It has been a busy few days for Stoke City, with Michael O'Neill relieved of his duties after a poor start to the season saw the club win just one of their opening six matches of the season in league and cup.
The Potters are moving quickly to replace the Northern Irishman, with Alex Neil reportedly set to leave Sunderland to join the Potters in a controversial switch.
In the meantime, assistant manager Dean Holden has taken over as interim boss.
Neil's side were the opponents in City's last outing, with the Black Cats winning 1-0 and ultimately condemning O'Neill to the sack.
Blackburn Rovers moved to bring in a new manager in the summer, and Jon Dahl Tomasson has started well with three wins from his first five league games.
Rovers have lost their last two league outings though, with a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield United last week meaning they now sit 4th in the table.
-
Team news
Blackburn
Winger Ryan Hedges will be in the hosts' squad after recovering from a hamstring injury that saw him sidelined for a month.
Hayden Carter is also fit to play after injury but is unlikely to be thrust into a starting berth straight away.
Scott Wharton is back in training but is not yet ready to return to the matchday squad.
Stoke
A raft of injuries face the managerless Potters, with Josh Laurent and Josh Tymon still sidelined for at least the next five weeks with ankle problems.
Arsenal loanee Harry Clarke remains out for five weeks with a shin injury.
City also remain without long-term absentees Nick Powell and Harry Souttar with knee and ACL injuries respectively, with the former hoping to return to action in September.
-
Likely lineups
Blackburn
Kaminski; Brittain, Phillips, Ayala, Pickering; Buckley, Travis; Brereton Diaz, Dack, Dolan; Gallagher.
Stoke
Bursik; Wilmot, Flint, Taylor; Fosu, Baker, Kilkenny, Smallbone, Thompson; Delap, Brown.
-
Ones to watch
Ben Brereton Diaz
A native of Stoke-on-Trent, Diaz was a part of the Potters’ youth set up from 14 to 16 before moving onto Nottingham Forest. He broke onto the first-team scene at 16 for Forest, before joining Rovers in a £7 million move in 2019.
After struggling for goals in his first three seasons in Lancashire, Diaz netted 22 times in 37 Championship outings last campaign as he emerged as one of the league's leading strikers. He debuted for the Chile national team last May and has been subject to transfer interest from numerous Premier League clubs over the last year.
Jacob Brown
Brown's talents at this level found new heights last season, as he hit 13 league goals whilst cementing his place as Stoke's go-to man up front. His great form earned him a Scotland call-up, for whom he now has five caps to his name.
The 24 year-old will hope to impress whoever is named as the Potters' new boss with a good performance against Rovers this weekend. He has netted twice in five games this term already.
-
Match details
Where is the game being played?
The game is being held at Ewood Park in Blackburn, Lancashire.
What time is kick off?
Kick off is at 15:00 BST, on Saturday, August 27.
How can I watch?
The game will not be televised in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but is available for purchase on iFollow for overseas viewers.