will become the first-ever Derby boss to begin his tenure with four successive defeats.

It has simply not been the homecoming back at Pride Park that he would have hoped for, with his Rams side conceding six goals and scoring none.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
17	PortsmouthPortsmouth	35	10	9	16	43	57	-14	39
18	Oxford UnitedOxford United	35	9	11	15	36	52	-16	38
19	Hull CityHull City	35	9	9	17	35	44	-9	36
20	Stoke CityStoke City	35	8	12	15	34	47	-13	36
21	CardiffCardiff	35	8	12	15	38	57	-19	36
22	LutonLuton	35	8	7	20	32	55	-23	31
23	PlymouthPlymouth	35	6	12	17	36	70	-34	30
24	DerbyDerby	35	7	8	20	33	48	-15	29

With other clubs around them picking up points in the weeks since, Derby are now seven points adrift of safety, in desperate need of a win to lift their season.

Despite that, news of Jeff Hendrick’s imminent arrival at Derby will provide supporters with somewhat of a lift ahead of the business end of 2024/25.