Meet the opposition | Blackburn Rovers
As Swansea City get set to face Blackburn Rovers at the Swansea.com Stadium, we take a closer look at the Lancashire club.
What's their story?
Blackburn Rovers were founded in 1875 and became a founding member of The Football League in 1888.
Rovers have spent most of their existence in the top-flight of English football, winning three league titles - the most recent of which came in the 1994-95 season under Sir Kenny Dalglish.
The Lancashire club have also won six FA Cups and one League Cup, with the latter being their most recent major trophy after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium in 2002.
Rovers were last in the Premier League 12 years ago, and did have a solitary season in League One during the 2017-18 campaign, but returned to the second tier at the first time of asking.
They have been in the Championship ever since.
How's their form?
Blackburn have won three of their last 15 matches with two of those wins coming in the FA Cup. Rovers currently sit in 16th place in the Championship, one place ahead of the Swans.
Their away form has been poor, with their last league win on their travels coming in November when they beat Stoke City 3-0. Rovers have also conceded the second-most goals in the division with Rotherham United the only team to concede more.
Who's the gaffer?
John Eustace was recently appointed head coach of Rovers replacing, Danish manager John Dahl Tomasson.
Eustace enjoyed a long-playing career, with the midfielder making over 390 league appearances for several different clubs.
His most successful spell came at Watford, where he made 157 league appearances, scored 16 goals, and was captain of the club for three seasons before leaving for Derby County.
Eustace started his managerial career in 2016, when he was appointed manager of National League side Kidderminster Harriers. He led the side to two play-off campaigns while transforming the their style of play.
Eustace then left the club to join Queens Park Rangers where he would become assistant to former England manager Steve McClaren.
He also had a brief spell as caretaker manager at the club and helped them avoid relegation in 2019.
He was then appointed head coach of Championship side Birmingham City in 2022 where he guided the club to their highest points tally since 2016.
Eustace left the club in October 2023 with the Blues in sixth place with 18 points from 11 matches, before being appointed by Rovers four months later.
Who's the captain?
Dominic Hyam was recently appointed captain after midfielder Lewis Travis signed for Ipswich Town on loan during the January transfer window.
Starting his career in Reading’s academy, Hyam had loan spells at Hemel Hempstead Town, Basingstoke Town, Dagenham & Redbridge, Portsmouth and Aldershot before joining Coventry City in 2017.
The Scotsman made 169 league appearances for the Sky Blues, scoring eight times and played a key role in their promotion to the Championship during the 2019-20 season.
Hyam then joined Rovers in 2022, where he has made over 60 league appearances for the Lancashire club.
The defender made his senior international debut in 2023, coming on as a substitute in Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifying match against Norway.
He was the unfortunate Rovers player to miss the key penalty in their FA Cup shootout defeat to Premier League Newcastle in midweek.
Who are the key men?
Forward Sammie Szmodics has been deadly in front of goal this season, and he is currently top scorer in the Championship with 18 league goals in 31 appearance.
Szmodics started his career at Colchester where he made over 140 senior league appearances, while the forward also went out on loan to Braintree, Bristol City and Peterborough during his six-year spell with the U’s.
He went on to sign permanently for Posh after his successful loan spell in 2020, and went on to score 16 goals to help them secure promotion to the second tier.
He joined Blackburn in 2022, scoring on his debut against the Swans, and he has scored 22 more goals for them since.
He has been included in recent Republic of Ireland squads but has yet to win a senior cap.
Wing-back Callum Brittain has been one of the more creative players for Rovers this season, creating three assists.
The Bedford born defender or midfielder came through the MK Dons academy to make over 100 league appearances in a five-year stint at the club.
Brittain then joined Championship side Barnsley where he was part of the team knocked out in the play off semi-finals by the Swans in 2021. He then joined Rovers in 2022 after the Tykes relegation to League One.
Tyrhys Dolan is one of the most exciting players in the Blackburn squad, possessing the pace to take players on and the creative ability to produce a defence-splitting pass.
Dolan had spells at Manchester City, Burnley and Preston during his youth career, however he never made a senior appearance for those clubs.
He joined Rovers in 2020 and has made over 135 senior league appearances, scoring 15 goals.
The most recent of those came in the 3-1 victory at home to Stoke, when he scored a brace.