- Burton form: Burton's recent results read 1 win, 3 draws and 1 defeat from 5 games in all competitions.
- Blackburn form: Blackburn's recent form is 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats from their last 5 in all competitions.
- Goals conceded: Burton have conceded 6 goals in 6 home games in all competitions, Blackburn have conceded 8 in 7 away matches.
Pirelli Stadium should host a cup battle
This EFL Cup 2026-2027 first-round clash looks like a classic cup clash of styles. Gary Bowyer's Burton Albion are a direct, counter-punching side, who are compact and well organised when they have the ball.
They are built to make it tough for teams in spells and to be awkward, especially against a possession-based side like Blackburn Rovers, who should have to work hard to create chances in the right areas against the Brewers. Bowyer's side have ground out 5 draws, 2 wins and 3 defeats from their 10 most recent games in all competitions, so they are a grind rather than a glamour side, although it is too early to tell if they will be a top half or bottom half team in League One 2025/2026.
Bowyer’s Brewers are good at being uninspiring
Burton build-up
In the build-up to Saturday's clash, they have played 2 games; a 2-2 draw away at fellow League One side Leyton Orient and a 0-1 home loss to Birmingham City in a friendly. So the Brewer's are competitive enough to give Blackburn a game at the very least, but they don't have the sort of quality where they are going to wow anyone on Saturday.
Blackburn form
Tony Mowbray has worked patient build-up, midfield control and width into his Blackburn side since taking over on 1st July 2026, although they can be up and at 'em on occasion. Their last two games were a 3-0 away loss to Nottingham Forest and a 2-0 away win over Racing Club Strasbourg, both friendlies, so they come into this game in mixed form.
Blackburn should be favourites
However, Mowbray will try to get Rovers to dominate territory and play in a fluid 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 shape and they should have enough quality to test Burton's defensive discipline.
Blackburn have won 3, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their 7 away games, so they have a platform to win on Saturday, but Burton are well drilled enough to stop them from running riot.
- The Lancashire club have won 3, drawn 4 and lost 3 of their 10 most recent matches in all competitions, which is a solid enough record.
- Rovers are the favourites at 2.28, but with Burton at 3.05 and the draw at 3.3, they are not too much in favour.
- That is because Burton are a solid, if unspectacular, side and they have won 2, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their 6 home games in all competitions.
Back under 2.5 goals
Under 2.5 goals seems very narrow at 1.77, but Blackburn have conceded 8 goals in 7 away matches while Burton are a low-scoring team by nature and have let in only 6 goals in 6 at home.
Backing Both Teams To Score – No at 1.95, which is much the same bet, looks the way to go in what should be a tight chess match. The most likely outcome is a narrow Blackburn win or a tense draw, so a small stakes bet on the away win in the exact score market could be a good play.
