Blackpool will be bidding to return to winning ways in League One when they continue their campaign with a clash against Northampton Town at Sixfields Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The away team are currently 11th in the League One table, boasting 51 points from their opening 37 matches of the campaign, while Northampton are 19th, only six points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Northampton boast a record of 10 wins, 12 draws and 15 defeats from their 37 league matches this season, with a total of 42 points leaving them in 19th, six points outside of the relegation zone.
Kevin Nolan has been in charge of the team since the end of December, winning five, drawing six and losing five of his 16 games at the helm, and the Cobblers will actually bring a four-game unbeaten run into this match.
Northampton were last beaten in League One at the end of February, drawing three of their last four, in addition to recording a 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient in their last away match on February 8.
Nolan’s team will enter this match off the back of a hugely-positive home result, meanwhile, holding runaway leaders Birmingham City to a 1-1 draw last Saturday, with the result leaving them in 19th spot, six points ahead of 21st-placed Burton Albion.
The reverse match between these two sides earlier this season ended in a 0-0 draw, but Blackpool were 1-0 winners when the pair locked horns for the corresponding game during the 2023-24 campaign.
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Blackpool will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Leyton Orient, with the result leaving them in 11th spot in the table, 10 points outside of the playoff positions entering the final straight.
Steve Bruce‘s side have the sixth-best away record in League One this season, and they will be coming up against a Northampton side that only boast six wins from their 18 league games in front of their own fans in 2024-25.
The Seasiders finished eighth in League One last term, only missing out on the playoffs by three points, but it will take something special for them to move into the top six in the latter stages of this campaign.
Blackpool have been the draw specialists in League One this season, sharing the points on 15 occasions, and their struggles in terms of wins have made it difficult for them to close the gap on the top six.
The Seasiders have enjoyed the better of their recent meetings with Northampton, though, winning four of their last six encounters, with two of those successes coming at Sixfields Stadium.
Team News
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Northampton have not reported any injury concerns from their clash with Birmingham last time out, and due to the nature of the performance, it is likely that head coach Nolan will name an unchanged side for this match.
Cameron McGeehan has been the team’s outstanding player this season, scoring nine goals and registering three assists in 34 appearances, and there will be another start for the 29-year-old this weekend.
Sam Hoskins has four goals to his name this term, and the 32-year-old will also feature in the final third, while Dara Costelloe should continue at the tip of the attack following his arrival on loan from Burnley in January.
As for Blackpool, Andy Lyons is missing with the serious knee injury that he suffered earlier this month, but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape heading into Saturday’s contest with Northampton.
Head coach Bruce is expected to resist the temptation to make sweeping changes to his side, with Ashley Fletcher, who has nine goals to his name this term, again featuring in the final third of the field.
Niall Ennis arrived at the club on loan from Stoke City in the latter stages of the January market, and there should also be a spot in an attacking area for the 25-year-old.
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Burge; Magloire, Dyche, McGowan; Odimayo, Perry, Taylor, Pinnock; McGeehan, Costelloe, Hoskins
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Tyrer; Offiah, Pennington, Casey, Coulson; Apter, Morgan, Evans, Carey; Ennis, Fletcher
We say: Northampton Town 1-1 Blackpool
Northampton have played out 1-1 draws in three of their last four league matches, while Blackpool have a league-high 15 draws this term; it would not be a surprise to see a home or indeed an away victory on Saturday afternoon, but we believe that the points will ultimately be shared at Sixfields Stadium.
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