Valerien Ismael can surprise us all at 7pm with shock start for ‘really sharp’ Blackburn Rovers ace vs Stoke

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Wednesday’s marquee Championship clash sees Blackburn Rovers travelling to the Bet365 Stadium for a meeting with Stoke City.

It has been a rough 2025 for Blackburn Rovers so far, which has included losing manager John Eustace.

The Lancashire outfit were firmly in the play-off mix at the turn of the year, yet Eustace opted to leave Ewood Park and link up with a relegation-threatened Derby County side.

Pouring salt into the wounds, Derby then beat Blackburn 2-1 this past weekend under the guidance of their former boss.

That result, plus Tuesday’s Championship fixtures, has seen Rovers drop down to ninth in the second tier and four points adrift of the play-off places.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
6	CoventryCoventry	37	16	8	13	52	48	4	56
7	Bristol CityBristol City	37	13	15	9	47	40	7	54
8	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	37	15	8	14	57	48	9	53
9	BlackburnBlackburn	36	15	7	14	41	37	4	52
10	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	37	14	9	14	53	58	-5	51
11	NorwichNorwich	37	12	13	12	59	52	7	49

A top-six finish is not out of the question yet, however, and a win over Stoke City would move them back to within just one point of Frank Lampard’s Coventry City.

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Valerien Ismael could start Emmanuel Dennis vs Stoke City

Stoke are on a poor run of form, failing to win any of their last four and moving to within just one point of the relegation zone ahead of kick-off on Tuesday.

However, Blackburn are also struggling and still searching for their first win under new manager Valerien Ismael.

Ismael has overseen a 2-1 defeat and a 1-1 draw with Norwich City during his brief stint in the dugout, while the club are winless in three.

One of their main issues has been a lack of goals, with Rovers the lowest-scoring side in the top 12 (41) by some distance.

As a result, it could be time for Ismael to freshen up his front line and hand Emmanuel Dennis his first start.

Blackburn’s owners were criticised owing to a lack of investment in recent years, but Dennis was signed in January, bringing with him a previously solid record in the Premier League – 12 goals and eight assists in 52 matches.

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What Valerien Ismael has said about Blackburn Rovers striker Emmanuel Dennis

Dennis made his Blackburn debut on February 22nd, coming off the bench for 34 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Swansea City.

He was then brought on in the draw with Norwich and picked up two yellow cards in the space of 23 minutes, meaning the striker missed the defeat to Derby over the weekend.

Despite getting sent off in his first game, however, Ismael has been speaking highly of the Nottingham Forest loanee, labelling him ‘really sharp’, as per the Lancashire Telegraph.

He said: “It’s a pity because I found since I came that Dennis looks sharper than I saw him last year at Watford.

“More focus, really sharp in shape, positive. But the good thing is it’s only one game and three days later we have another game.

“At some point, he has a point to prove. When you are in a club and every year you are on loan here, on loan there, at some point, you just want to settle and to find your home. And for yourself as well to prove that you are able to compete at any level.

“I think that Dennis is at that crossroads for him now. I think that he feels himself well with us. Hopefully, in the last ten games for him, he will be able to show his quality.”