BrainBetting.com

Emiliano Insua of Liverpool goes up with Rory Delap of Stoke during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Liverpool at Britannia Stadium on January 16, 2010 in Stoke on Trent, England.

Both teams come into this match in fairly stable form but would love to pick up 3 points at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke especially have been struggling for victories in the last few weeks, winning just 1 of their last 9 games. They’ve been gradually sliding down the EPL table and could ideally do with giving themselves some more breathing space. Of course, The Potters’ home form has been strong all season and they are rarely beaten in front of their own fans, the problem has been converting some draws into victories. I doubt this’ll be much of a classic but I think Stoke will have the advantage, Blackburn are usually woeful away.

Sam Allardyce’s men have picked up a few road draws in recent weeks, but generally I don’t think they can be relied upon. Last Saturday they did alright at West Ham (0-0), and had regrets about not winning the match. But a trip to this stadium in front of a hostile crowd is sure to be tricky. I don’t have much confidence that Rovers are the sort of side who can go on a long consistent unbeaten run, a defeat is surely inevitable soon and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it come here. Stoke’s problem is scoring goals and converting chances, but if they can do that then they should have an excellent chance of victory. Under 2.5 is another bet worth considering here because most of Stoke’s home matches tend to contain few goals. But I think the value lies with Tony Pulis’ boys and I’ll back them to prevail.

Bet: Stoke -0.25 Asian handicap @ 1.90

Steve Wyss