Five places and six points clear of the relegation zone, this first Premier League season for Stoke City looks like having a very happy ending, with survival now within touching distance, and many people claiming that it is just one win away. This Saturday should offer the perfect chance to claim that crucial three points, with Blackburn, three places and two points worse off than Stoke making the visit to the Britannia Stadium, which has been something of a fortre s this year. Amazingly, prior to last Steven Matz Jersey weeks 1-1 draw against Newcastle, we had won more points per home game on average this season, when for the most part we have struggled near the foot of the table, than last season in the Championship, when we spent the majority of the season inside the top two.More euphoric scenes could be round the corner As much as survival would mean to Stoke, it would mean to Blackburn, so we can be sure that, particularly with Sam Allardyce, one of footballs more bullish figures at the helm, they will be coming on Saturday prepared to fight, and that crucial ninth home win of the season will not come easily. Its been a very tough season for the Lancashire club as a whole, with new manager Paul Ince completely failing to build anything resembling a team capable of achieving anything in the Premier League after the departure of Mark Hughes last summer, but Allardyce has brought stability to the club, and now Id expect them to stay up.The dawn of a golden era Like any Allardyce team, we can expect Blackburn to be physical and play a direct style that closely mirrors our own. In recent games, the former-Bolton bo s has opted to play humongous Congolese centre-back Christopher Samba up front ahead of the more recognised, and in my view more far more potent striker Benni McCarthy. This gamble certainly didnt pay off last week, as Blackburn were completely outplayed by Liverpool, losing 4-0 and displaying a soft-centre that the best teams seem to have been able to exploit. I believe that behind the tough exterior, there are defensive weakne ses in the Blackburn side, and the level to which we are able to exploit them, and unlike last week take our chances when they come, will be the key to whether we are celebrating or beginning to get a little more twitchy come five oclock on Saturday. Stoke striker James Beattie, who is Blackburn born and bred and began his career at the club, is a minor doubt for Stoke after suffering a serious head would when he was caught, allegedly deliberately, by Newcastles Sebastien Ba song on Saturday, but he should be fit to face the club he watched as Dwight Gooden Jersey a child. Meanwhile, there are no new injury concerns for Tony Pulis and Stoke, with Senegalese trio Salif Diao, Amdy Faye and Henri Camara looking to shake off problems to return to the Stoke squad. Id be particularly enamoured if the latter is able to, as with Beattie a potential absentee, it is po sible that the only option to partner Ricardo Fuller up front would be Richard Cre swell, who I fear is simply not good enough at Premier League level. Stoke captain Abdoulaye Faye, who played under Allardyce at Bolton has this week in interview stated his intentions of scoring against Blackburn, who reportedly had a bid of 4 million to try to sign him turned down by Stoke in January. If he says hes going to score, youd better believe him.Stokes Senegalese trio Salif Diao, Amdy Faye and Henri Camara will battle for fitne s The visitors will be without Grenadian forward Jason Roberts, who has an ankle injury, as well as midfielders Steven Reid and Brett Emerton, who both have knee problems, for the game. There are also doubts over the fitne s of Rory Delap wannabe Morten Gamst Pedersen and key striker Roque Santa Cruz, who has had a disappointing and unsettled season after a move to Manchester City failed New York Mets Jersey to materialise. Aaron Mokoena, who is apparently a Stoke target when his contract expires at the end of the season, though he has today said he would like to stay on at Ewood Park, may play in the heart of the Blackburn midfield.Key Battles:James Beattie v Christopher SambaA suming Samba occupies his more customary centre-back role, he will be engaged in a heavyweight battle with Beattie, whose goals have played a huge part in lifting Stoke away from immediate danger. Failure to neutralise the threat of Beattie could spell trouble for the leaky Blackburn defence.Andy Wilkinson v Morten Gamst PedersenStoke right-back Wilkinson has dealt admirably with Todd Frazier Jersey some tricky wingers since he became first choice in the position back in December, and he will face another stiff challenge when he comes up against Pedersen, who I expect to shake off his injury to play. Despite poor goalscoringform recently, Pedersen still plays a key role in a lot of Blackburns attacking play and Wilkinson will have to be on his best physical form to keep him out of the game. Rory Delap v Paul RobinsonDelaps long throws, which you can now see imitated on any Sunday League pitch in the country, have been back to their enormously dangerous best in the last few home games, causing great difficulties for goalkeepers. The ability of former first-choice England keeper Robinson to deal with them could be crucial to the outcome of the game. Blackburn Squad:Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (29), Jason Brown (26), Mark Bunn (24), Bjorn Bu sman (18)Defenders: Stephen Warnock (27), Cristopher Samba (25), Ryan Nelsen (31), Andre Ooijer (34), Zurab Khizanishvili (27), Danny Simpson (22), Gael Givet (27), Martin Ol son (20), Gavin Gunning (18)Midfielders: Morten Asdrubal Cabrera Jersey Gamst Pedersen (27), Keith Andrews (28), Brett Emerton (30), Tugay (38), David Dunn (29), Vince Grella (29), Carlos Villanueva (23), Aaron Mokoena(28), Steven Reid (28), Keith Treacy (20), Andy Haworth (20), Aaron Doran (17), Bryan Hodge (21), Alex Marrow (19)Forwards: Benni McCarthy (31), Roque Santa Cruz (27), Jason Roberts (31), El Hadji Diouf (28), Marcus Marshall (19), Julio Santa Cruz (19)Star Man: Benni McCarthy Some people might find this choice of star man strange, as Roque Santa Cruz is the far more obvious and glamorous choice, but I feel that McCarthy has been a far more significant player for Blackburn this season. Both centre-forwards, both have played 27 games, McCarthy scoring eleven times, Santa Cruz just six. In a position where goalscoring is vital, thats why I feel McCarthy is more deserving of the star man status. The South African international, who has 76 caps for his country, and has scored 32 international goals, began his career at local side Seven Stars, where incredible goalscoring form of better than a goal a game earned him a move to more influential side Ajax Cape Town, a feeder of th