After their recent spell on the road, Blackburn will return to Ewood Park hoping to deliver a morale-boosting victory for absent manager Sam Allardyce. Rovers have been unstoppable at home since last month and face Tony Pulis’s Stoke side who have struggled to replicate their solid home form away from the Britannia Stadium.

Quick Check

Blackburn Rovers

  • Defender Gael Givet is hopeful of overcoming a thigh injury to start.
  • Midfielder David Dunn has scored six goals in 11 starts this season.
  • Blackburn have won their last four games at Ewood Park.
  • Home team have won four of the last five meetings between the two teams.
  • Boss Sam Allardyce will be missing for the third game running after undergoing heart surgery.
  • Blackburn have kept just one clean sheet in ten matches.

Stoke City

  • Defender Abdoulaye Faye is available again after a one-match ban.
  • Stoke have lost only one of their last five games on the road.
  • Mamady Sidibe is still struggling after a recurrence of a long-term hamstring problem.
  • The Potters have won just three of their last 25 away matches.
  • Tony Pulis’ side has kept two clean sheets in their last nine games.
  • Stoke have scored just one goal in their last four meetings with Blackburn.

Expert Advice

Apart from their victory at Bolton last weekend, Blackburn’s performances have been quick to forget away from home but they are a very different type of animal at home and are fast turning Ewood Park into something of a fortress. While they are yet to face any of the traditional ‘Big Four’ on their home territory, four straight wins is still mightily impressive and Stoke will have to battle hard if they are to prevent them from making it a fifth. The Potters showed what they’re capable of a month ago by winning at Stoke but they don’t appear to be in the same sort of form at the moment, so Betsson’s odds of 3.7 for a Blackburn win by one goal looks a sound bet.

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