- 1 Lincoln City vs Blackburn Rovers: a fired-up promoted side meets a Rovers defence running on empty
- 2 Lincoln City ride a win 65 years in the making
- 3 Blackburn Rovers no longer keep clean sheets
- 4 Football prediction Lincoln City vs Blackburn Rovers
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Lincoln City vs Blackburn Rovers: a fired-up promoted side meets a Rovers defence running on empty 
Lincoln City have just landed their first win in the second tier since April 1961. That 1-0 victory at Bolton has completely changed the mood around the newly promoted side ahead of Blackburn Rovers’ visit.
Kick-off is set for 7:45pm local time on Tuesday at Sincil Bank. It will be Lincoln’s first midweek match of the season.
Blackburn arrive in the opposite state, on the back of two defeats in less than a week. The latest, a 2-1 home loss to Queens Park Rangers, ended an encouraging start to the season.
In 10th with four points, the Rovers still sit above their hosts, who are 17th with three. The gap is tiny after only three matches.
This will be the first ever league meeting between the clubs. Lincoln have spent most of their history outside the second tier.
The only previous meeting came in 2018, when Blackburn won 4-1 in the EFL Cup, also under Tony Mowbray. Eight years on, the manager meets the Imps in a very different setting.
Neither side has looked remotely solid at the back so far. That points this one towards an open, lively contest.
Lincoln City ride a win 65 years in the making 
Lincoln went up after topping 100 points in League One last season. Michael Skubala, the man who drove that title charge, has since left for Bristol City.
The club handed the reins to Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, and they made history straight away. Their 1-0 scrap at Bolton ended a 65-year wait for a win in the second tier.
It was also Lincoln’s first away win in the division since December 1960. On top of that, it ended a 42-year wait for a victory over the Trotters, after two draws in League One last season.
Ben House made the difference shortly after the hour with a decisive touch. The forward is riding a good wave with the team, a few days after the 4-1 win at Blackpool in the EFL Cup.
The league campaign had started the hard way, though, with defeats against Middlesbrough and Portsmouth. Three points from three games leave the Imps 17th, level with Portsmouth and Norwich City.
As far as the squad goes, Cohen and Shaw have no fresh worries. The group came back from Greater Manchester intact and everyone should be available.
The big call for the coaches is the system, after a switch to a back five delivered that first win. Going back to four defenders, as they did in their first home game of the season, would mean breaking up a working formula.
Three points from three matches leave Lincoln level with Portsmouth and Norwich City. So the promoted side are not cut adrift after those opening two defeats.
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Blackburn Rovers no longer keep clean sheets 
Rovers have seen all three results across their opening three Championship games. The draw with promotion favourites Wolverhampton Wanderers got their season moving in the right direction.
The 2-1 win over another play-off contender, Middlesbrough, backed that up. Blackburn had already matched last season’s points tally after five games.
Then came QPR to Ewood Park and stopped the rise in its tracks. Down for less than three minutes, the London side turned the game around through Paul Smyth and then Jimmy Dunne.
That defeat came just days after an EFL Cup exit against Sheffield United. Tony Mowbray made a big batch of changes for that second-round tie.
The problem is at the back. Rovers have failed to keep a clean sheet in five competitive matches. Eight goals conceded in that spell only underlines an issue that was already there last season.
Lewis Miller, Mathias Jorgensen and Yuki Ohashi remain out with Achilles and hamstring problems. The trio are expected to miss several more weeks.
Up front, Andri Gudjohnsen stays the club’s top scorer and keeps his place through the middle. Captain Todd Cantwell will play just behind him in the No 10 role.
Blackburn have already picked up four points, more than they had at this stage last season. Back then, they had to wait until matchday five to get beyond three points.
Expected Lincoln City line-up: Wickens ; Darikwa, Hamer, Elerewe, Reach ; McGrandles, Varfolomeev ; Hackett, House, Jefferies ; Draper
Expected Blackburn Rovers line-up: Toth ; Alebiosu, Atcheson, McLoughlin, Y. Ribeiro ; Forshaw, Montgomery ; Morishita, Cantwell, Afolayan ; Gudjohnsen
Football prediction Lincoln City vs Blackburn Rovers
Our prediction: Double chance Lincoln City or draw
Blackburn have not kept a clean sheet once in five competitive matches this season, shipping eight goals. A trip to a promoted side coming off a win and with a full squad available is hardly the ideal way to fix that.
Lincoln are on a two-game winning run, the 4-1 EFL Cup win at Blackpool followed by that historic 1-0 result at Bolton. The Imps have also found a back-five setup that has helped them keep things tight away from home.
We are backing the 1X: Lincoln City will not lose their first ever league meeting with Blackburn Rovers.
The 1X protects against the only real danger here, a reaction from Blackburn after back-to-back defeats. It still offers a decent price against a side sitting just above them.
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