Blackpool v Shrewsbury

Blackpool vs Shrewsbury Preview

In a drastically depleted schedule in this weekend's English third tier due to the international break, Blackpool and Shrewsbury Town will do battle at Bloomfield Road with both teams heading into this Saturday afternoon's clash on the back of midweek wins in the EFL Trophy as Blackpool registered a 2-1 home win against local rivals, Morecambe, while Shrewsbury Town outscored Walsall in an entertaining 3-2 victory.

The 2-1 win against Morecambe has helped lift Blackpool six points clear at the top of the Northern Group A in the EFL Trophy but The Seasiders will now turn their attention to the bread and butter of League One this weekend where the hosts will be eager to break into the play-off pack with all three points against their visitors.

Blackpool currently reside in eighth place in the League One table but find themselves just three points outside the top six and although Neil Critchley's side have suffered two defeats within their last three games overall, these have been Blackpool's only defeats in their last seven games.

The Seasiders have picked up five wins from their nine home games played to date which includes victories chalked up against the likes of Burton Albion, Wigan Athletic, Reading, Stevenage and Cheltenham Town, so they will be confident about their chances for this upcoming clash.

Shrewsbury Town will make their way up to Lancashire for this upcoming tussle with Blackpool in a more confident frame of mind as well, after recording back-to-back wins against Reading 3-2 in League One and their midweek 3-2 win against Walsall in the EFL Trophy, both of which were gained on home soil at their Croud Meadow ground.

However, switch to results in the English third tier and you'll find that The Shrews have managed to capture just a measly three wins from their previous 12 league matches, each of which were at home with wins against Northampton Town, Derby County and the aforementioned Reading.

Seven defeats within these last 12 matches though suggest this upcoming trip to face a steady Blackpool outfit in their own backyard could prove to be troublesome for Matty Taylor's side especially as the visitors have managed to pick up just one win from their last 17 outings on the road, slipping to no fewer than 13 defeats within the process.

In addition, Shrewsbury Town have failed to score in 12 of these 17 away games as well, thus making their task appear even more difficult.

Blackpool v Shrewsbury Town Verdict

Blackpool have performed pretty well on home soil at Bloomfield Road in League One and not just this season either; the bigger picture shows The Seasiders have lost just three of their previous 30 home games so the hosts look to be in the driving seat here.

Therefore, our main bet will be Blackpool win @ 1.57

Other side bets worth considering:

Blackpool win & Over 2.5 goals @ 2.50

Correct Score: Blackpool 3-0 @ 11.00