Playoff-chasing Blackpool will be bidding to bounce back from successive defeats when they resume their League One campaign at home to Wycombe Wanderers on Monday afternoon.
The hosts will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 defeat at second-placed Derby County on Friday, while Wycombe suffered a 3-1 home loss to division leaders Portsmouth last time out.
Match preview
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Blackpool were relegated from the Championship last season, so the club are looking for an immediate return to the second tier from League One, but it has been a testing campaign for the Seasiders.
Neil Critchley's side are currently ninth in the table, boasting a record of 17 wins, nine draws and 14 defeats from 40 matches to collect 60 points, which has left them four points off sixth-placed Lincoln City.
The team's playoff hopes have taken a hit in their last two games, though, losing 1-0 to both Wigan Athletic and Derby away from home, which would certainly have dented confidence.
Blackpool now have three straight home matches against Wycombe, Cambridge United and Fleetwood Town, and they have been impressive in front of their own fans this season, picking up 38 points from 19 matches, recording 11 victories in the process.
The Tangerines have lost their last two games to Wycombe, though, including a 2-0 defeat when the two teams locked horns for the reverse fixture earlier this season.
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Wycombe, meanwhile, finished ninth in League One last season, but they are currently down in 13th position in the table, picking up 50 points from their 39 league matches in 2023-24.
The Blues are 10 points behind Blackpool and 14 points off the playoffs, so they will not be challenging for a return to the Championship for the 2024-25 campaign, but the team are also 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
Matt Bloomfield's side have won five, drawn five and lost eight of their 18 away league matches during the 2023-24 campaign, picking up 20 points in the process.
Wycombe recorded three straight wins over Reading, Wigan and Northampton Town between Match 9 and March 16, but they will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 home defeat to the league leaders Portsmouth.
The Blues last played in the Championship in 2020-21, spending the last three seasons at this level of football, and the club will already be thinking about how they can improve next term.
Team News
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Blackpool head coach Critchley will need to assess the fitness of his players following Friday's clash against Derby, but the team did not appear to suffer any fresh injury problems.
Jordan Rhodes, who has scored 15 times in League One this season, was absent against Derby with a knee injury, and he has headed back to parent club Huddersfield Town to undergo rehabilitation.
However, Blackpool are still hopeful that the striker will be able to play a part between now and the end of the campaign.
The home side will also be missing Andy Lyons, Albie Morgan, James Husband and Ryan Finnigan on Monday due to injury problems.
As for Wycombe, the players who featured against Portsmouth on Friday will also need to be assessed, although all five substitutions that took place last time out were tactical calls.
Head coach Bloomfield could decide to select the same XI that started against the league leaders, with a 4-3-3 formation seeing Richard Kone operate through the middle.
Kieran Sadlier has scored three times in League One this season, and the 29-year-old is also in line to feature in the final third of the field against Blackpool on Monday afternoon.
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Pennington, Ekpiteta, Casey; Lawrence-Gabriel, Byers, Norburn, Carey, Coulson; Dembele; Beesley
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Ravizzoli; Grimmer, Lonwijk, Tafazolli, Leahy; Scowen, Potts, Butcher; Lubala, Kone, Sadlier
We say: Blackpool 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers
Rhodes's absence is huge for Blackpool, and it remains to be seen whether the Seasiders can sneak into the top six late in the campaign. This is a huge game for the hosts, and we are expecting it to be tight, but Blackpool should have enough quality to navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
