Preview: Port Vale vs. Blackpool - prediction, team news, lineups
Blackpool will round off the calendar year with a trip to Vale Park for Friday's League One meeting with Port Vale.
· Sports MoleThe Valiants, who have picked up 26 points this season, occupy 16th place in the standings, while Blackpool are sitting in eighth spot with 36 points to their name.
Match preview
Port Vale will be keen to end the year with a victory after failing to win any of their last three competitive matches since beating Wigan Athletic earlier this month.
Their winless run began with a heavy 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in their first-ever EFL Cup quarter-final, before they returned to league action with a 1-1 away draw against Wycombe Wanderers.
Unfortunately for the Valiants, they were unable to take anything from Tuesday's clash with Barnsley at Vale Park, where they trailed by three goals at the break following a disastrous first half.
Although Ethan Chislett and Jake Shorrock found the net in the second period, it proved to be too little too late, as Andy Crosby's side fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat.
Having now lost six of their last seven home league games, the Valiants will be desperate to give their fans something to cheer about in their final match of 2023.
Blackpool, meanwhile, saw the gap between themselves and the playoffs grow from four to six points after they suffered a disappointing result in their Boxing Day fixture against Burton Albion.
Bobby Kamwa's 10th-minute effort proved enough to condemn the Tangerines to a narrow 1-0 loss at the Pirelli Stadium.
Having now lost three of their last five league matches (W2), Neil Critchley will be fully aware that his side need to find some consistency if they are to mount a playoff push.
The Tangerines also have to improve on their travels after winning just two of their 11 away league games this season (D4, L5).
They have also lost three of their last four away matches, including their last two road trips to leave them at risk of losing three consecutive away games for the first time this season.
Port Vale League One form:
Port Vale form (all competitions):
Blackpool League One form:
Blackpool form (all competitions):
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Team News
Port Vale are expected to be without Mitchell Clark, Dan Jones, Funso Ojo, Ollie Arblaster and Josh Thomas due to injury.
Tom Sang is also a doubt for Friday's fixture after he was forced to miss the defeat to Barnsley due to an Achilles problem.
After featuring as a half-time substitute on Boxing Day, Uche Ikpeazu could be given the chance to lead the line against Blackpool.
As for the visitors, Shayne Lavery and Kylian Kouassi remain sidelined with hamstring injuries, while Kenny Dougall is a doubt due to personal reasons.
Midfielder Sonny Carey and forward Jake Beesley could come back into the side after dropping down to the bench on Boxing Day.
Jordan Rhodes, who is currently League One's joint-highest scorer, will look to add to his 15-goal tally when he lines up against the Valiants.
Port Vale possible starting lineup:
Ripley; Debrah, Lowe, Iacovitti; Massey, Walters, Garrity, Grant; Chislett, Devine; Ikpeazu
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Pennington, Connolly, Husband; Hamilton, Dembele, Norburn, Carey, Lyons; Rhodes, Beesley
We say: Port Vale 1-2 Blackpool
While Blackpool have won just one of their last seven away league games, we think that their squad possesses the extra quality required to get the better of a team sitting in the bottom half of the table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 2.5:data
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