Blackburn Rovers presents a tough challenge for Stoke City, as this has historically been one of their most difficult opponents. The rivalry between the two has been fiercely competitive, but in recent years, Blackburn Rovers has held the upper hand.
Stoke City is determined to break this streak of consecutive losses to Blackburn, especially after last season’s struggles, where Blackburn Rovers consistently proved to be the stronger team. Currently, Blackburn sits in 8th place with 19 points from 13 matches, putting them close to the top spots in the EFL Championship. Stoke City is eager to win this match at all costs to keep pace with teams higher up in the league standings.
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Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers in Recent Matches
Last season, Blackburn Rovers took both matches against Stoke City, scoring three goals in each game. The most recent encounter on February 10 saw Blackburn secure a 3-1 victory. It was a challenging match for then-coach Steven Schumacher, as Stoke City managed to score only once through Neil, while Blackburn had already netted three times in the first half. Stoke City is now looking to change the narrative of these last two games, which ended in Blackburn’s favor.
This is an opportunity for Narcis Pelach to showcase the progress his team has made and to claim a crucial victory that would add three important points in the EFL Championship standings, where Stoke City aims to climb into the top 10.
Currently, Stoke City has 15 points from 13 matches, but their goal difference could be a hurdle, with a negative three that might impact them later in the season. This indicates a need for greater scoring efficiency to shake off their scoring droughts.
In these 13 matches, Stoke has scored 15 goals but conceded 18, a negative record they need to turn around. The recent victory over Derby County highlighted the solid performance and tactics implemented by Narcis Pelach and his team, giving them confidence as they face Blackburn Rovers.