There is a bit of cat and mouse being played by both sides.

Southampton want to play out from the back and invite Coventry to press them.

The Sky Blues are not falling for it at the moment and remaining disciplined.

Kevin Gallacher
Former Blackburn striker on BBC Radio Lancashire

Matty Litherland is enthusiastic and full of energy and he is always getting in the right places - it is just a shame his goalscoring capability isn't quite there.

Millwall are so open for the taking at the moment.

Millwall have not lost successive Championship games since Alex Neil arrived at the club in Janaury.

But the Scot will be seething at how his team has defended in these early stages.

Very un-Millwall like.

Almost a second goal for Blackburn and it needs Max Crocombe to make a smart save to deny Matty Litherland a debut strike.

Litherland is first to a loose ball in the box as Tristan Crama makes a hash of a low ball into the area from Yuki Ohashi and Crocombe pushes it behind.

Alfie Devine whips in a dangerous free-kick for Preston but it is well headed away at his near post by Norwich captain Kenny McLean.

Third-placed North End have started this match the better of the two sides.

Milan van Ewijk, this time with the ball at his feet, gets to the byline but with two Coventry forwards waiting his cross is blocked.

The Dutchman might have gone for a shot then.

Finn Azaz then finds Adam Armstrong but the Championship's top scorer drags his shot wide.

Good game this.

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That is a fourth goal in seven games for Andri Gudjohnsen and seven overall.

Where would Rovers be without that contribution?

The aforementioned Thierry Small hits a left-footed shot which gets a small deflection and is well parried out at his near post by City goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic.

The resulting Preston corner comers to nothing.

Preston wing back Thierry Small looks like he wants to get forward already and is playing very high up the pitch.

Good work down the left hand side sees striker Lewis Dobbin played in down the left channel but Norwich snuff out the danger.

Coventry are sporting their third kit today which is a dark blue.

They have made a promising start with Milan Van Ewijk long throw causing a few issues for the Southampton defence.

Let's start with a positive!

It is not raining at Ewood Park. No chance of us not getting 90 minutes today.

Image source, Shutterstock

Right, forget about wrapping paper, crackers and whether you have got enough sprouts.

For the next few hours we are a Championship-only zone.

We are up and running in our games...

Image source, Opta

Captain Jack Stephens and midfielder Ryan Fraser drop to the bench for Southampton as Tonda Eckert makes two changes from the side beaten at Norwich last week.

Into the side come Wellington and Joshua Quarshie.

Coventry have been hit by illness and are without Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.

Luke Woolfenden, Joel Latibeaudiere and Josh Eccles start in their places.

Image source, Opta

Image source, BBC Sport

Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom makes one alteration from the starting eleven that beat Oxford United - Michael Smith replaces Daniel Jebbison. who does not make the squad.

Unsurprisingly, Norwich boss Philippe Clement names an unchanged side from the team that beat Southampton last Saturday as talisman Josh Sargent remains unavailable.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Opta

Blackburn head coach Valerien Ismael is forced into four changes to the side that lost at Portsmouth seven days ago.

Most come in defence where George Pratt and Harry Pickering, while there is a debut for 20-year-old Matty Litherland.

Norway midfielder Sondre Tronstad returns to add some welcome experience to the line-up.

Yuri Ribeiro is ill, Ryan Alebiosu is away with Nigeria, and Sidnei Tavares and Dion De Neve are only substitutes.

Millwall boss Alex Neil makes two alterations to his team as in come Danny McNamara and Billy Mitchell.

Femi Azeez is banned and Caleb Taylor drops to the bench.

Image source, Opta

Image source, Getty Images

Feels big this.

For some of us this fixture was a regular feature of the top flight of English football but a quick glance at the history books tells us that on Monday it will be 25 years since Southampton and Coventry last faced-off in the Premier League.

It was that long ago Southampton were still at The Dell and Coventry at Highfield Road - there has been a lot of water under the bridge since then.

That meeting back in 2000 was during the Sky Blues' relegation campaign and they have been trying to get back ever since, although just staying in business has also been a concern.

Apart from that penalty shoot-out defeat by Luton in the 2023 play-off final, this feels like their best chance to go up - they are five points clear at the top and no-one in the top four divisions has won more games or scored more goals.

Southampton's awful start to the season is all but a memory now with Tonda Eckert replacing Will Still and promptly winning six of his first eight games to put them in play-off contention.

Who can put down a pre-Christmas marker?