MY ACCOUNT
– Blackpool are second-bottom, just a point ahead of Wigan
– Huddersfield are also in relegation trouble as they sit a place and point above
– Recommended bet: Draw
Blackpool host fellow strugglers Huddersfield in a big game at the bottom of the Championship on Tuesday night.
Both sides are in the thick of the relegation scrap in the second tier as they sit in the bottom three, with just a place and a point keeping Town, who are 22nd, above their opponents.
Unsurprisingly considering their poor positions in the table, neither side approach this match in good form.
Blackpool have lost their last three games in all competitions and have not won in the league in 11 matches, while the Terriers are without a win in their last five in all competitions overall.
With both sides seemingly low on confidence and quality probably in short supply on Tuesday night, this could be a cagey affair which could end up all square.
Team news
January recruits Tom Trybull and Charlie Goode were handed their first league starts for Blackpool by boss Mick McCarthy in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough and will hope to have done enough, despite the heavy defeat, to keep their places.
Sonny Carey, Morgan Rogers and Gary Madine all came off the bench at the Riverside Stadium in the second half so if McCarthy is to ring the changes, that trio will hope to be under consideration to start.
The hosts are still without several senior players, with Liam Bridcutt, Marvin Ekpiteta, Keshi Anderson, Lewis Fiorini, Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel and Kevin Stewart all out injured.
Huddersfield also have plenty of injuries to contend with going into the clash with Kieran Phillips, Duane Holmes, Danny Ward, Lee Nicholls, Faustino Anjorin, Yuta Nakayama and Ben Jackson all expected to be absent.
New keeper Tomas Vaclik is set to start in goal again, while the experienced Anthony Knockaert, who came off the bench last time out in the 1-1 draw with QPR, is among the players pushing for a start.
The stats
Blackpool have won just six of their 28 league games so far this term, with three of those successes coming at home and three on the road.
Huddersfield have picked up just one more victory than the Seasiders, but only two of their wins in the 2022-23 campaign have been away and they have officially the worst away record in the division.
Blackpool have drawn eight games so far, compared to Huddersfield’s six and their overall records are fairly similar. The Tangerines have hit 28 league goals and conceded 43, while Town have registered two fewer goals but have only shipped 36 to date.
Prediction
There appears not much to choose between the two sides and therefore it might be best to sit on the fence and back the draw.
Both know winning this would boost their survival hopes and, while it is tempting to try and make a case for Town to edge it, considering their slightly better recent league form, it could be that these two strugglers cancel each other out and settle for a point apiece.
