Wolves to host Blackburn Rovers in EFL Championship Matchweek 1 at Molineux
Wolves will host Blackburn Rovers at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton in Matchweek 1 of the EFL Championship on Saturday, 15 August, with kick-off at 12:30 a.m. IST. Cesar Peixoto is in charge of Wolves and Tony Mowbray leads Blackburn.
Wolves return to the Championship at Molineux after relegation from the English top flight, having finished at the bottom of the table, and the club appointed Portuguese coach Cesar Peixoto, who has previously managed Gil Vicente and Chaves. The club has bolstered its squad by signing Kieran Trippier and Rafiki Said and is expected to contest for direct promotion, with fans anticipated to fill Molineux. Blackburn last played Premier League football in the 2011-12 season and finished last campaign two places above Oxford United, avoiding relegation to the third division; Tony Mowbray has taken over at Blackburn, having previously managed Sunderland and Coventry and returning for a second spell. Blackburn also won a few games in the pre-season and recorded victories over Strasbourg and Burton in the EFL Cup.
Form heading into the opener is listed as Wolves (in all competitions): W-W-W-L-W and Blackburn (in all competitions): W-D-W-L-D.
Kieran Trippier is described in the report as a veteran English fullback from Bury who has played for Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham before moving to Wolves; the piece notes he has won the Carabao Cup with the Magpies and La Liga with Atletico and that his presence on the flanks is set to bolster Wolves’ defence. The article also states Rafiki Said will miss the next game because of injury concerns and that Raul Jimenez is expected to start from the bench as he is not fully fit.
The report profiles a 24-year-old London-born Nigerian fullback as one of Blackburn’s standout players last season, saying he previously wore the jerseys of Kilmarnock and St. Mirren and moved to Blackburn in 2025; he is described as an explosive, tall and highly athletic modern right-back and a former Crewe full-back who will be tasked with keeping Mateus Mane quiet and whose overlapping runs from the right flank will be crucial to set up Morishita upfront. For Blackburn, the article states there are no injury concerns and that Jayden Fevrier and Andri Gudjohnsen are expected to make a comeback into the starting lineup.
Projected starting XIs provided in the preview are Daniel Bentley (GK); Kieran Trippier, Yerson Mosquera, Toti Gomes, Hugo Bueno; André, Marshall Munetsi; Rodrigo Gomes, Fer López, Mateus Mané; Adam Armstrong for Wolves, and Balázs Tóth (GK); Ryan Alebiosu, Tom Atcheson, Sean McLoughlin, Harry Pickering; Adam Forshaw, Sidnei Tavares; Ryoya Morishita, Todd Cantwell, Jaden Fevrier; Andri Guðjohnsen for Blackburn. The preview states Wolves seem to have an upper hand in the fixture, adds "We expect Adam Armstrong to score the first goal for Wolves," and gives the prediction: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Blackburn Rovers.
The match will be played at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, UK, on Saturday, 15 August, at 12:30 a.m. IST, and can be streamed on Fancode in India.
