Bolton Wanderers travel to Bloomfield Road this weekend to take on Blackpool in a Lancashire derby in League One.
Heading into the weekend, the visitors are only one point outside of the playoff zone in the standings, while the Seasiders have playoff aspirations of their own, as they are seven points off the playoff positions with eight games remaining.
Match preview
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The Trotters were leapfrogged in the table after their last match, as Huddersfield Town's 5-1 win over Crawley Town sent them above Bolton following Steven Schumacher's side's 1-0 defeat at home to Stockport County.
That defeat followed a 3-2 loss away to Bristol Rovers earlier that week, as a six-game unbeaten run in League One quickly turned into two consecutive losses.
The loss against the Gas was a familiar pattern for Bolton this season, with the Trotters scoring plenty of goals throughout the campaign – their 59 goals this season are only bettered by promotion-chasing Wycombe Wanderers.
However, conceding goals has been a significant problem under both former manager Ian Evatt and his successor Schumacher.
Indeed, Schumacher has won half of his 10 matches in charge of Wanderers so far, but they have only managed one clean sheet in those games.
Their away record has been relatively impressive this season, with eight wins and three draws in 18 matches on the road to date.
This weekend, they travel to a Blackpool team that have had no problem finding the back of the net this season, with 57 goals in 38 matches.
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Steve Bruce's men have won three of their last four matches in the league, though their push for the playoffs may have come a little too late in the season.
Turning draws into wins has proven tricky for the hosts this season, and the Seasiders have drawn more games than any other club in League One this season, with their record of 15 draws currently three more than the next highest clubs, Burton Albion and Northampton Town, on 12 each.
Blackpool's away record has been among the best in League One this season, with only Wycombe and Birmingham City performing better on their travels so far.
Therefore, their home form will be a major source of frustration for this weekend's hosts, as they have won only four times in front of their own fans all season in the league.
They will look to put that right this weekend in a battle for local pride at Bloomfield Road, and a win against Bolton would narrow the gap between the two clubs to only three points.
The Trotters claimed the bragging rights in the meeting between the two sides earlier in the campaign, when a late winner from Aaron Collins secured a 2-1 win, as Bolton came from behind to secure the three points back in November.
Team News
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Blackpool defender Andy Lyons is continuing his recovery from a lengthy ACL injury and is not expected to play this weekend.
He has not featured for the Seasiders since sustaining the injury in a clash with Leyton Orient back in February 2024.
Meanwhile, the visitors have several injury issues, with Ricardo Santos, Kyle Dempsey (knee) and Victor Adeboyejo all facing lengthy spells in the treatment room.
Kion Etete (thigh) also remains a doubt for Bolton, having missed several weeks due to injury.
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Tyrer; Coulson, Baggott, Casey, Offiah; Carey, Morgan, Evans, Apter; Fletcher, Ennis
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Osei-Tutu, Thomason, Forino-Joseph, Toal, Cogley; Morley, Sheehan, Randall; McAtee, Collins
We say: Blackpool 2-2 Bolton Wanderers
Blackpool are capable of scoring goals against any opponent, but they have drawn more matches than any other team in the division this season.
Keeping clean sheets have proven difficult for Bolton under Schumacher, so we see a high-scoring draw as the most likely outcome in this match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
