Stoke City team news vs Blackburn as Liverpool teen returns to starting XI
Stoke City make two changes for the visit of promotion hopefuls Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday...
...with Liverpool teenager Max Woltman handed a first Championship start.
The forward, who made his senior debut for the Reds in the FA Cup last season, replaces Liam Delap in the Potters' attack.
Delap dropped to the bench after failing to score in any of his last seven appearances for Stoke.
Woltman, 19, has been in impressive form for Stoke's under-21s this season, scoring six goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances.
He will be hoping to make a similar impact for the first-team against Blackburn, who are third in the Championship and pushing for automatic promotion.
Stoke boss Alex Neil has also made one change to his defence, with Harry Souttar replacing Phil Jagielka.
Souttar has recovered from a knock that kept him out of Stoke's last two games.
The Potters will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat at Hull City last weekend.
Blackburn, meanwhile, come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Blackpool.
The Lancashire club are looking to extend their unbeaten run to six games.
Team news:
- Stoke City:
- Starting XI:
- Bursik
- Smith
- Souttar
- Fox
- Clarke
- Laurent
- Baker
- Tymon
- Powell
- Smallbone
- Woltman
- Subs:
- Bonham
- Jagielka
- Sterling
- Delap
- Redmond
- Campbell
- Thompson
- Starting XI:
- Kaminski
- Hayden
- Hyam
- van Hecke
- Buckley
- Travis
- Dolan
- Khadra
- Szmodics
- Brereton Diaz
- Gallagher
- Subs:
- Marshall
- Carter
- Williams
- Pike
- Butterworth
- Vale
- Vale
