Blackpool play host to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Championship to four matches.
Despite seeing their own undefeated streak come to an end in midweek, Rovers continue to hold a place in the playoffs.
Match preview
© Reuters
Before the international break, newly-promoted Blackpool looked destined for a season struggling at the bottom end of the Championship table.
However, Neil Critchley seemingly worked wonders during the two-week interval, the Tangerines going on to record 10 points from their next five games.
The 14-minute capitulation against Huddersfield Town has proven to be a minor blip with Blackpool going unbeaten against Middlesbrough, Barnsley and Hull City.
Critchley was naturally left disappointed with his team conceding a late goal versus the Tigers in midweek, but the point kept his team moving in the right direction.
Shayne Lavery has taken his second-tier tally to four in recent games, the forward remaining as the sole Blackpool player to score more than once in the league.
© Reuters
Despite being another club tipped to struggle this campaign, Blackburn continue to hold a spot in the playoffs after losing just two of their opening 10 fixtures.
The second of those defeats came on Tuesday evening as they went down 3-2 at Huddersfield, the Terriers eventually prevailing after Rovers had twice got back on level terms.
Tony Mowbray will take the positives from the fighting spirit shown by his players, but Rovers looked miles off the pace at the back after their recent improvements.
Ben Brereton Diaz has been a revelation in the final third this campaign, the Chile international already contributing nine goals and one assist.
- L
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
- D
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
While Demetri Mitchell and Gary Madine impressed on their first starts of the season, the pair may drop down to the Blackpool substitutes' bench for this contest.
Josh Bowler and Jerry Yates are alternatives in midfield and attack respectively if Critchley opts against taking any risks with their fitness.
Blackburn will be without Ryan Nyambe after the right-back sustained concussion during the first half against Huddersfield.
Mowbray has also revealed that Darragh Lenihan is expected to miss out as he continues to recover from a groin injury.
Liverpool's Leighton Clarkson is the most likely of the club's loan contingent to be handed a recall to the team.
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Maxwell; Sterling, Ekpiteta, Keogh, Garbutt; Bowler, Wintle, Dougall, Anderson; Madine, Lavery
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Maguire, Carter, Ayala, Pickering; Travis, Rothwell; Gallagher, Buckley, Brereton Diaz; Dolan
We say: Blackpool 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Given their improvements since the international break, Blackpool will be confident of accumulating more points from their North-West rivals. However, Rovers look the stronger in the final third, and that should make the difference at Bloomfield Road.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Blackburn Rovers win with a probability of 39.35%. A win for Blackpool had a probability of 32.01% and a draw had a probability of 28.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Blackburn Rovers win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.62%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.97%) and 0-2 (7.57%). The likeliest Blackpool win was 1-0 (11.07%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.28%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 7% likelihood.
