Just days after lifting the League One trophy, record-breaking Birmingham City make the trip North to face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday night.
Blues are heading towards an EFL points record as the campaign enters its final week, whilst the Seasiders are reflecting on a disappointing 2024-25 season overall.
Match preview
After finishing three points off the playoffs during the 2023-24 campaign, Blackpool have undoubtedly regressed during the current season, with Wednesday night's hosts at Bloomfield Road unable to challenge for a top-six finish during their remaining pair of matches.
Following a three-game winning run recently, it appeared as if the Seasiders would have an outside chance of making the post-season picture, but a spell of one victory across their last four games has left them marooned in mid-table, sentenced to a third straight term at this level.
Collecting a modest four points from their most recent quartet of clashes, Steve Bruce's troops are sitting in ninth position in the League One standings, a mammoth 11 points away from sixth-placed Leyton Orient, with only six points left to fight for before the curtain drops on 2024-25.
Severely hindering their hopes of making a genuine push for the playoffs, Blackpool have won just six of their 21 third-tier matches at Bloomfield Road this term, with the Seasiders sharing the points on a staggering 11 occasions in the North-West, making them the draw specialists of the division.
Blackpool are winless across their last two meetings with Birmingham at Bloomfield Road but enjoyed a marvellous afternoon in this fixture back in April 2022, when Neil Critchley's Tangerines smashed Lee Bowyer's out-of-sorts Blues 6-1 in a Championship encounter.
Just under a year after their unthinkable relegation from the Championship, Birmingham City cherished a magical afternoon in the Second City on Sunday, when the third tier's dominant force lifted the League One trophy in front of 28,000 Bluenoses, who have been promised even better days ahead by owner and chairman Tom Wagner.
Whilst the scenes of celebration with silverware stole the headlines on the weekend, there were also an excellent game of football played at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, with goals from Willum Willumsson, Keshi Anderson, Kieran Dowell and Tomoki Iwata securing a comfortable 4-0 win over Mansfield Town.
Extending their unbeaten run in the third tier to 11 matches, Chris Davies's side reached 105 points and now possess the record for the most points scored in a single League One campaign, with Reading's EFL record of 106 points looking in serious jeopardy over the next week.
After ending their Second City schedule unbeaten this term, Blues have a pair of away matches to fulfil before enjoying a well-deserved break ahead of Championship exploits in 2025-26, with a trip to Blackpool on Wednesday before a visit to already-relegated Cambridge United on Saturday.
Birmingham are in the midst of a four-game winning run on the road in League One, but they have suffered some notable losses away from home in recent times, including a 2-0 defeat to Peterborough United during the final of the EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium earlier this month.
Team News
Netting the equalising goal at Wigan Athletic on the weekend, Blackpool midfielder Lee Evans should retain his spot in the XI on Wednesday night.
Replacing the goals of Jordan Rhodes at Bloomfield Road, 11-strike Ashley Fletcher will be looking to cause a formidable Birmingham defence problems.
After naming a full-strength team for the win over Mansfield, Blues boss Davies could rotate as his side hunt down further records, meaning that Jay Stansfield and Paik Seung-ho might drop to the bench.
Bagging a goal and an assist versus the Stags, Iceland international Willumsson is enjoying a good spell following a difficult 2025 overall, with the midfielder set to start once again.
The title-winning visitors remain without the services of Lee Buchanan, Lyndon Dykes, Emil Hansson and Scott Wright as the campaign draws to a close.
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Tyrer; Offiah, Casey, Baggott, Husband; Apter, Evans, Morgan, Hamilton; Bloxham, Fletcher
Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Laird, Hanley, Davies, Cochrane; Leonard, Paik, Gardner-Hickman, Harris, Willumsson; May
We say: Blackpool 1-2 Birmingham City
With the EFL points record just a single victory away, Birmingham will be raring to put Blackpool to the sword at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday night.
The Seasiders are the masters of splitting the honours at Bloomfield Road, but we feel that Bruce's men will become the latest side to succumb to the Blues juggernaut.
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