Blackburn Rovers Vs Bristol City: McCrorie concussion clouds Ewood Park trip
Bristol City travel to Ewood Park on Tuesday, February 24th (7. 45pm ET) for blackburn rovers vs bristol city, looking for three points after a narrow 1-0 defeat at Swansea City and managing a concussion concern over defender Ross McCrorie. The result and the injury picture shape a compact week that also includes a home game with Watford on Friday, February 27th (8pm ET).
McCrorie recovery and Struber's latest assessment
Head coach Gerhard Struber confirmed the club hope to have Ross McCrorie available for the Watford game on Friday, February 27th (8pm ET), but said "it looks not good" that the Scotsman will be able to play at Blackburn as he recovers from a concussion. McCrorie sustained the concussion in training ahead of the Red Dragons' visit to Ashton Gate and was forced to sit out last Tuesday's draw with Wrexham and Saturday's loss away to Swansea City. After McCrorie's latest test, part of return-to-play protocols, Struber said, "Hopefully, [he will be available] on Friday. " He added, "He passed his test, but he was not super successful, " and stressed the player will be given the time needed to make a full recovery.
Reaction to the Swansea defeat and squad changes
City fell 1-0 at Swansea with The Jacks' Zan Vipotnik scoring the only goal of the game. Struber made five changes for that fixture, handing Delano Burgzorg and Noah Eile their full debuts and bringing Sinclair Armstrong, Jason Knight and George Earhty in from the start. Defender Rob Atkinson and Struber both rued missed chances after the match and said City must be more "ruthless" and "clinical" moving forward. The defeat leaves the Robins down to 12th place in the Sky Bet Championship, though they remain four points from sixth place.
Blackburn's turnaround under Michael O'Neill and squad facts
Tuesday's hosts are currently 20th after 33 games, with 10 wins, eight draws and 15 defeats. The club parted ways with former Head Coach Valérien Ismaël in early February after a difficult spell; Damien Johnson took charge temporarily before Michael O'Neill was appointed on a short-term deal until the end of the season. O'Neill is off to a perfect start, earning back-to-back victories — first away to Queens Park Rangers and most recently a 1-0 home win over local rivals Preston North End — and the side sit five points clear of the relegation zone. Blackburn were formed in 1875, play at Ewood Park, use the nickname Rovers, list Michael O'Neill as manager and finished last season in 7th place.
Blackburn Rovers Vs Bristol City: logistics, officials and viewing
The Sky Bet Championship fixture is set for Tuesday, February 24th (7. 45pm ET) at Ewood Park. Match officials are referee Mathew Donohue, assistant referees David Harrison and Callum Gough, with Elliot Bell as fourth official. Pay on the night will not be available for away supporters; the match will be shown in the UK on a live television service and overseas supporters can watch on the club's streaming platform, with pre-match build-up starting at 7. 15pm ET.
Standing pressures and what lies ahead for City
Heading into the trip to Ewood Park, the Robins sit 12th and are five places and four points adrift of sixth-placed Wrexham, having claimed just 11 points from nine matches in this calendar year. The defeat to Swansea has stretched the gap to the play-off places with just 13 league games left to play this term, leaving Struber intent on keeping focus on the midweek clash and the immediate run of fixtures rather than longer-term permutations. City aim to secure a first win in three Championship matches as they attempt to close the four-point gap back to sixth.
One to watch: Yūki Ōhashi
Blackburn's player highlighted as one to watch is Yūki Ōhashi. Born in Matsudo, Japan, Ōhashi began his senior career at Shonan Bellmare in the J1 League, making 90 appearances and scoring 20 goals before moving to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The forward moved to English football in July 2024, signing for Blackburn Rovers on a three-year deal.
