Follow live coverage as Blackburn Rovers face Birmingham City in the Championship today.
An increasingly competitive second tier in English football remains an intense and exciting competition, with the prize of a place in the Premier League on offer at the end of the season.
Relegation from the top flight last term means Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton are all back in the second tier this term and will be expected to push for play-off spots again at least, but so too will newly-promoted Birmingham City and Wrexham, with a host of hopefuls eyeing up the £200m jackpot that comes with promotion to the top flight. At the other end of the table, Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City hope to stay up amid crises.
Follow updates from today’s game in the live blog below.
Blackburn Rovers FC 1 - 2 Birmingham City FC
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:04Match ends, Blackburn Rovers 1, Birmingham City 2.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:04Second Half ends, Blackburn Rovers 1, Birmingham City 2.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Offside, Blackburn Rovers. Axel Henriksson is caught offside.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Foul by Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Yuri Ribeiro (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:05Sean McLoughlin (Blackburn Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Goal! Blackburn Rovers 1, Birmingham City 2. Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham City) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Demarai Gray with a cross following a fast break.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Corner,Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Eiran Cashin.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Foul by Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Attempt saved. Makhtar Gueye (Blackburn Rovers) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner by Ryan Allsop (Birmingham City). Assisted by Lewis Miller.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Eiran Cashin (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Foul by Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:02Substitution, Birmingham City. Eiran Cashin replaces Kyogo Furuhashi.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:01Fourth official has announced 11 minutes of added time.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:01Goal! Blackburn Rovers 1, Birmingham City 1. Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:00Penalty Birmingham City. Ethan Laird draws a foul in the penalty area.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:59Substitution, Birmingham City. Willum Willumsson replaces Phil Neumann.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:57Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Axel Henriksson replaces Augustus Kargbo.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:55Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Dion De Neve replaces Todd Cantwell.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:52Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Makhtar Gueye replaces Yuki Ohashi.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:09Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
17:09Delay in match (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:44Attempt missed. Scott Wharton (Blackburn Rovers) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Todd Cantwell with a cross following a corner.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:44Corner,Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Lyndon Dykes.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:44Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Scott Wharton replaces Ryan Alebiosu because of an injury.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:43Substitution, Birmingham City. Tommy Doyle replaces Keshi Anderson.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:41Substitution, Birmingham City. Lyndon Dykes replaces Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:39Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:39Delay in match because of an injury Ryan Alebiosu (Blackburn Rovers).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:39Tomoki Iwata (Birmingham City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:39Foul by Tomoki Iwata (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:39Attempt blocked. Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Paik Seung-Ho.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:35Attempt blocked. Yuki Ohashi (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:33Foul by Phil Neumann (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:33Ethan Laird (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:33Foul by Christoph Klarer (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:33Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Lewis Miller replaces Ryan Hedges.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:33Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:31Attempt missed. Demarai Gray (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Keshi Anderson.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:29Corner,Birmingham City. Conceded by Ryan Alebiosu.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:27Demarai Gray (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:24Attempt missed. Augustus Kargbo (Blackburn Rovers) header from the centre of the box.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:22Attempt saved. Tomoki Iwata (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:19Attempt missed. Ethan Laird (Birmingham City) header from very close range is too high. Assisted by Jay Stansfield with a cross following a corner.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:19Corner,Birmingham City. Conceded by Dominic Hyam.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:12Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:10Goal! Blackburn Rovers 1, Birmingham City 0. Todd Cantwell (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner following a corner.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:09Corner,Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Ethan Laird.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:07Keshi Anderson (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:07Foul by Christoph Klarer (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:06Second Half begins Blackburn Rovers 0, Birmingham City 0.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
16:05Substitution, Birmingham City. Ethan Laird replaces Alex Cochrane.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:49First Half ends, Blackburn Rovers 0, Birmingham City 0.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:49Foul by Tomoki Iwata (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:47Corner,Birmingham City. Conceded by Ryan Alebiosu.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:49Fourth official has announced 2 minutes of added time.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:45Offside, Blackburn Rovers. Yuki Ohashi is caught offside.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:45Foul by Phil Neumann (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:45Demarai Gray (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:45Penalty Birmingham City. Christoph Klarer draws a foul in the penalty area.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:39Phil Neumann (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:45Foul by Yuki Ohashi (Blackburn Rovers).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:37Foul by Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:34Offside, Blackburn Rovers. Todd Cantwell is caught offside.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:31Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City) is shown the yellow card.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:31Corner,Birmingham City. Conceded by Ryan Hedges.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:31Foul by Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:18Alex Cochrane (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:18Foul by Yuri Ribeiro (Blackburn Rovers).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:13Phil Neumann (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:10Foul by Sidnei Tavares (Blackburn Rovers).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:10Christoph Klarer (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:10Foul by Ryan Alebiosu (Blackburn Rovers).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:07Foul by Yuki Ohashi (Blackburn Rovers).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:05Attempt saved. Alex Cochrane (Birmingham City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:04Foul by Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City).
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:03Dominic Hyam (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:03Attempt blocked. Paik Seung-Ho (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:02Corner,Birmingham City. Conceded by Yuri Ribeiro.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:03Attempt blocked. Keshi Anderson (Birmingham City) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
15:01First Half begins.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
14:30Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City
13:00Follow live football coverage with The Independent today.
We will have all the latest scores, goals and updates plus analysis and reaction throughout the game here. This season we're bringing you live coverage from every match in the Premier League, WSL, Championship, Carabao Cup and FA Cup from the third round onwards - as well as the best from the Champions League and beyond in Europe.
