With their first home game of the new season, Norwich City will look to bounce back from a disappointing opening day display and aim to kickstart their third consecutive EFL Championship campaign when they welcome Lancashire side Blackburn Rovers to Carrow Road on Saturday, August 17.

The Canaries head into their first home league game of the 2024/25 season after a disappointing display on the road to newly-promoted Oxford United, with the hosts running out a dominant 2-0 victory against Johannes Hoff Thorup's side. Fans will be hoping for a continuation of their home unbeaten run, which has stood strong since January 2024.

Rovers will be travelling to NR1 on the back of a comfortable 4-2 victory against Derby County, who have also just been promoted from League One. Head coach John Eustace has bolstered his ranks with experienced players, notably former Canary Danny Batth, who left NR1 at the end of last season on a free transfer.

The Canaries will be going into this game without Irish striker Adam Idah, who returned to Scottish champions Celtic on Wednesday on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell in the second half of last season.

Academy prospect Gabe Forsyth could be utilised as a replacement, after the 18-year-old attacker was recently awarded with a new long-term contract, tying him to the Norfolk-based side until 2027.

Summer signings Jose Cordoba and Ben Chrisene will be available for selection, with experienced striker Ashley Barnes poised for a return at the end of the September international break. Christian Fassnacht and Jacob Sorensen were seen leaving the Kassam Stadium last weekend in medical boots, and Hoff Thorup has confirmed both players will be out for a number of weeks, with an achilles injury and a foot injury respectively.

Rovers will be without key attacking midfielder Sammie Szmodics, after the forward finalised his transfer to newly-promoted Ipswich Town on Friday, forcing head coach John Eustace to utilise rotational options, such as Joe Rankin-Costello, in the number 10 role.

Aside from defender Scott Wharton, who is currently out until January 2025 with an ACL injury, there are no long-term absentees for Rovers, with Harry Leonard and Ryan Hedges all available for the journey down to East Anglia.

Likely lineups Norwich Gunn; Stacey, Chrisene, Duffy, Doyle; McLean, Forson, Nunez; Sainz, Hernandez, Sargent. (Likely formation: 4-3-3)

Blackburn Pears; Pickering, Hyam, Carter, Brittain; Tronstad, Travis; Hedges, Rankin-Castello, Dolan; Gueye. (Likely formation: 4-2-3-1)

Key players Norwich - Amankwah Forson Arriving from Austrian Bundesliga runners-up RB Salzburg on Friday, Forson was handed an immediate appearance against Oxford United, with the midfielder replacing Liam Gibbs at half-time. Although he was unable to help overturn the one-goal deficit at the time, he played a crucial part in breaking down the Oxford formation.

The Ghanaian international was able to set up intricate passes and cut through the Oxford midfield with relative ease, something Gibbs struggled to accomplish. Forson also registered an assist in the Canaries' 4-3 victory over Stevenage in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

Blackburn - Tyrhys Dolan A product of the Blackburn Rovers Academy, Dolan got his goal tally off to an immediate start, firing Rovers ahead in the 19th minute against the Rams on the opening day of the season. Dolan played 87 minutes of the opening fixture, and recording a FotMob rating of 7.8/10.

After being rested for the Carabao Cup fixture against Stockport County, which saw Rovers cruise to a 6-1 victory on the road, Dolan can be expected to start on the right-wing, with his main defensive threat coming in the form of former Bournemouth defender Jack Stacey.

Dolan currently ranks in the top 4% for touches and top 13% for chances created when compared against other wingers in the Championship. Certainly a creative outlet for Rovers, and likely to be amongst the goalscoring action.

Match details Where is the game being played? The match will be played at Carrow Road - home of Norwich City since 1935, and is the fastest built stadium in the world, taking just 82 days to be built.

What time is kick-off? Kick-off is at 15:00 BST on Saturday, August 17.

How can I watch? The match falls under the 15:00 blackout, therefore the game cannot be watched live in the UK. Highlights of the match will come out approximately 24 hours after the final whistle.