Stoke City vs Blackburn Rovers Prediction: Teams are placed mid table

Stoke City will welcome Blackburn Rovers at Bet365 Stadium in Game Week 17 of the English Championship. Only one point separates these two sides at the middle of the Championship table. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Stoke City is set to resume their matches this weekend, aiming to continue their momentum after the break. Under the management of Alex Neil, they initially struggled in the division, earning just 10 points from their first 11 Championship games. However, they showed signs of improvement towards the end of October, embarking on an unbeaten run before the pause. Their winning streak began with a 2-1 home victory against Sunderland, with goals from Ryan Mmaee and Luke McNally. Subsequently, they triumphed over Leeds United, courtesy of a Pascal Struijk own goal, and secured a 2-0 win against Middlesbrough, thanks to Michael Rose and Mehdi Leris. Although unable to extend their winning streak, Stoke City maintained their unbeaten record with goalless draws against Cardiff City and Coventry City. After a well-rested break, they currently sit in 14th place with a one-point gap from the top half and a five-point gap from the playoff positions. Stoke City is determined to build upon their unbeaten streak, surpass their opponents, and continue their upward climb in the division.

Bonham; Hoever, McNally, Rose, Stevens; Pearson, Laurent; Leris, Johnson, Vidigal; Mmaee

Blackburn Rovers have had a varied start to the new Championship season, currently sitting in 12th place with 22 points from their first 16 games. They have recorded seven victories but also suffered eight defeats, and are only outperformed by the bottom three teams in terms of losses. However, after a sequence of four consecutive league defeats in September and October, they managed to bounce back and secure four wins in their next five games. These victories came against Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City, Millwall, and Norwich City. This successful run put them back in contention for a playoff spot. Unfortunately, in their last game before the break, they lost to rivals Preston North End, slipping further down the table. Nonetheless, with only a small gap separating them from teams in higher positions, Blackburn Rovers have the opportunity to improve their position with a strong performance when the season resumes.

Wahlstedt; Travis, Hill, S Wharton, Brittain; A Wharton, Tronstad; Sigurdsson, Szmodics, Markanday; Dolan

Stoke City will undoubtedly feel confident due to their recent performance prior to the break. When they resume playing on their home ground, we believe they will emerge victorious against a weakened Blackburn team. We expect both teams to be on the scoresheet on Saturday.