Lincoln City vs Blackburn Rovers preview

England flag 2026/2027 Championship, England
LNER Stadium
Championship
KICKOFF :
Round 4 Regular Season

CONTEXT

In the Championship regular season encounter at LNER Stadium, Lincoln City welcome Blackburn Rovers for what promises to be a challenging fixture. Lincoln City currently sit in 22nd position domestically while Blackburn occupy 6th place. Power scores reflect a clear gap with Blackburn at 72.75 and Lincoln at 51.05, giving the visitors a 21.7 point advantage and marking them as the stronger side overall. Form scores underline this difference further as Blackburn register 31.56 against Lincoln's 7.44. Both teams enter without recent outing details available yet the league standings and metrics suggest Blackburn will aim to dictate proceedings through their superior structure and consistency. Lincoln will need to rely on home support to bridge the evident quality divide in this regular season clash.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Lincoln City sit 22nd while Blackburn occupy 6th in the domestic Championship standings.
  • Form: Lincoln City hold a form score of 7.44 compared to Blackburn Rovers at 31.56.
  • Squad: Blackburn Rovers possess a power advantage of 21.7 points over Lincoln City.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics remain unavailable for both sides in this fixture.
  • Transition: Transition metrics are not detailed in the available pre-match data.
  • Set pieces: Set piece analysis shows low confidence with proxy data used for both teams.
  • xVariable: Blackburn Rovers demonstrate stronger overall metrics as the away side.
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
0.33
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.36
0.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Bolton Wanderers Rank: 72 D
Portsmouth Rank: 71 L
Middlesbrough Rank: 77 L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.5 i
Last 6 Opponents
Queens Park Rangers Rank: 70 D
Middlesbrough Rank: 78 W
Wolverhampton Wanderers Rank: 81 D
Leicester City Rank: 74 L
Sheffield United Rank: 75 W
Coventry City Rank: 83 D
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
51.05
72.75
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Lincoln City
Blackburn Rovers
Power Score
51.05
72.75
League Position
22
6
Global Rank
94
178

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

vs
Lincoln City Opponent-weighted form score
Blackburn Rovers Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Lincoln City Blackburn Rovers

General Information

Date & Time
Competition
2026/2027 Championship, England · Round 4 · Regular Season
Stadium
LNER Stadium
Capacity
10780
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Richard Woodward
Aaron Hallam
Elliot Bell

Squad

Referee : Will Finnie

Squad

1
George Wickens
George Wickens Goalkeeper
46
Joe Gauci
Joe Gauci Goalkeeper
2
Tendayi Darikwa
Tendayi Darikwa Defender
3
Adam Reach
Adam Reach Defender
20
Callum Elder
Callum Elder Defender
22
Thomas Hamer
Thomas Hamer Defender
23
Joshua Honohan
Joshua Honohan Defender
6
Ryley Towler
Ryley Towler Defender
25
Deji Elerewe
Deji Elerewe Defender
4
Andrei Coubis
Andrei Coubis Defender
39
Charlie Parks
Charlie Parks Defender
14
Conor McGrandles
Conor McGrandles Midfielder
8
Tom Bayliss
Tom Bayliss Midfielder
16
Dom Jeffries
Dom Jeffries Midfielder
24
Ivan Varfolomeev
Ivan Varfolomeev Midfielder
Yunus Konak
Yunus Konak Midfielder
18
Ben House
Ben House Attacker
19
Isaac Olaofe
Isaac Olaofe Attacker
17
Robert Street
Robert Street Attacker
34
Freddie Draper
Freddie Draper Attacker
Ethan Wheatley
Ethan Wheatley Attacker
Mikkel Riis Ladefoged
10
Mason Melia
Mason Melia Attacker
Referee : Will Finnie

Squad

22
Balázs Tóth
Balázs Tóth Goalkeeper
1
Aynsley Pears
Aynsley Pears Goalkeeper
3
Harry Pickering
Harry Pickering Defender
17
Hayden Carter
Hayden Carter Defender
15
Sean McLoughlin
Sean McLoughlin Defender
2
Ryan Alebiousu
Ryan Alebiousu Defender
6
Tom Atcheson
Tom Atcheson Defender
28
Adam Forshaw
Adam Forshaw Midfielder
8
Sam Morsy
Sam Morsy Midfielder
10
Todd Cantwell
Todd Cantwell Midfielder
30
Jake Garrett
Jake Garrett Midfielder
25
Ryoya Morishita
Ryoya Morishita Midfielder
31
Kristi Montgomery
Kristi Montgomery Midfielder
18
Axel Henriksson
Axel Henriksson Midfielder
24
Moussa Baradji
Moussa Baradji Midfielder
21
Oladapo Afolayan
Oladapo Afolayan Attacker
29
Mathias Jörgensen
Mathias Jörgensen Attacker
23
Yuki Ohashi
Yuki Ohashi Attacker
11
Jayden Fevrier
Jayden Fevrier Attacker

CONCLUSION

Blackburn Rovers enter this Championship match as clear frontrunners based on league position, power scores and form indicators. Their ability to control games through structured play and consistent output positions them well against a Lincoln City side that must improve markedly at home. Lincoln will look to exploit any lapses in concentration from the visitors while relying on defensive organization to limit opportunities. The absence of detailed efficiency and transition data adds an element of unpredictability yet the core metrics favor the away team. Set piece contributions appear limited in insight due to low confidence levels. Overall the contest highlights a mismatch in current standing that Blackburn are equipped to navigate successfully if they maintain their standards throughout.