Wolves vs Blackburn Prediction & Preview - Championship
Wolverhampton host Blackburn Rovers at Molineux on Friday, 14 August 2026, kick-off 20:00 BST, and the two of them open the Championship season on their own. It is Wolves' first game in the second tier for nine years, and the first competitive league match of César Peixoto's career in English football.
- Fixture: Wolverhampton v Blackburn Rovers
- Competition: Championship
- Date: Friday, 14 August 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST
- Venue: Molineux
- Match page: Wolves vs Blackburn Rovers
What time is kick-off for Wolves vs Blackburn Rovers?
Wolves vs Blackburn Rovers kicks off at 20:00 BST on Friday, 14 August 2026 at Molineux, and the game is shown live on Sky Sports. It is the opening fixture of the 2026-27 Championship season.
How have Wolves and Blackburn Rovers been playing?
Wolves come into this having finished bottom of the Premier League last season with 20 points and 27 goals, the lowest scoring return in the division. The last three months of that campaign told the story: 3-0 down at Brighton on 9 May, then two draws to finish, 1-1 with Fulham at home and 1-1 at Burnley.
Since then almost everything about the club has changed. Peixoto replaced Rob Edwards over the summer, arriving from Gil Vicente, and Kieran Trippier and Raúl Jiménez have both signed on free transfers. Pre-season went well - three wins from four, including 2-0 at Doncaster Rovers and 1-0 at Maidenhead United, with the only defeat a 1-2 at home to Real Sociedad. Then Port Vale were beaten 3-0 at Molineux in the first round of the EFL Cup.
Blackburn finished 20th last season on 52 points, a year after just missing the play-offs, and Tony Mowbray's summer has been quieter. Their EFL Cup tie at Burton Albion needed two late goals to win 2-1, with Jayden Fevrier scoring off the bench. The friendlies before it were mixed: 2-0 up at Strasbourg, 1-1 at Huddersfield Town, and 3-0 down at Nottingham Forest.
So one side arrives on the back of a 3-0 win and a rebuilt squad, and the other on the back of a game they had to rescue against League Two opposition.
Team news
Blackburn have the longer list. Scott Wharton, Mathias Jørgensen and Lewis Miller are all out injured, which is three senior players missing from a defence that conceded three at Forest a fortnight ago. Fevrier's goal at Burton makes a case for him starting.
Wolves have no reported absences. Peixoto is expected to name much the same side that beat Port Vale, which means Trippier and Jiménez are both available for their first competitive appearance in old gold.
What is the head-to-head record between Wolves and Blackburn Rovers?
The clubs have not met in our archive, because they have spent the last several seasons in different divisions. Wolves have not lost to Blackburn since 2012.
Wolves vs Blackburn Rovers prediction
Wolves should win this. They have the stronger squad by some distance now that Trippier and Jiménez have arrived, they scored three at home a week ago, and Blackburn are without three senior players and needed 90 minutes plus to see off Burton Albion.
The argument against is the obvious one: a relegated squad with a new manager and a first competitive league game together is exactly where a slow start comes from, and Mowbray's sides defend deep and stay in games. Wolves scored 27 goals in a whole Premier League season, so anyone expecting four should watch the first half first.
Our prediction: Wolverhampton 2-0 Blackburn Rovers.
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