Super Eagles defender Ryan Alebiosu believes Blackburn Rovers can take plenty of encouragement from their pre-season defeat to Nottingham Forest after testing themselves against Premier League opposition in Portugal, Footynaija.com reports.
Blackburn fell to a 3-0 loss against Forest in Albufeira on Wednesday, with Igor Jesus, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Taiwo Awoniyi all finding the net for the 2025/2026 Europa League semi-finalists.
In that game, Alebiosu completed 62 minutes at right-back as he continues to build his fitness ahead of the new EFL Championship campaign. Reflecting on the contest, the Nigeria international admitted the outing was exactly what Blackburn needed after returning from the summer break.
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“It felt good to get 60 minutes in my legs and to get the rust out,” Alebiosu said, per Rovers TV.
“It was a good run-around to keep the fitness up and it was a good 60 minutes for the boys, which will stand us in good stead for the season to come.
“The most important thing was the fitness. After a long break, coming back in, some of us have been ill, so getting those minutes in the legs, in this heat as well, was good for us.”
The 24-year-old also highlighted the value of facing a side that competed in the Premier League and Europe last season, insisting the experience gave Blackburn’s squad belief ahead of the new campaign.
“Respect to Nottingham Forest, they’re a big team, Premier League and they played in Europe last season as well, so it was always going to be a good battle.
“The boys wanted to prove that they can play at this, play against these kind of opponents and I think the boys did well.
“Playing against the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, these kind of players, it’s something to learn from, seeing the way they play. It’s motivational for a lot of us to be honest.
“As a group, playing against these boys, even in the first 45 when we created chances, it motivated everyone to think, ‘You know what, maybe we can play at this level, maybe we can do things this season,’ so it was good motivation.”
Blackburn will now look to build on those lessons when they continue their pre-season preparations against French side RC Strasbourg on Friday before taking on Huddersfield Town in their final friendly ahead of the start of the Championship season.
