Bristol City v Blackburn Rovers: Is it on TV? How to watch, injury and team news

The last international period of the calendar year is over and now a busy festive period lays in store for the Robins.

City have three games in the next eight days with a home double-header against Blackburn and then Stoke City before a trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United.

Tony Mowbray’s side are seventh in the table and are outside of the top six on goal difference with QPR possessing a +2 GD. Their placing sees them 11 places above City with a seven-point gap

Earlier this week, Bristol moved up a spot in the Championship after Reading had a six-point deduction from the Football League for breaching financial rules.

Last season, City got the better of Blackburn, taking four points from their two league meetings. Firstly at Ashton Gate, Famara Diedihou scored a late winner before a goalless draw in March earlier this year.

Overall in the 58 meetings between the two with the first stretching back to 1906, Bristol City have won 20 and drawn 12, edging out the Lancashire side by four wins.

What is the latest team news for Bristol City?

A big boost for City is that Nigel Pearson returns to the dugout after a leave of absence as he recovers from long COVID. The 58-year-old missed the defeat to Coventry City but returned to work earlier this week.

On the pitch, there were some doubts about whether Tomas Kalas would be available to play this week after not playing for the Czech Republic. The defender who has been ever present this campaign, did not play against Kuwait or Estonia after a foot problem was discovered in training. Fortunately it is not too serious as first thought and he is likely to play tomorrow.

A big blow however is the continued absence of Matty James, who is an anchor in the Robins midfield. James injured his foot in the win against Barnsley and aggravated it in the defeat to Birmingham City.

Right-back George Tanner has injured his hamstring and will also be unavailable.

One positive is Joe Williams is pushing hard to put his injury woes behind him, given he has only played six times since joining in 2020. If Pearson deems him fit enough he could slot in for Matt James.

What is the latest team news for Blackburn Rovers?

On-loan Brighton & Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke will miss the next two games after picking up a straight red card in the 7-0 loss to Fulham earlier this month.

Both Daniel Ayala and Harry Pickering, who have both played 11 games this season both had calf injuries but are now available for selection.

Influential midfielder Bradley Dack remains on the sidelines with a second consecutive ACL injury, having injured himself against Brentford in March.

Five-goal striker Sam Gallagher hasn’t yet recovered from a calf strain that kept him sidelined for their last two matches and it has proven too soon for tomorrow.

Youngster Joe Rankin-Costelli is another player missing, he has been plagued by injuries and returned against Fulham but picked up a hamstring injury which will keep him out until Christmas.

Ben Brereton-Diaz is the obvious play that City will have to keep under wraps. The 22-year-old became a Chile international in the summer and has not looked back since.

Second in the Championship top-scorers chart, Brereton has scored 13 times in the league this year, averaging a goal every 112 minutes with a shot accuracy of 63%.

They will also have to contend with the creativity of Joe Rothwell, who has created four goals from 15 games in the midfield of the Ewood Park club.

Is the match on TV?

The match is being played at 15.00 pm on a Saturday, which is the hours of the media blackout, so it is a firm no.

How can I watch highlights?

Highlights of the match will become available at around 17:30 pm on Sky Sports News, who will air them as they come in.

Alternatively there is a designated show for highlights of teams in the EFL. Tune in to the channel QUEST at 21.00 pm to take in the EFL on Quest. Depending on the excitement of the match, you could be watching it at the start of the show or left waiting if it is a drab goalless affair.