Peterborough United will look to salvage a season seemingly destined for relegation when they travel to fellow-promoted side Blackpool on Saturday afternoon.
Blackpool finished seven points behind their opponents in last season's League One table, yet they will begin the weekend eight points in front of the much-maligned Peterborough.
Match preview
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Winners of the playoffs last term, Blackpool had started their first season back in the Championship poorly, taking a worrying two points from their opening six fixtures.
Forced to wait until mid-September for their first win of the campaign, it had looked as if Blackpool themselves would be confined to an immediate return to League One early on.
However, under the stewardship of Neil Critchley, the Seasiders were able to turn their fortunes around, winning seven of their next 10 Championship encounters.
Climbing up the table, Blackpool began November inside the top six spaces, but a current winless streak of seven matches has seen the tide come in and wash away any hopes of an unlikely playoff push.
Currently slumped down in 17th position, Blackpool will likely have to settle for mid-table mediocrity this season, with the gap to the top six now stretching to an ever-growing eight points.
One side who would have taken a mid-table finish at the beginning of the campaign are Peterborough, who have won only five of their 22 games so far.
As many expected, their return to the second tier has proven troublesome, with Darren Ferguson's side currently occupying the final relegation position.
League One champions from the 2020-21 campaign, it looks like Posh will be competing it out in the third tier once again next year, as the competition above them looks to pull away.
Alarmingly for Peterborough, four of their five wins this season have come in the comfort of their own home, with Saturday's trip North likely to end in disappointment.
Their performances in this fixture suggest that will probably be the case too, as Peterborough are winless in their last three meetings with Blackpool.
It is two-and-a-half years since Peterborough last triumphed over Blackpool, with Saturday's Championship clash the most opportune moment to put that right.
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Team News
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Looking to fend off the current Covid crisis sweeping the division, Peterborough head into the weekend with a relative clean bill of health.
Their only absentees are likely to be Ricky-Jade Jones and Jack Marriott, who will miss the trip through injury.
Most of their attacking threat will come in the form of Jonson Clarke-Harris, who has-top scored for Posh this season and will be keen to add to his four for the campaign so far.
Unlike their visitors, Blackpool have been hit hard with injuries, and the hosts will likely be without a number of key players for the weekend's fixture.
Grant Ward, Mathew Virtue-Thick, Kevin Stewart, Luke Garbutt and Oliver Casey are all probable absentees, whilst Gary Madine will face a late fitness test to be ready in time.
Expected to field a depleted side, much of their offensive play will likely be channelled through Keshi Anderson, who has excited on the flanks for Blackpool this season.
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Maxwell; James, Husband, Ekpiteta, Sterling; Wintle, Connolly; Anderson, Carey, Dale; Lavery
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Cornell; Thompson, Knigh, Edwards, Butler; Norburn, Grant, Burrows; Taylor, Szmodics, Dembele
We say: Blackpool 2-1 Peterborough United
Given this is a clash between two of last season's promoted League One sides, there should be little to separate either side, yet Blackpool look to have gained an edge over Peterborough in recent months.
A higher league position is not the only advantage that Blackpool hold, with the Seasiders hoping to add to their list of recent victories against Posh.
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 Blackpool win with a probability of 47.52%. A draw had a probability of 27.3% and a win for Peterborough United had a probability of 25.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Blackpool win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.63%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.48%) and 2-1 (8.83%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.7%), while for a Peterborough United win it was 0-1 (9.14%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Blackpool would win this match.
