Two teams sitting outside the League One playoff positions will meet on Monday as Lincoln City makes the trip to face Blackpool.

Both were defeated in their final outings of 2023 and will be looking to kickstart the new year more strongly.

Match preview

Blackpool might currently sit in eighth position in the league table, but they ended 2023 in a fashion they would rather forget after consecutive defeats.

Neil Critchley's men failed to score in either of the games against Burton Albion and Port Vale, and that is a situation they will look to address as they continue looking to put pressure on those above them.

Seven points keep Blackpool out of the playoff positions at the moment, and that is a gap that they will not want to see increase.

Home fixtures have been a strength for the Seasiders, losing only three times at Bloomfield Road while picking up eight victories in the process.

Continuing that impressive record at home will be important for the team should they wish to keep climbing up the division, especially against a team who are close to them in the league.

Lincoln City are currently just four points behind Blackpool, with a victory having the chance of putting real pressure on the Seasiders moving forward.

The Imps are in a difficult patch of form, though, as they have failed to win in their previous six matches across all competitions, with only two of those games being draws.

Michael Skubala's men attempted to mount a comeback against Northampton Town in midweek after falling two behind with Timothy Eyoma's goal giving them some hope.

However, a red card to Paudie O'Connor made things difficult for the Imps, and they were unable to overcome the numerical disadvantage which adds further pressure onto Monday's match.

Lincoln City need to get back to winning ways due to the pressure they are facing from teams below them in the table, as a defeat could see them sink to 14th depending on other results.

Team News

The experience of Jordan Rhodes is expected to lead the line for Blackpool on Monday, with his attacking quality likely to cause problems for the Imps as he aims to add to his 15 goals for the season.

The Seasiders do have several players missing at the moment with Shayne Lavery and Kylian Kouassi both dealing with hamstring problems, while Kenny Dougall has been missing due to a personal situation.

The visitors will be forced into at least one change on Monday due to O'Connor being sent off in their previous outing, which should lead to a tweak with the back three.

However, Eyoma should retain his place defensively especially after he added a goal to his game in the recent defeat against Northampton own.

Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Pennington, Connolly, Husband; Hamilton, Dembele, Norburn, Carey, Lyons; Rhodes, Beesley

Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Eyoma, Jackson, Mitchell; Sorensen, Erhahon, Bishop, Burroughs; Vale, Makama, Hamilton

We say: Blackpool 2-1 Lincoln City

Both teams will see this as the ideal match to get back to winning ways considering the recent form that each has been displaying.

However, the home form of Blackpool coupled with Lincoln City's ongoing problems in recent weeks should lead to the hosts getting the win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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