Blackpool play host to Bristol City on Saturday afternoon looking to build on their three-match unbeaten streak in the Championship.
While their opponents are winless in their last two outings, Bristol City will move level on points with their 15th-placed opponents if they prevail at Bloomfield Road.
Match preview
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There was a time after Neil Critchley had penned a new long-term contract at Blackpool when he must have contemplated whether the move had negatively hindered the progression of his squad in some way.
However, after an unstable period on the pitch, the Seasiders finally appear to be back on track, making it 10 points from six Championship fixtures with a hugely impressive 1-1 draw at leaders Fulham.
Not only did Blackpool take a point off the Cottagers, they were full value for it, and it also ended a three-match losing streak on their travels in the process.
Realistically, Blackpool have already avoided becoming embroiled in a relegation zone, but expectations have risen to such an extent that failing to finish in mid-table will be regarded as a disappointment.
On a negative note, the North-West outfit have gone five matches without scoring more than once in a game, although Josh Bowler continued an excellent campaign last weekend with the midfielder having now directly contributed to goals in three of his last six league outings.
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As far as Bristol City are concerned, Nigel Pearson has spent the week wondering when his players will finally end a trend of conceding decisive goals in added-on time.
Robins fans have probably lost count when it comes to the amount of times that they have dropped points with minutes to go, and it occurred again last weekend as they twice led before drawing 2-2 at Preston North End.
While Pearson was pleased with some aspects of the performance at Deepdale, Bristol City have now conceded at least two goals in each of their last eight Championship fixtures.
Still 14 points clear of the drop zone, Pearson's side will not come under threat with regards to the drop, but Pearson knows that he is clinging onto his job in the short and long term.
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Team News
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Critchley is likely to revert back to a 4-4-2 formation for this game, handing a recall to Jerry Yates in attack.
Jordan Thorniley is expected to drop out of the team in what could prove to be the only alteration given Blackpool's injury issues.
Despite claiming a point at Preston, the manner of the result may lead to Pearson tinkering with his Bristol City XI.
Joe Williams has recently made his return from injury, putting him in contention to start in midfield with Alex Scott switching to right wing-back.
The likes of George Tanner, Matty James and Andy King are all expected to remain on the sidelines.
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Lawrence-Gabriel, Ekpiteta, Keogh, Sterling; Bowler, Dougall, Connolly, Hamilton; Lavery, Yates
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
O'Leary, Kalas, Klose, Pring; Scott, Massengo, Williams, O'Dowda; Weimann; Martin, Semenyo
We say: Blackpool 2-1 Bristol City
Regardless of their form and lack of consistency, this is the kind of match that Bristol City will feel like they should be winning. However, we are backing the Seasiders to come through in a tight contest, keeping themselves interested in the playoff race in the process.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Blackpool win with a probability of 51.15%. A draw had a probability of 25.8% and a win for Bristol City had a probability of 23.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Blackpool win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.97%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.94%) and 2-1 (9.31%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.15%), while for a Bristol City win it was 0-1 (7.94%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4.8% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Blackpool would win this match.
