Playoff-chasing Blackburn Rovers will look to end a three-game winless run when they travel to the bet365 Stadium for Wednesday’s Championship clash against Stoke City.
Like their opponents, relegation-threatened Stoke will also be desperate to claim all three points after failing to win any of their last four matches.
Match preview
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Stoke have lost three of their last four matches (D1) since recording their most recent victory over Swansea City on February 15.
The Potters conceded seven goals across consecutive defeats against Norwich City and Middlesbrough, before they played out a goalless draw with Watford at the bet365 Stadium.
That looked set to pick up another point in Saturday’s away meeting with Mark Robins‘s former side Coventry City, after Sam Gallagher netted a brace to cancel two first-half goals for Viktor Torp, only for Bobby Thomas to score a 97th-minute winner to condemn the Potters to a 3-2 defeat.
As a result, Stoke are left languishing in 20th position in the Championship table with a four-point gap to the bottom three ahead of the midweek round of fixtures.
They will now return to the bet365 Stadium where they have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent times, having won two, drawn three and lost one of their six home games.
The Potters will also take confidence from the fact they have won four of their last six games against Blackburn, including a 2-0 in November’s reverse fixture.
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Blackburn have gone three matches without a win since claiming consecutive 2-0 victories over West Bromwich Albion and Plymouth Argyle.
They fell to a heavy 3-0 defeat in the final game of David Lowe‘s interim tenure, before Valerien Ismael oversaw a 1-1 draw with Norwich City in his first match in charge following his appointment as John Eustace‘s permanent successor.
Unfortunately for Ismael, he was unable to get the better of his predecessor in Saturday’s away meeting with Eustace’s Derby County.
Makhtar Gueye halved the deficit before the break after Blackburn conceded two goals in the opening seven minutes, but they were unable to find an elusive equaliser in the second half, with the 2-1 defeat leaving them in eighth place and three points adrift of the top six.
That result also represented a sixth defeat in eight Championship away games (W1, D1), but while that record may be a cause for concern, Rovers have won four of their last six away league matches (L2), including a 3-0 win in their most recent visit to the bet365 Stadium in November 2023.
Blackburn may find it difficult to achieve a similar scoreline this time around, having scored more than one goal in just one of their last 11 Championship away games.
Team News
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Stoke are expected to be without the services of Ben Gibson, Sol Sidibe, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Lynden Gooch and Ryan Mmaee.
Midfielder Ben Pearson will have to be assessed after he was forced off in the first half of Saturday’s defeat to Coventry.
Jordan Thompson could come into the midfield if Pearson is unavailable for selection, while Million Manhoef and former Blackburn man Sam Gallagher are in contention after featuring as half-time substitutes at the weekend.
As for the visitors, they are contending with a lengthy injury list which includes Harry Pickering, Danny Batth, Harry Leonard, Owen Beck, Scott Wharton, John Buckley and Andreas Weimann.
Ryan Hedges will miss a second straight game with an abductor issue, while Augustus Kargbo has joined the injury list after he picked up a hamstring problem in the defeat to Derby.
Nottingham Forest loanee Emmanuel Dennis is available for selection, having served a one-match following his red card against Norwich earlier this month.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Tchamadeu, Wilmot, Phillips, Stevens; Burger, Thompson; Manhoef, Gallagher, Bae; Al-Hamadi
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Brittain, Carter, Hyam, Ribeiro; Tronstad, Travis; Cozier-Duberry, Ohashi, Dolan; Gueye
We say: Stoke City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn will be determined to get their playoff bid back on track by claiming all three points on Wednesday, but we think they will have to settle for a draw when they face a Stoke side that have lost just one of their previous six home league matches.
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