Sports Mole previews Saturday’s League One clash between Blackpool and Northampton Town, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Steve Bruce‘s Blackpool welcome Northampton Town to Bloomfield Road in League One on Saturday afternoon.
Both clubs have regressed slightly based on their performances from last season, with the Seasiders in particular having a difficult campaign.
Match preview
After winning just two points from their opening four games, Neil Critchley was replaced by Bruce, and to have a manager with so much top-flight experience, Blackpool will have been very excited, especially after the start the former Manchester United defender made.
Bruce won his first four games in charge, but they have fallen apart of late, and stumbled back down the table again after the notorious ‘manager bounce’ fizzled out.
A run of two points from a possible 18 is the worst tally in the league over that run of games, and leaking goals has been Blackpool’s problem, as those six matches have seen them let in 15.
Beating Harrogate Town on penalties in midweek ensured the Tangerines advanced to the knockout round of the EFL Trophy, but the supporters will still be furious with the performance in their 3-0 loss to Leyton Orient last weekend.
That result saw them drop below their upcoming opponents into 18th on goal difference, so the hosts will look to call upon recent good form against Northampton to end this current barren run.
In the seven meetings since 2015, Blackpool edge it slightly with four wins to three, but the away side on the day won both encounters in League One last season, with Northampton running out 2-1 winners here.
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That sort of unpredictability is set to continue with Northampton here, when their recent form is taken into consideration.
Ignoring a 5-2 home defeat to Burton Albion in the EFL Trophy with a much-changed side in midweek, the 1-1 draw away to title favourites Birmingham City last weekend was certainly not in tune with some of their results of late.
The Cobblers were knocked out of the FA Cup by seventh-tier local rivals Kettering a week earlier, and were beaten at Lincoln City prior to that, so to say the point at St Andrew’s was a surprise is an understatement.
Inconsistency has been prevalent for most of the season for Northampton, as a three-game losing streak at the start of October was followed up by a run of seven points in three matches the following week.
Jon Brady‘s men sit four points clear of the drop zone, but even if they are able to move away from trouble, another season of mid-table mediocrity looks likely.
Blackpool League One form:
Blackpool form (all competitions):
Northampton Town League One form:
Northampton Town form (all competitions):
Team News
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The Blackpool faithful will have been happy to see James Husband get 30 minutes off the bench in the midweek EFL Trophy win, as the full-back had been a huge threat going forward earlier in the campaign.
Rob Apter did not make much of an impact on his return against Leyton Orient, but he made up for that with a game-changing performance in midweek, setting up the first goal before converting the winning penalty in the shootout.
Bruce also used the midweek fixture to hand CJ Hamilton some more minutes after he returned to the fold last weekend, while Albie Morgan and Ollie Norburn should return soon.
Northampton are easing Sam Hoskins back from injury, and after returning to the squad and playing 70 minutes in the draw with Birmingham, Brady allowed the forward to rest in midweek.
The visitors have the lengthiest injury list in the division though, with as many as eight players out injured, including Tom Eaves, Aaron McGowan, Luke Mbete and Jordan Willis.
James Wilson is one player who has recovered from a setback though, and the attacker was given 30 minutes in the EFL Trophy tie on Tuesday.
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
O’Donnell; Lawrence-Gabriel, Offiah, Casey, Coulson; Apter, Evans, Carey, Hamilton; Joseph, Ballard
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Burge; Magloire, Baldwin, Guthrie; Odimayo, McGeehan, Fox, Guinness-Walker; Pinnock, Hoskins, Waghorn
We say: Blackpool 1-1 Northampton Town
Neither team has been particularly convincing in recent weeks, and it shows in the league table, with both clubs only narrowly above the relegation zone.
Northampton’s surprise point at Birmingham last week may be something of an outlier, and their injury crisis means they are weakened at present, so a draw is possibly the best they can achieve here, despite Blackpool sitting bottom of the form standings.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
