Fresh off the dismissal of manager Michael O'Neill, Stoke City will travel to Ewood Park on Saturday under the temporary charge of Dean Holden.
The Potters sit on just four points after five outings and without a win in three Championship games, while their hosts are looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats after enjoying a strong start.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following the summer appointment of Jon Dahl Tomasson as manager, Blackburn Rovers began their new era in eye-catching fashion with three straight Championship wins, firstly beating Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City before thrashing Hartlepool United in the EFL Cup first round, keeping three clean sheets in the process.
On their return to league action, the Lancashire outfit maintained their perfect league record with a 2-1 beating of West Bromwich Albion at Ewood Park, having gone two goals ahead through Ben Brereton Diaz and Sam Gallagher before holding out for all three points after Grady Diangana pulled one back for the visitors on the hour mark.
Hoping to make it four wins from four in England's second tier, Tomasson's side then made the trip to take on Reading but would see their strong start put on hold as goals from Tom McIntyre, Junior Hoilett and Lucas Joao fired the hosts to a 3-0 win.
Rovers would lose by the same scoreline away at Sheffield United last weekend, with Oliver Norwood opening the scoring with a free kick and Iliman Ndiaye netting a brace off the bench, before they were at least able to bounce back to winning ways against Bradford City in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, as Bradley Dack and Dilan Markanday scored in a 2-1 away triumph.
While their tally of nine points from the opening five Championship games is certainly still pleasing, Blackburn will be disappointed by their back-to-back heavy defeats and will aim to rebound with what would be a fourth league win of the season at the weekend while maintaining their perfect record at Ewood Park.
© Reuters
Stoke City make the trip also hoping to arrest a slump in their form, with the Potters winless in three games and with just four points from their five matches.
Under the management of Michael O'Neill, they began the campaign with a trip to Millwall and were beaten 2-0, before bouncing back and winning by that scoreline at home to Blackpool in the following encounter thanks to goals from Harry Clarke and Jacob Brown.
After an exit from the EFL Cup, following a defeat in a penalty shootout to Morecambe, the Potters went in search of a second straight league win and travelled to a Huddersfield Town side who had lost their first two matches, but they returned home empty-handed as Danny Ward and Jordan Rhodes sealed a 3-1 win for the hosts after Lewis Baker had levelled the game.
The Staffordshire outfit did, at least, manage to snatch a point last Wednesday at home to Middlesbrough, as D'Margio Wright-Phillips forced a 2-2 draw with an injury-time equaliser, before they hosted Sunderland last weekend with the aim of returning to winning ways and putting their slow start behind them.
They were not able to do so, though, as Ross Stewart hit the only goal in a 1-0 away victory, and, now sitting on just four points from five matches, Stoke will be desperate to correct their form following the former boss's departure, starting with what would be an important win at the weekend.
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- D
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Creative midfielder Bradley Dack will be vying to make a first Championship start of the season for Blackburn on Saturday, having scored in both of their EFL Cup wins after an injury-stricken campaign last time around.
Competition for attacking spots is rife, though, with Ben Brereton Diaz bound to feature, despite ongoing rumours linking him away from the club, while Sam Gallagher should continue to lead the line.
Lewis Travis and John Buckley will continue to partner up in the engine room, while Tomasson switched to a back three for their trip to Sheffield United last week with Daniel Ayala, Ashley Phillips and Harry Pickering all deployed and Callum Brittain and Tayo Edun operating as wing-backs.
We are yet to see how Holden will line Stoke up as manager, and the likes of Aden Flint, D'Margio Wright-Phillips, Dwight Gayle and Tyrese Campbell are all hoping to impress the temporary boss and break into the starting side.
In the absence of Harry Souttar through injury, Phil Jagielka should again play at the heart of a back three, with the likes of Flint, Ben Wilmot, Morgan Fox and Connor Taylor fighting for the other two spots, while Lewis Baker and William Smallbone will keep their places in midfield, likely alongside either Gavin Kilkenny or Sam Clucas.
Campbell, Gayle and Wright-Phillips, meanwhile, will all be pushing for spots in attack, with Jacob Brown and Manchester City loanee Liam Delap being preferred last time out.
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Phillips, Ayala, Pickering; Brittain, Buckley, Travis, Edun; Dack; Brereton Diaz, Gallagher
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Bursik; Flint, Jagielka, Wilmot; Fosu, Clucas, Baker, Smallbone, Thompson; Brown, Gayle
We say: Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Stoke City
Although Blackburn have enjoyed a stronger start on the whole, they will be wounded from consecutive 3-0 league defeats while the Potters may experience a bounce after a change in manager, and we anticipate a share of the spoils as a result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
