WHEN Blackburn Rovers host Preston North End in a Championship Lancashire derby on Friday, the game will be of interest to a number of clubs in the region, and their supporters.

Loaning players to the Championship has long been a way for Premier League sides to allow their talented young players to gain experience in senior football, and this season has been no different.

With both Liverpool and Everton sending players on loan to Blackburn and Preston, there is the possibility that players from the Merseyside rivals will be lining up as teammates while also facing teammates on Friday.

Playmaker Harvey Elliott joined Blackburn on loan from Liverpool in the summer and has been one of the Championship’s most impressive players this season. 

The 17-year-old has provided a creative spark in Rovers’ attack, helping striker Adam Armstrong take his place among the league’s top scorers.

Elliott was joined in January by Everton centreback Jarrad Branthwaite as Tony Mowbray looked to the loan market amid an injury crisis in the centre of his defence. 

Blackburn’s backline was further bolstered with the arrival of highly rated Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis on deadline day, adding to the interest for other clubs within the traditional Lancashire boundary.

Meanwhile, it was an especially busy end to the transfer window for Preston. Their left-sided centreback Ben Davies, who had also been linked with Celtic, made the surprise move to Liverpool to help ease the Premier League champions’ own defensive injury crisis.

The likelihood of Davies leaving meant Preston had a replacement lined up in the shape of Liam Lindsay who arrived on loan from Stoke.

As a bonus, Liverpool loaned Dutch teenager Sepp van den Berg to Deepdale as part of the Davies deal. The 19-year-old has struggled in his early years on Merseyside but has shown some signs of progress in the U23s this season. 

This step up to senior football in one of the highest quality second-tier leagues in the world could be key to his development. He is not yet at Branthwaite’s level, but has the potential to improve quickly — something Preston will hope they can facilitate.

Then, just as the window closed, Alex Neil’s side secured one of the most impressive loan acquisitions of a Championship club this season, signing Anthony Gordon from Everton.

The winger has featured regularly in the first-team squad for Carlo Ancelotti this season and attracted interest from a number of Championship sides once it became apparent he might be available on loan.

Playing in the nearby town of Preston may have played a part in Gordon’s decision, meaning he didn’t have to move further away from home during a pandemic, but regardless of his reasons it’s a coup for Preston who will be hoping the 19-year-old can have a similar impact to that of Elliott at Blackburn.

All of this means that, on Friday night, Elliott could be directly up against Liverpool teammate Van den Berg while, while Gordon is almost certain to be facing fellow Evertonian Branthwaite.

It’s an exciting added dimension to a clash between two sides who have high hopes for the season. Something which has been reflected in their bold loan moves for some of the region’s brightest young talents, most of whom may already be good enough to play in the Premier League.

In order to accommodate their talented new signings in defence, both managers have the option of switching to a back three. 

It’s a formation Neil has deployed on the odd occasion already this season, while Mowbray has said that even when Blackburn line up in a back four their build-up play uses three at the back.

“I think 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 are very similar,” the Blackburn boss told LancsLive. “You may be keeping one of your full-backs in and allowing the other to play really high and end up going with a 3-4-3.

“So, in possession, we’re in 3-4-3 quite a lot anyway, maybe [right-back Ryan] Nyambe stays home and becomes the third centre-back because they play with two up front. Football is a very fluid game.”

Both sides will be aiming to go into their clash in high spirits, and each have one fixture prior to Friday’s meeting. 

Blackburn travel to Queens Park Rangers and Preston welcome Rotherham United to Deepdale tomorrow.

Preston sit three points behind Blackburn having played a game more, so Friday night’s clash will be important for Neil’s side if they want to remain in the race for the playoffs.

Blackburn are in better form than their neighbours having won their last two matches, against Middlesbrough and Luton Town, by a 1-0 margin. 

These results follow on from a 0-0 draw against Stoke City, a game in which Branthwaite made his debut and saw the beginning of an impressive partnership alongside Darragh Lenihan.

Preston’s form is more patchy, to put it nicely. Their last win came three games ago away to Birmingham City and was followed by a draw against Reading and a defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

The victory in Birmingham was the only time they have claimed three points in 2021, though, having lost four of their last six games in all competitions.

Just as Branthwaite and Elliott have given Blackburn more solidity and spark respectively, Preston will be hoping for something similar from Gordon and Van den Berg.

The moves provide Everton and Liverpool fans with some interest in these games while not being too invested in the results, while Blackburn and Preston get some of the most talented players in the country in their formative years, as the clubs and players alike aim for top-flight football.