Blackpool – West Bromwich Albion

"Primorye can score at least one point against the favourites

One of the focal points of the next round of the Championship will be the meeting between Blackpool and West Bromwich. Both clubs are in a critical position in terms of meeting their tournament goals ahead of the match. The home side are situated in the relegation zone, with the task of making up five points from the saving places in the final four rounds. Last season was Blackpool's first since promotion from League One and it looked as though the club had secured a place in the English second division. However, the current championship has dispelled the optimistic mood of the seaside fans. West Bromwich come into the meeting in eleventh place in the Championship, but have played one game less than their rivals for a play-off spot and are just three points behind sixth-placed Blackburn. The bookmakers have picked the visitors as favourites for the meeting with odds of 1.99 to win. Blackpool won the "battle of their lives" against Wigan in the last round. Having already scored in the second minute, the Maritime side kept a comfortable lead to the final whistle. Another thing is that the victory was a one-off for the underdogs, as they lost their previous four games by a margin of at least two goals. That said, it is worth bearing in mind that the two matches lost at home in the last month were the first home defeats of 2023. Before the arrival of Coventry City and Cardiff City at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool had a seven-match unbeaten home winning streak. West Bromwich got a new head coach in October last year and since then they have been winning and picking up points with greater frequency. After becoming a play-off team, the Thrashers began to slip back down the standings, as they have won only one match since mid-March. West Bromwich got their first win of the period last Saturday, scoring the winning goal in the second half at Stoke-on-Trent. Importantly, the win was the Thrashers' first away win since mid-January. Their previous seven games away from home had brought them just one point in Cardiff. Blackpool will fight with full commitment and, at the very least, will not lose.