Two sides separated by just a single point in the middle of the Championship table will do battle on their return from the international break on Saturday, as Stoke City entertain Blackburn Rovers.
Thanks to an upturn in form before the break, the hosts have climbed up to 14th spot in England's second tier, while their visitors are just a point better off in 12th place.
Match preview
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Stoke City will return to action at the weekend hoping to pick up where they left off before the break, having started a climb up the division after a difficult start under Alex Neil.
The Potters managed just 10 points from their opening 11 Championship outings, picking up just three wins along the way while suffering seven defeats, but they appeared to turn a corner in late October, putting an unbeaten run together before the halt in play.
That started with a 2-1 victory at home to Sunderland, thanks to goals from Ryan Mmaee and Luke McNally, and Neil's men would make it three straight victories in impressive fashion, then defeating promotion-chasing Leeds United 1-0 thanks to Pascal Struijk's own goal before Michael Rose and Mehdi Leris fired them to a 2-0 triumph away at Middlesbrough at the end of last month.
While they have been unable to extend that winning run any further, the Potters did manage to carry an unbeaten streak into the break on the back of those victories, having most recently played out consecutive goalless stalemates at home to Cardiff City and away at Coventry City.
Now returning to action well rested, and finding themselves 14th with just a one-point gap up to the top half and a five-point gap to the playoff places, Stoke City will be keen to extend their unbeaten streak on their return to action and put up a victory to leapfrog their opponents and continue their climb.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, will aim to increase the gap between the two teams and improve their own top-six bid with a return to winning ways on Saturday.
It has certainly been a mixed start to the new Championship season for Blackburn Rovers, who sit 12th with 22 points on the board from their opening 16 outings, having managed seven victories while only the bottom three have suffered more than their eight defeats.
Following four straight league defeats across late September and early October, Jon Dahl Tomasson's side did bounce back in style as they went on to pick up four victories from the next five games, beating Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City and Millwall respectively before bouncing back from a loss to Swansea City by winning 3-1 away at Norwich City earlier this month to move back into the playoff picture.
That left them in a pleasing position heading into the final contest before the break in play, as Rovers hosted Lancashire rivals Preston North End, who were just three points better off ahead of the meeting, and the spoils looked set to be shared as Sammie Szmodics drew Blackburn level after Alan Browne's opener, only for Liam Lindsay to snatch all three points for the visitors with a 90th-minute winner.
Such a result saw Tomasson's men drop back down into mid-table, although with ninth-placed Cardiff City only two points ahead and sixth-placed Sunderland only four points better off, they will know that they can quickly improve their standing with another run of results on their return to action.
Team News
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Even after the international break, Stoke City will likely remain without Lewis Baker, Ben Wilmot and Tyrese Campbell as they continue to battle through injury issues.
Alex Neil should avoid making many changes to his starting XI after the positive run before the break, although Ryan Mmaee will push to return from the outset in attack, having been reduced to a substitute appearance against Coventry, while Dwight Gayle, Andre Vidigal, Mehdi Leris and Wesley are also fighting for spots up front.
Josh Laurent is also vying to return from the start in midfield, although the Potters are more likely to stick with the trio of Daniel Johnson, Ben Pearson and Wouter Burger, while Michael Rose and Luke McNally will again partner up at the heart of the back four having seen out four consecutive clean sheets in the Championship.
Blackburn Rovers are also still dealing with an extensive injury list on their return to action, with goalkeeper Aynsley Pears, defenders Dominic Hyam, Harry Pickering, Hayden Carter and Joe Rankin-Costello and attackers Ryan Hedges and Sam Gallagher likely remaining confined to the treatment room.
In the absence of Pears, Leopold Wahlstedt should again line up between the sticks, while James Hill and Scott Wharton will continue to partner up in the middle of the defence, with midfielder Lewis Travis likely continuing to fill in at right-back.
In front of them, in a 4-2-3-1 shape, Adam Wharton and Sondre Tronstad should partner up in the engine room, while Sammie Szmodics is their key man going forward having netted a league-high tally of 10 goals so far this term, and he should again support Tyrhys Dolan in a makeshift lone striker role.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Bonham; Hoever, McNally, Rose, Stevens; Pearson, Laurent; Leris, Johnson, Vidigal; Mmaee
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Wahlstedt; Travis, Hill, S Wharton, Brittain; A Wharton, Tronstad; Sigurdsson, Szmodics, Markanday; Dolan
We say: Stoke City 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Stoke City will certainly have some confidence in their camp thanks to the run before the break, and on their return to action on home turf, we fancy them to come out on top against a depleted Blackburn side.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
