21		Cardiff City	30	7	8	15	21	33	-12	29	LLLX	15	4	5	6	11	13	15	3	3	9	10	20
	22		Huddersfield Town	28	7	6	15	26	36	-10	27	XLXL	15	5	3	7	14	15	13	2	3	8	12	21
	23		Blackpool	28	6	8	14	28	43	-15	26	LLXL	13	3	3	7	14	19	15	3	5	7	14	24
	24		Wigan Athletic	28	6	7	15	27	49	-22	25	LXLL	15	2	3	10	11	30	13	4	4	5	16	19

 

Expected numbers also place these two in exactly the same positions, a respective 23rd and 22nd, so hard to see this as anything other than a relegation "six pointer" and that should usually mean goals, especially at this stage of the campaign. Town are giving up an average of 1.62 goals per road game, Pool 1.46 as host.

 

Blackpool have taken just two points and scored only 3 goals from five post Christmas league starts, however, they faced a very high level of opposition, all top half of the table, including three top 5 teams and they created twice as many xG's (6.0). They also scored five goals in two FA Cup starts against EPL teams beating Forest 4-1 and losing 2-1 away to Southampton, so confidence from both games and at least that distraction is out of the way now. After 15 months out of the game, Mick Mccarthy was appointed Blackpool manager until the end of the season two weeks ago, with a clear remit to keep them up. Say what you like about him and plenty have and will, he has a lot of Championship experience (479 games in charge, with an average 1.58 points pg , which equates to about 7th place across more than 10 seasons worth of games). He knows that this week, with home games against two direct relegation rivals , is huge and MM is very much one for targeting fixtures and he would have been eyeing this up more than the trip to 3rd placed Middlesbrough last weekend.

 

Town are in a mess off the pitch , a lot of money has been squandered in recent years, two of which were spent in the EPL and with all the riches that they bring and yet, since returning to the second tier in 2019, the club have spent almost all of three of those four seasons in the bottom six . The Terriers are up for sale, no one is rushing to buy, as little as possible is being spent and supporters are very unhappy with the board and head coach, with the consensus opinion that the latter would have been sacked if they could afford it!

 

Pool get LB James Husband back this evening and have signed Brentford CB Charlie Goode on loan, so their backline should look more settled and closer to how MM wants to set up. Town still have issues at that same LB position themselves and the hosts RW Josh Bowler is talented and now back on loan at the club where he made his name, after a move to Forest has not yet worked out. He was tracked by a number of bigger clubs and this is a great chance for him to press the reset button on a career which has stalled.

 

I favour Blackpool, but feel there is better value in a game where we should expect goals with.......

 

 

2 units both teams to score 2.01 asian line.

 

 

Good luck!