On Monday night, there will be a north-west showdown in the Championship. Blackburn will be hosting Wigan, and Shaun Maloney will be taking charge of the away team for the very first time.
Both sides need a win for different reasons at Ewood Park, with Rovers still in play-off contention in the second tier, while the bottom-of-the-table Latics are firmly in the relegation scrap.
Wigan opted to sack Kolo Toure after less than two months in charge after the former Arsenal defender failed to win a league game during his short time at the helm at the DW Stadium, with Maloney appointed on a three-and-a-half-year deal when succeeding him.
Blackburn vs Wigan: Dack can shine in exciting north-west affair
Rovers, meanwhile, sit eighth in the table after Saturday’s games but have only won one of their last five in the Championship.
Team news
Blackburn defender Daniel Ayala will be assessed ahead of kick-off after a recent ankle knock, while new signing Sorba Thomas will be hoping to make his debut following his recent move from Huddersfield Town.
Midfielder Tyler Morton, on loan from Liverpool, is set to return to the side after sitting out the FA Cup replay win at Birmingham City last time out.
Maloney is expected to hand Martin Kelly, Omar Rekik and Danel Sinani their Wigan debuts following their recent loan moves.
The new boss could make more changes as he looks to get off to a winning start with forward Josh Magennis, who came off the bench in the most recent defeat to Luton, among those hoping for a recall to the starting XI.
Over 2.5 goals @ 11/10
With this being a derby, considering what’s at stake and a new manager being in one of the dugouts, this should be a fairly exciting clash with plenty of goals.
Seven of Wigan’s 28 league games so far this term have featured over 3.5 goals as their defence has unsurprisingly conceded a division-high 49.
To further the prospect of goals at Ewood Park on Monday, five of Blackburn’s last nine matches in all competitions have seen over 2.5 goals.
These derby games often feature plenty of action at both ends, with four of the last seven meetings between the sides seeing over 2.5 goals in total.
Bradley Dack to score anytime @ 2/1
If there are to be goals for the home side, then Bradley Dack seems the logical choice to be among those likely to notch.
The 29-year-old has hit form of late, scoring in the 1-1 league draw at Bristol City last month and then following up with a goal in the 2-2 FA Cup fourth-round tie with Birmingham that went to a replay.
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