Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray says he would not have chosen former club Middlesbrough as the first visitors to Ewood Park this season.
The 62-year-old leads Rovers into the opening home game of his second spell at the helm on Saturday (15:00 BST) against his boyhood club where he spent 11 years as a player and another three as head coach, and expects one of their toughest games of the season.
Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire: "They are probably the best footballing team in the division. Their average per cent of possession, shots, touches in the opposition box, all of that attacking stuff, is number one in the league.
"Coventry won the league (last season) but yet all the data and stats suggests Middlesbrough could have been right up there - if they'd had maybe a Will Lankshear last season (as they do now), it might have made a difference."
Rovers go into the game full of confidence after coming within moments of an opening day win at another of the promotion favourites, Wolves, but Mowbray admitted: "It's a really tough game, I would have preferred a different opposition in the first game where we could have been dominant and had lots of shots and chances.
"I think it's a game against a team who are going to want to have the ball. We have to impose ourselves and make sure they know they have been in a real game.
"It's a tough game but what a great game to win, to build some confidence, test yourselves and check where you are."
The game will be played on the new Ewood Park pitch, which Mowbray said "looks amazing".
He added: "I'm here to try and help and put a smile back on people's faces by playing football, trying to win every game, trying to score goals and be entertaining."
Mowbray said he hopes Rovers will be active in the transfer market until the window closes on 1 September but denied a link to Birmingham winger Patrick Roberts, who played more than 60 games under him at Sunderland.
"It's all speculation," he said. "I'm not sure where they come from to be honest. I don't see any benefit in me playing games with the media and supporters. It's not something I would anticipate or expect to happen.
"We need to lose one or two or add one or two. I wouldn't be happy if the squad was the same at is now going into September, I would like some movement, I would like some help. Behind the scenes everyone is working hard to make that happen."
Midfielder Dion De Neve is back in training but is not available for the weekend but Sam Morsy is fit to start if needed.
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