Blackburn are in contention for promotion this season, but right now are not in the best shape. Over the last three rounds Rovers have gained only one point. They had a difficult calendar, they had to play with direct competitors – they shared points with West Bromwich, and then lost to Watford and Sheffield United. After the last round Blackburn dropped to the eighth place in the standings, and the gap from the sixth line has grown to two points.
Last round Stoke City beat Derby County, a league newcomer, and then pulled away from the relegation zone by three points. Before that, they could not win for five matches in different tournaments.
Blackburn did not win three rounds, but in this one has every chance to return to the winning path. Stoke City perform poorly away – one win in six such games with four defeats. Rovers have won five out of seven home rounds in the league. In addition, Blackburn had no problem beating Stoke twice last season.