Blackburn Rovers Boosted by Ribeiro and Ohashi's Return

Blackburn Rovers will head to Swansea City with two familiar faces back in the matchday picture, as Yuri Ribeiro and Yuki Ohashi are both set to take their places on the bench for Saturday’s Championship trip.

Ribeiro has missed the past month and Ohashi the last two, each sidelined by hamstring problems that have bitten into Tony Mowbray’s options. The pair will not start in South Wales, but their presence among the substitutes marks a welcome step forward in a season already shaped by soft-tissue setbacks.

“Yuri and Yuki are both going to travel and are both available for the bench, which is good news for us,” Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire, a clear lift as the schedule begins to tighten.

There is more encouragement. Kristi Montgomery, absent from last week’s win over Wrexham, has come through training and is on course to be involved again.

“Kristi's trained fully so fingers crossed there's no reaction with that,” Mowbray said, cautious but clearly relieved to see another body back in contention.

Not everyone is on the mend, though. While Ribeiro and Ohashi edge closer to full involvement, Mathias Jorgensen faces another stretch on the sidelines. The defender has suffered a setback in his own hamstring recovery earlier this month and will not travel with the squad.

“He's not travelling. I think as well as dealing with the injury, we need to deal with the psychological side with him,” Mowbray admitted, acknowledging the mental toll of repeated breakdowns.

Rovers have opted to take Jorgensen out of the grind and give him space to reset.

“We've given him a few days to see his family and recover because it's been a pretty tough journey that he's had,” Mowbray added. “Then to break down when he was on the cusp of getting back to full fitness is tough for him.

“Our thoughts are with him at the moment but hopefully it's only another three weeks or something like that and he'll be back on the grass again.”

As Blackburn chase points in Swansea, the bench will tell its own story: two long-term absentees edging back into the fray, one key figure forced to watch from afar and wait for that next chance to step onto the pitch again.