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Championship | Gameweek 43
Apr 18, 2022 at 3pm UK
Ewood Park
SL
Blackburn
0 - 1
Stoke

Wharton (32'), Paul van Hecke (34')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Brown (4')
Maja (23'), Smith (56')

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

:Headline: Preview: Blackburn Rovers vs. Stoke City - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Monday's Championship clash between Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Blackburn Rovers play host to Stoke City on Easter Monday fortunate to still be within two points adrift of the Championship playoff positions.

Meanwhile, despite winning three of their last five fixtures, Stoke still find themselves down in 15th position in the standings.


Match preview

Although Blackburn looked well on course to be a factor in the automatic promotion race at the midway point, Tony Mowbray would have been wary of half the season still being remaining.

Nevertheless, he could not have anticipated the magnitude of the drop-off in form that his side have suffered, collecting just 18 points from as many games since the turn of the year.

Remarkably, just 10 goals have been scored during those games, the most recent coming from leading marksman Ben Brereton Diaz against Peterborough United on Friday, the Chile international netting for the first time since December.

However, despite that goal coming in the 77th minute, playing with 10 men since the 41st minute ultimately did for Rovers, who conceded two late goals to lose to the division's 23rd-placed side.

While Rovers have somehow managed to stay within two points of the playoff places, Mowbray will leave his players in no doubt that only a win will do against their next opponents.

Stoke have enjoyed a resurgence of sorts in recent weeks, under-pressure manager Michael O'Neill seeing his side collect nine points from a possible 12, all against teams with plenty to play for.

However, the Potters' inconsistency was once again on show on Friday as they went down by a 1-0 scoreline to Bristol City, conceding the decisive goal six minutes from time.

Still down in 15th position, Stoke now only have pride to play for, and even an encouraging end to the campaign may not be enough to keep O'Neill in a job for 2022-23.

While Blackburn possess the best home record in the division, Stoke have the 13th-best return on their travels, winning just six of their 21 fixtures.

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • L

Stoke City Championship form:
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L

Team News

Blackburn will be forced into at least one change with Tayo Edun serving a one-match ban for his dismissal against Peterborough.

Joe Rothwell may come back into the side as his replacement, providing that he has recovered from illness, but Bradley Johnson and Bradley Dack are also on standby.

Harry Pickering and Tyrhys Dolan are options at left wing-back and in attack if Mowbray decides to further freshen his side up.

O'Neill is expected to make alterations to his Stoke XI with Romaine Sawyers and Josh Maja both in line to feature in midfield and attack.

Ben Wilmot is pushing for a recall in defence, but youngster William Forrester should feature for the third game in succession.

Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Lenihan, Van Hecke, Wharton; Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell, Pickering; Buckley; Dolan, Brereton Diaz

Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Bonham; Forrester, Jagielka, Harwood-Bellis; Smith, Baker, Allen, Sawyers, Tymon; Maja, Brown


We say: Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Stoke City

Both teams are in a position where they may as well thrown caution to the wind in this contest, something which should make the game an entertaining spectacle. With this game being a difficult one to call, we can only back a high-scoring draw, one which will not suit either club.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals 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.Over 1.5:data




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13Cardiff CityCardiff29124133639-340
14Bristol City30108123334-138
15Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2999114847136
16Millwall3089133038-833
17Swansea CitySwansea3089133948-933
18Blackburn RoversBlackburn29103164255-1333
19Birmingham CityBirmingham3088143447-1332
20Stoke CityStoke3088142842-1432
21Huddersfield TownHuddersfield30613113347-1431
22Queens Park RangersQPR3077162741-1428
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