As portion of this weekend's League One action, Blackpool are acceptable to big relegation-threatened Cambridge United astatine Bloomfield Road connected Saturday.
Both sides travel into the crippled looking for their archetypal triumph of 2025, though the Seasiders are unbeaten this twelvemonth truthful acold portion the U's person mislaid some of their games successful January.
Match preview
© Imago
Steve Bruce's Blackpool are presently 15th successful League One aft picking up 30 points from their 24 matches this term.
The Seasiders are 11 points down Reading successful the playoff spots and 10 supra Crawley Town successful the relegation portion - the explanation of mid-table – and volition beryllium keen to kickstart the 2nd portion of their run with a triumph this weekend.
Last clip out, Blackpool drew 1-1 with title-chasing Wycombe Wanderers, a effect that means that Saturday's hosts person mislaid conscionable 1 of their past 5 games, drafting 4 successful that period.
However, contempt being unbeaten successful their past 3 fixtures, Bruce's broadside are without a triumph since December 14 erstwhile they bushed Reading 3-0 connected the road, though a lucifer against a squad astatine hazard of relegation represents a large accidental for them to instrumentality each 3 points.
That being said, the Seasiders needed a 93rd-minute equaliser from Kyle Joseph to rescue a constituent against the Chairboys' 10 men, and besides drew 1-1 with 22nd-placed Shrewsbury Town connected New Year's Day, truthful it remains to beryllium seen whether Blackpool tin construe their superior league presumption into a long-awaited triumph this weekend.
© Imago
Ahead of their travel to Bloomfield Road, Garry Monk's Cambridge are 23rd successful the table, having earned 17 points from their 21 games to date.
The U's are presently connected a five-game losing streak that has near them 8 points down Bristol Rovers, who are the archetypal squad extracurricular of the relegation zone.
To adhd to this, Monk's broadside person mislaid 8 of their past 10, and person won conscionable 1 of their past 14 matches successful each competitions - a 4-1 triumph implicit Shrewsbury successful aboriginal December.
Last clip out, Saturday's visitors mislaid a relegation 'six-pointer' erstwhile they were beaten 1-0 astatine location by the Gas, though it could beryllium argued that Cambridge were unlucky to suffer fixed they managed 3 times arsenic galore shots connected people arsenic their opponents, and Elias Kachunga squandered a aureate accidental conscionable beyond the hr mark.
This weekend, the U's volition beryllium hoping to person much of the chances they create, particularly considering that they person scored conscionable doubly successful their past 5 fixtures, though they whitethorn request much than 1 extremity to unafraid a affirmative effect owed to their lacklustre defence that has not kept a cleanable expanse since November.
Blackpool League One form:
Blackpool signifier (all competitions):
Cambridge United League One form:
Team News
© Imago
Blackpool brag Bruce volition inactive beryllium without striker Jake Beesley this weekend, and the Ashley Fletcher tin beryllium expected to commencement up apical alongside Kyle Joseph connected Saturday.
More positively, centre-back Elkan Baggott made a instrumentality to the matchday squad against Wycombe for the archetypal clip since aboriginal November, though Matthew Pennington and Oliver Casey are apt to commencement successful beforehand of goalkeeper Harry Tyrer arsenic helium builds fitness.
As for Cambridge, they volition miss centre-back Michael Morrison aft his stoppage-time dismissal past clip out, and Zeno Ibsen Rossi and Danny Andrew are apt to beryllium joined by Kelland Watts successful defence.
To marque matters worse for Monk, guardant Dan N'Lundulu was withdrawn owed to an wounded against Bristol Rovers, truthful expect Ryan Loft to presume his spot successful the XI.
Blackpool imaginable starting lineup:
Tyrer; Offiah, Pennington, Casey, Husband; Apter, Evans, Morgan, Carey; Joseph, Fletcher
Cambridge United imaginable starting lineup:
Stevens; Rossi, Watts, Andrew; Bennett, Cousins, Smith, Brophy; Stokes, Kachunga, Loft
We say: Blackpool 1-0 Cambridge United
Both sides are without a triumph successful their past 5 games, though Blackpool person drawn their past 3 portion Cambridge person mislaid theirs.
This weekend, the U's volition beryllium hopeless to debar being chopped adrift successful the relegation zone, but their blunt offence and anemic defence makes it hard to envision Monk's broadside taking thing from Saturday's clash.
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