Blackburn defender Tosin Adarabioyo is looking forward to this weekend’s clash with Derby County as Rovers try to gatecrash the top six.

Blackburn are currently three points behind Lancashire rivals Preston North End who sit in the final play-off position. A win against Derby County could see Blackburn sitting in a play-off spot on Sunday evening; Preston will play QPR with Bristol City hosting Fulham and should both of these sides lose, Tony Mowbray’s side will climb above them.

Rovers will be hoping for a repeat from the clash at Ewood Park back in December as they collected all three points against Phillip Cocu’s side; Adam Armstrong struck in the second half to no Derby reply.

Manchester City loanee, Adarabioyo, has enjoyed a second successful loan move away from his parent club with the defender being a part of the West Brom squad that reached the play-offs last season. The former-England youth international has made 26 appearances for Mowbray’s side this season, often linking up with Ryan Nyambe at the heart of the Rovers defence.

Adarabioyo has been previewing the game himself on Twitter, uploading the following video:

The video showcases a lot of what the young defender is known for being good at. Despite standing at 6’5” the defender has a calm mentality on the ball is comfortable with the ball at his feet which is unexpected of a man of his size. One of his trademark moves this season is for him to step into midfield and help start attacks. The defender has plenty of experience in playing the ball out from the back having graduated the Manchester City academy in the era of Pep Guardiola, who has transformed the way City play the game.

The Verdict

Adarabioyo is a very talented defender, hence why he is so highly thought of at his parent club who will see this loan with Blackburn as a success for him. His spell with West Brom last year will have taught him the fine margins between success and failure in the Sky Bet Championship. Although only a youngster himself, the other players in the Blackburn squad will be leaning on his experiences to aid them into a top six spot this year.

It wasn’t widely anticipated for Blackburn to be amongst the teams in the play-offs this season with Mowbray and his side shocking many pundits and supporters with their style of play. Even with the hole of Bradley Dack and Lewis Holtby missing form their midfield, Rovers look strong and will hope to aim the season in good form, whether that sees them in the play-offs or not.