Stoke v Blackburn predictions: Confident Rovers can maintain winning run

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 8pm Friday

Best bet

Blackburn draw no bet
1pt 15-8 Betfair, Power

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Stoke v Blackburn team news

Stoke
Back-up goalkeeper Jack Bonham should deputise for Matija Sarkic, who was injured during last weekend. Ben Wilmot and Ben Pearson will need to be assessed.

Blackburn
Bradley Dack returned to training last Friday and should make the squad but Thomas Kaminski, Scott Wharton, Daniel Ayala, Sam Barnes and Jake Batty are set to remain on the sidelines.

Stoke v Blackburn predictions

Championship promotion-chasers Blackburn have reeled off five successive victories for the first time this season and they can climb into third place by beating mid-table Stoke at the bet365 Stadium.

The campaign has been a roller-coaster ride for Rovers, who won 14 and lost 13 of their opening 27 league matches.

However, Jon Dahl Tomasson's side have shown greater consistency in recent months and head to the Potteries on an 11-game unbeaten sequence.

Blackburn's star forward Ben Brereton Diaz is closing in on full fitness after coming off the bench for last Saturday's 1-0 success at home to Sheffield United, but he may have to bide his time because the front four of Sorba Thomas, Sammie Szmodics, Tyrhys Dolan and Sam Gallagher are playing at a high level.

On their last road trip Rovers were impressive 2-1 winners over Leicester in the FA Cup fifth round.

And they have every chance of humbling the 16th-placed Potters, who have struggled for consistency throughout the season and are on course for a fifth successive bottom-half finish.

Stoke are a well resourced club and showed plenty of quality during last Saturday's 5-1 victory at playoff-chasing Sunderland.

But their performance at the Stadium of Light, where striker Dwight Gayle bagged his second and third goals of the season, was the exception rather than the norm and it is quite possible that a return to mediocrity could be just around the corner.

Stoke have not registered back-to-back league triumphs since October and their Wearside win could be followed by a setback against a confident Blackburn side eyeing up a sixth successive victory.

Key stat

Blackburn are unbeaten in their last 11 matches

Probable teams

Stoke (4-2-3-1): Bonham; Sterling, Hoever, Jagielka, Fox; Thompson, Laurent; Brown, Smallbone, Campbell; Gayle.
Subs: Noukeu, Pearson, Baker, Tymon, Taylor, Lowe, Wilmot.

Blackburn (4-2-3-1): Pears; Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hyam, Pickering; Travis, Buckley; Thomas, Szmodics, Dolan; Gallagher
Subs: Garrett, Brereton Diaz, Hedges, Phillips, Dack, Morton, Brittain.

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