Much is made of Rovers’ poor opening day record, with no win now in 10 attempts since Nikola Kalinic’s solitary strike against Everton in 2010.

The lack of an opening day win follows Rovers round almost as much as Robert Lewandowski and that ash cloud, and those links to Zinedine Zidane.

Their latest attempt to halt that wait will come at the Vitaly Stadium as they face a recently-relegated side on the opening day for the second time in five years against Bournemouth.

The last time they faced a team relegated from the top flight was in 2016 when Norwich City pumped Owen Coyle’s side 4-1, the visitors having scored three times in the opening 25 minutes.

When it comes to naming the team for the opening day, a lack of new faces will likely mean there’s something of a familiarity to the Rovers line-up. Not that it should come as anything but a surprise.

In the eight opening day fixtures since relegation from the Premier League Rovers have named just 19 new signings within their combined starting XIs.

That can be down to a combination of them being eased in to the first-team picture, or more recently, not being signed in time for the opening match. And with the 2020 summer transfer window not closing until October, that is a more likely scenario than ever.

Thomas Kaminski, fresh from his two-week quarantine following his move from AA Gent, will start in goal, the second successive year that Rovers have had a debutant in goal, and in doing so become the first Belgian to represent the club.

Beyond that, there will be a familiar look to things where Tony Mowbray is concerned, with Rovers unable to close more deals in the quest to add to their squad.

Another factor will be the short space of time between the end of the 2019/20 season, on July 22, and the start of the 2020/21 campaign on September 12, with the window not closing until October 15.

Last season Rovers included four new summer signings in the starting XI against Charlton, but the same back four that had been a regular one in the previous campaign, with Tosin Adarabioyo arriving just two days before the opening day fixture against Charlton.

A lot can happen in 12 months, with Christian Walton having returned to Brighton after his loan spell, while Charlie Mulgrew is frozen out of the first-team picture, that start against Charlton one of just two Championship starts last term.

Bradley Dack is injured, so won’t feature against Bournemouth, while Stewart Downing’s stay at Ewood Park looks like being for just one year. And with Sam Gallagher having not featured in pre-season because of injury, then it could be just Darragh Lenihan, Amari’i Bell, Lewis Travis, Bradley Johnson and Adam Armstrong who keep their spots in the side 13 months on.

Rovers are yet to invest in their defensive ranks since last season, with Paul Caddis, Paul Downing, Tosin Adarabioyo, Greg Cunningham, Sam Hart and Bell, the only additions made by Mowbray during his time in charge, with Bell the only one still at the club.

Indeed, only Alex Baptiste, Todd Kane and Tommy Spurr are the only ‘new signing defenders’ to start on the opening day.

In 2018, for the 2-2- draw against Ipswich, it was an XI made up almost entirely of players who had started the final day game of the 2017/18 promotion-winning campaign against Oxford.

Kasey Palmer, who came off the bench late on, and Joe Rothwell, an unused sub, were the two new faces in the squad.

Mowbray’s other opening day game, the 2-1 defeat at Southend in 2017, saw four new faces feature, but again, none in the back four, a feature of his time in charge so far.

He will hope for new signings in that area by the time the window closes, but at the time of writing, those wishes are yet to materialise.

After relegation from the Premier League, four new signings featured as they began life back in the Championship in 2012 after 12 successive seasons in the top flight, with Dickson Etuhu, Danny Murphy, Nuno Gomes and Colin Kazim-Richards joining more household names in the side.

Rovers opening day starting XIs

2019: Walton*, Bennett, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Bell, Travis, Johnson*, Downing*, Dack, Armstrong, Gallagher*

2018:  Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Williams, Evans, Smallwood, Bennett, Samuel, Dack, Graham

2017: Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Williams, Smallwood*, Whittingham*, Bennett, Dack*, Samuel*, Graham

2016: Steele, Lowe, Duffy, Ward, Henley, Feeney*, Marshall, Lenihan, Akpan, Bennett, Graham*

2015: Raya, Henley, Hanley, Duffy, Olsson, Marshall, Lowe, Guthrie*, Conway, Delfouneso*, Rhodes

2014: Robinson, Baptiste*, Hanley, Kilgallon, Olsson, Lowe, Cairney, Evans, Conway, Rhodes, Gestede

2013: Kean, Kane*, Hanley, Dann, Spurr*, Lowe, Marrow, Rochina, Judge*, King, Rhodes

2012: Robinson, Orr, Hanley, Dann, Givet, Etuhu*, Murphy*, Formica, Pedersen, Nuno Gomes*, Kazim-Richards*

*denotes new signings