Tony Mowbray has called for supporters to be 'wrapped up' in the game on Saturday as he believes a big crowd can inspire his side. 

Blackburn take on Preston North End and will be hoping to beat their local rivals at home for the first time since 2001.

Talking to the Lancashire Telegraph ahead of the game, Mowbray believes supporters will play a huge part: “It should be a good atmosphere. It’s always good when there’s a crowd in at Ewood and our supporters have someone to compete against with another fan base.

“We have to get our fans wrapped up in the game and make them feel really involved and we’ll try and get that done and hopefully it’ll be a great game for everyone.

“We’re at home, we want to be aggressive, attack, and score goals but be mindful of their threats.”

Preston have been in good form of late and won four of their last eight games, and will be hoping to build on a good display following their draw with table toppers Fulham last weekend.

On Preston's form, Mowbray said: “They’ve re-discovered something, had some amazing results in recent weeks.

“The result they had at the weekend is a great result, against Fulham at home as we well know it’s not easy. They won at Bournemouth, they’re on a pretty good run of form."

A win for Blackburn will see them remain in the play-offs as they sit two points ahead of Stoke in seventh.

The Verdict

Mowbray has a young side at his disposal and will be coming up against an experienced Preston side, so having the crowd on board for this big game will be important.

Blackburn's home form this season has been good, only losing two games so far and winning six, and will be hoping to carry that on.

It will be difficult against a resolute Preston side, but a win against a local rival could be a major boost to their season going into the hectic winter schedule.