Portsmouth travel to Bloomfield Road seeking revenge as they look to continue their unbeaten streak in their quest for the League One title.
John Mousinho's side are unbeaten in their last nine games and their only blemish in February was a draw against Charlton Athletic who are seeing an upturn in form. Pompey last tasted defeat on January 13 to Leyton Orient, and since then they have recorded seven victories and two draws, picking up 23 points from a possible 30.
Portsmouth's record against Blackpool isn't the greatest however and it was the Seasiders who ended their 27-game unbeaten run back at the end of November. Former Pompey loanee Owen Dale opened the scoring and then Joe Morrell was sent off 10 minutes after Jake Beesley had doubled their lead. CJ Hamilton and Albie Morgan scored after making the most of the man advantage but since then Portsmouth have recovered and Blackpool have stuttered.
Three months on, there's a a whole 20 points and seven places separate the two sides with both teams playing 36 games. Blackpool are four points off of the play-offs whilst Portsmouth are firmly in the driving seat for a return to the Championship.
Pompey have failed to beat Blackpool in their last five meetings however with a 1-1 draw in August 2019 being their best result. A Ronan Curtis brace at Bloomfield Road back in August 2018 was Portsmouth's last success against the Lancashire outfit.
Portsmouth's unbeaten run has been achieved on the back drop of an injury crisis. Central midfield options have been decimated, but thankfully the situation does seem to be clearing up. Here's the latest injury and team news ahead of kick-off.
1. Andy Lyons - out
Came off against Leyton Orient after just 10 minutes and now the worst fears have been realised. He's expected to miss the remainder of the campaign and more. Photo: CameraSport - Rob Newell
2. Andy Lyons - out (continued)
“We’ve had some bad news regarding Andy," said Neil Critchley. “Unfortunately he’s suffered an ACL injury, which is a long-term one, so that’ll keep him out for a lengthy period of time. "One of Andy’s great strengths is his mental toughness, he plays with grit and heart, but we know as a club we need to make sure that he remains positive because it can be a lonely place being in the treatment room on his own. "We need to make sure we look after and give him the time and the support he needs. "I don’t want to speculate on exactly how long he’ll be out- everyone is different, but it’ll lengthy. He’s at the early stages so we’re not thinking about that yet.” Photo: CameraSport - Rob Newell
3. Albie Morgan - out
Played 30 minutes against Leyton Orient after coming on as a substitute but had to be substituted for Sonny Carey. He didn't play against Shrewsbury Town last week and now the full extent of his injury has been revealed. Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth
4. Albie Morgan - out (continued)
Neil Critchley said: "He’s tweaked the ligaments in his knee, so he’ll be a few weeks, he’s had an injection and he’ll need time for that to settle down before we get him out on the grass. “It’s disappointing because he’s been terrific for us. It was a contact injury, unlike Andy’s which is one you can’t legislate for. It was a blocked tackle, so it’ll just keep him out, which is unfortunate for him and us. We’ll see where he’s at for the games after the international break.” Photo: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns