City have twice failed to score against Rovers this season, so will it be third time lucky?
Barry Cooper Hull City correspondent
05:00, 31 Jan 2026
Hull City have been unable to find a way through Blackburn in more than 200 hundred minutes of action this season (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
Sergej Jakirovic says Hull City’s biggest challenge to start with at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday is to find a way to score against the struggling Lancashire club.
Rovers might be third bottom in the Championship, but City have failed to find the back of the net in the two games they’ve played against Valerien Ismael’s side this season.
City were thumped 3-0 at the MKM Stadium in August and then were held to a 0-0 draw after extra time in the FA Cup earlier this month.
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The Tigers prevailed after a penalty shoot-out, but in more than 200 minutes of action this season, City have not found a way to break Rovers down, and for Jakirovic, that’s the first port of call.
“I’m expecting a very tough game because they are struggling, they’re fighting for every point. They showed already in the two games that they are a very demanding opponent for us,” the City boss told Hull Live ahead of the trip to Ewood Park, where his side will go in search of a fourth straight win.
“We didn’t score a goal, and this is our first goal against them. We will try to at least score one goal and then we will see, but I’m expecting a tough game. Maybe they have a recipe for us, but, OK, it’s a challenge
“When you’re looking at table points, we are like favourites there, but they show already they are a very tough opponent, and we will see, we will prepare something for them.”
The Ewood Park pitch is the latest Championship playing surface to be criticised, but given the Tigers romped to a 3-0 win down the road at Deepdale last Tuesday night, playing on a difficult pitch should hold little fear for City.
“We are used to it because our pitches are the same as when we played against Preston,” the Croatian said. “This is our training pitch, so we are used to it on that.”
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