Week 28 – Saturday – Sport Grill

Blackpool welcome Huddersfield to Bloomfield Road in a relegation six-pointer in 2022-23 Sky Bet Championship.

Victory would see Blackpool leapfrog Huddersfield into 22nd and potentially escape the relegation zone if Cardiff suffer a heavy defeat.

Huddersfield meanwhile can climb out of the relegation zone with a win if Cardiff lose elsewhere.

Team News

Blackpool have no fresh injury concerns to report with Tom Trybull set to make his debut after joining from SV Sandhausen.

Huddersfield could welcome Ollie Turton back into contention following recovery from his ankle injury.

Joe Hungbo (fitness) could also feature but Lee Nicholls (shoulder), Yuta Nakayama (Achilles), Pat Jones, Danny Ward (both hamstring) and Anthony Knockaert (foot) remain absent.

When is Kick-Off?

Blackpool meet Huddersfield at Bloomfield Road on Saturday 21 January in a 3pm GMT kick-off untelevised in UK.

Stat Attack

• Blackpool have won just one of their last five meetings against Huddersfield (W1, D1, L3).
• Huddersfield have won two of their last five league visits to Blackpool (W2, D1, L2).
• Blackpool have conceded three goals in two of their last four home games against Huddersfield.
• Michael Appleton’s Tangerines are winless in their last five home games (D2, L3).
• Duane Holmes has been yellow carded in each of Huddersfield’s last two league games away from home.

Prediction

With just goal difference separating both teams coming into this match with a three-point gap to safety, neither Blackpool or Huddersfield can really afford to draw here if they’re to starting mounting a survival push now.

Blackpool though will have the new managerial bounce following Mick McCarthy’s arrival who will certainly utilise his experience in this league to motivate his players, yet his first priority has to be to shore up their defence and halt a ten-game losing streak in the Championship.

Huddersfield meanwhile delivered a clinical attacking display at Hull last weekend yet were undone by a late equaliser, so I do expect them to come out and look to build upon that performance with neater defending in the closing minutes.

Do that and I can see the Terriers winning this but Blackpool should be up for this game off the back of their last home performance and now a managerial change, which should see them snatch a point.

Prediction: Blackpool 1-1 Huddersfield