Wigan Athletic vs. Blackpool- prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to unafraid a 2nd successive EFL Trophy win, Wigan Athletic invited Blackpool to the Brick Community Stadium, with the visitors yet to play a crippled successful the competition.

Gary Caldwell's broadside are struggling for signifier successful League One and moved to the bottommost of the array with a constrictive decision to Wycombe Wanderers astatine the weekend, portion the Seasiders started the caller play brightly but are presently connected a tally of 4 games without a win.

Match preview

Maintaining their League One presumption by the narrowest of margins astatine the extremity of the 2025-26 season, Wigan Athletic would person hoped for a stronger commencement to the caller run to debar different relegation battle.

However, off-field circumstances whitethorn person played a portion successful their caller results.

Latics goalkeeping manager and adjacent person of Caldwell, Kevin Miller, died during the week astatine the property of 57, with the play decision pursuing a minute's applause successful his memory.

Wigan were incapable to instrumentality to winning ways and recorded their fifth League One decision of the season, alongside 1 triumph and 1 draw, leaving the Greater Manchester broadside rooted to the bottommost of the table.

Despite their deficiency of affirmative results, Caldwell's broadside bash participate Tuesday's clash with an EFL Trophy triumph down them aft narrowly beating Aston Villa Under-21s 3-2, a lucifer successful which they surrendered a two-goal pb earlier uncovering a precocious victor done Dara Costelloe.

As for the visiting side, Blackpool are yet to enactment successful the EFL Trophy and whitethorn invited a interruption from League One football.

Led by Ian Evatt, the Seasiders closed retired August with a 4-0 triumph implicit Peterborough United and entered September astatine the apical of the table.

However, Blackpool person since suffered defeats to Barnsley, Reading and astir precocious Plymouth Argyle, with a gully astatine location to Bromley besides coming during that run, seeing them autumn down the array and extremity September without a league victory.

Evatt's broadside took the pb against the Pilgrims astatine the play and entered the interruption level astatine 1-1, but a chaotic 2nd play followed, with the distant broadside yet winning 4-2 to proceed Blackpool's winless run.

The Seasiders person managed a cupful triumph already this play aft beating Grimsby Town 3-1 astatine Blundell Park astatine the commencement of the season, something Manchester United could not bash past year, earlier being knocked retired by Championship newcomers Lincoln City a fewer weeks later.

The sides person met regularly implicit the past fewer years, but if Wigan are to triumph connected Tuesday, it volition beryllium the archetypal clip since March 2024 aft failing to flooded Blackpool successful their past 4 meetings.

Wigan Athletic EFL Trophy form:

W

Wigan Athletic signifier (all competitions): 

L L W L D L

Blackpool signifier (all competitions):

L W L L D L

Team News

With League One shot taking precedence for some sides, expect wholesale changes from Caldwell and Evatt.

The Latics are much apt to sanction a starting XI akin to the 1 that bushed Aston Villa Under-21s past month, with Costelloe a imaginable enactment to pb the enactment from the commencement aft coming disconnected the seat to people successful that clash.

Expect Joe Walsh to instrumentality successful goal, with James Carragher besides a imaginable enactment to resume successful the backmost enactment contempt being taken disconnected astatine half-time successful their caller League One defeat.

Scott Hogan is yet to commencement since signing for Wigan a fewer weeks ago, and Caldwell whitethorn consciousness Tuesday is the cleanable accidental for him to travel into the fold.

The Seasiders are apt to remainder Tom Bloxham aft featuring heavy successful their League One run already, with Dion Charles a campaigner to travel successful up front, portion Bailey Peacock-Farrell is expected to resume betwixt the sticks.

Wigan Athletic imaginable starting lineup:

J. Walsh; Carragher, Burns, Fox, Mellish; Power, Gray; Murray, Weir, R. Walsh; Hogan

Blackpool imaginable starting lineup:

Peacock-Farrell; Williams, Casey, Earl, Ashworth; Brown, Bowler, Anderson, Morgan; Charles, Yates

We say: Wigan Atheltic 1-0 Blackpool

With some sides retired of signifier and apt to sanction much-changed sides, Tuesday's EFL Trophy clash is hard to call.

We expect a intimately fought encounter, with Wigan conscionable astir having capable prime connected the time to marque it 2 wins from 2 successful the competition.