Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers
Championship | bet365 Stadium
Saturday, 25 November 2023 @ 3.00pm
Stoke City face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday seeking to protect their long unbeaten run in the Championship.
The Potters are unbeaten in five, with three wins and two draws, ahead of the 3pm kick-off.
They face a Blackburn team who have won three and lost two over the same number of games.
In Samuel Szmodics, Blackburn have the league's sharpest shooter so far this season. He has notched 10 goals in 16 appearances.
His goal rate of one every 140 minutes is quicker than that of André Vidigal, Stoke's top scorer with a goal every 183 minutes, and a total of four goals in 10 games.
In the last 10 years, Stoke and Blackburn have played each other on 11 occasions. Stoke won five of them, Blackburn four, and they drew twice.
On average, the Potters scored 1.1 goals and Blackburn 1.2 in those matches.
Their last meeting was on March 10, when Stoke won 3-2 at home.
With 16 goals in 16 games so far this season, City are scoring at below the league average rate with 1.0 goals per game. But they are conceding fewer than average too, letting in 18 goals at a rate of 1.1 per game.
Rovers, meanwhile, are above average scorers, with 1.5 goals per game, compared to a league average of 1.4. They have conceded 1.6 goals per game.
The Potters are 14th in the table after 16 games, of which they have won six and drawn three, earning 21 points.
The visitors are two places ahead of the home team in 12th, with seven wins and one draw putting them on 22 points.
Stoke's last match was on November 11, a 0-0 draw against Coventry City.
Blackburn lost 2-1 against Preston North End last time out, on November 10, with Szmodics on the scoresheet.