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Blackburn logo
Championship | Gameweek 24
Jan 16, 2021 at 3pm UK
Ewood Park
Stoke logo

Blackburn
1 - 1
Stoke

Buckley (76')
Travis (36')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Powell (38')
Thompson (48'), Norrington-Davies (71')
Chester (79')

Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs. Stoke City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two teams in touching distance of the playoffs in the Championship will lock horns on Saturday afternoon as Blackburn Rovers welcome Stoke City to Ewood Park.

Blackburn are currently 11th in the table, having picked up 32 points from their 23 matches this season, while Stoke occupy eighth, just two points behind sixth-placed Watford.


Match preview

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray pictured in December 2020© Reuters

Blackburn have won nine, drawn five and lost nine of their 23 Championship matches this season to sit 11th, five points behind sixth-placed Watford ahead of this weekend's contest at Ewood Park.

Tony Mowbray's side recorded a 2-0 win over Birmingham City in their last Championship match on January 2 but exited the FA Cup in the third round last weekend as they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers.

Blackburn have been out of the Premier League since 2012 and actually spent the 2017-18 campaign down in League One before returning at the first time of asking, and they have finished 15th and 11th in their last two seasons in the second tier of English football.

Rovers face a tough task to secure promotion to the top flight but have the league's joint-highest goalscorer in their ranks, with Adam Armstrong netting 16 times during an impressive campaign.

Stoke's recent record against Blackburn is impressive, though, losing just one of the last four matches between the two teams, and the Potters took four points from their two Championship fixtures last term.

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill pictured in December 2020© Reuters

Stoke are currently on a five-game winless run in all competitions, including a 4-0 home defeat to Premier League side Leicester City in the third round of the FA Cup last weekend.

Michael O'Neill's team also lost 1-0 at home to Bournemouth in the league on January 2, but a relatively strong campaign to date has left them in eighth position, just two points outside of the playoff positions.

The Potters have finished 16th and 15th in their last two seasons at this level but will believe that they belong at the top level, having enjoyed plenty of success in the Premier League.

Stoke recorded a 1-0 victory when they last faced Blackburn in December, while O'Neill's side have been impressive on their travels this season, boasting the sixth-best away record in the second tier, picking up 17 points from their 11 matches, suffering just two defeats in the process.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form: LWLDLW
Blackburn Rovers form (all competitions): WLDLWL

Stoke City Championship form: DDWDDL
Stoke City form (all competitions): WLDDLL


Team News

Harvey Elliott in action for Blackburn Rovers on November 3, 2020© Reuters

Blackburn will again be without the services of Elliott Bennett, Joe Rankin-Costello, Scott Wharton and Corry Evans through injury.

Mowbray has revealed that Ryan Nyambe and Lewis Holtby are both in contention, though, with the pair being forced to sit out the FA Cup clash with Doncaster last weekend.

Bradley Dack was again in action in the FA Cup, but the midfielder is still not ready to start, and there are not expected to be many surprises in the home side's XI, with Armstrong, Harvey Elliott and Sam Gallagher all set to feature.

As for Stoke, head coach O'Neill could hand out three league debuts this weekend, with Rabbi Matondo, Jack Clarke and Rhys Norrington-Davies all in contention to feature.

Danny Batth could return from injury this weekend, while Tommy Smith and John Obi Mikel might also feature, but Sam Clucas, Morgan Fox, Tyrese Campbell, Niki Maenpaa, Lee Gregory, Angus Gunn and Adam Davies are out.

Steven Fletcher and Jordan Thompson have also been cleared to play and should start, while Nick Powell is available, having recovered from illness and a hip problem.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Douglas, Lenihan, Johnson, Bell; Holtby, Travis, Davenport; Elliott, Gallagher, Armstrong

Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Bursik; Collins, Souttar, Chester; Norrington-Davies, Thompson, Allen, Mikel, McLean; Powell; Fletcher


SM words green background

We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Stoke City

There is not an awful lot between these two teams in terms of quality, and we are struggling to separate them this weekend. Stoke will be desperate to return to winning ways in the Championship, but Blackburn must be respected, and we are backing a low-scoring draw between the two former Premier League clubs.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or draw in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Draw:data


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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Blackburn Rovers win with a probability of 43.45%. A win for Stoke City had a probability of 28.6% and a draw had a probability of 27.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a Blackburn Rovers win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.03%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.48%) and 2-1 (8.48%). The likeliest Stoke City win was 0-1 (10.01%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.02%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13% likelihood.


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Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill pictured in October 2020
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds38257670284282
2Leicester CityLeicester37264774334182
3Ipswich TownIpswich38249580493181
4Southampton36227773472673
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom381991059362366
6Norwich CityNorwich381871369541561
7Hull City371610115346758
8Coventry CityCoventry3715121059431657
9Preston North EndPreston37168134954-556
10Middlesbrough38166165352154
11Cardiff CityCardiff38165174351-853
12Sunderland38146184845348
13Watford381212145351248
14Bristol City38138174245-347
15Swansea CitySwansea381210164858-1046
16Millwall381110173650-1443
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn38119185164-1342
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth381011175462-841
19Stoke CityStoke38118193553-1841
20Queens Park RangersQPR381010183650-1440
21Birmingham CityBirmingham38109194259-1739
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38815154261-1939
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds38115223061-3138
24Rotherham UnitedRotherham38311243077-4720


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