League One table-toppers Wycombe Wanderers aim to secure back-to-back victories at Adams Park when Blackpool visit in Saturday's gameweek 25 clash.
Matt Bloomfield's men returned to the top of the standings with a New Year's Day success over Exeter City, while the struggling Seasiders' winless run extended to four games after January 1's draw with Shrewsbury Town.
Match preview
After a mixed December, Wycombe got 2025 off to a decent start with a 2-1 success against Exeter, putting their two wins in six matches (two losses) in the preceding games behind them.
There were three second-half goals in South East England, with Luke Leahy and Aaron Morley scoring either side of Tristan Crama's equaliser to send Wycombe top of the table on goal difference after Birmingham City could only draw against Stockport County.
Success to begin 2025 extended the Blues' undefeated home run to nine matches, and they aim to make that 10 by outwitting off-form Blackpool to retain their place atop the standings, unless Birmingham City claim a significant victory at 16th-placed Wigan Athletic.
Contrarily, failure to secure maximum points could see Bloomfield's troops fall out of the automatic promotion places if Birmingham win and third-placed Wrexham secure a resounding victory over 18th-placed Peterborough United.
Having gone unbeaten against Blackpool in 10 consecutive meetings, albeit winning just two in that period, the Chairboys look to secure a third win to extend their undefeated sequence against the Seasiders to 11 matches.
It will be interesting to see if Steve Bruce's men prove stubborn opponents for their promotion-chasing hosts, who have failed to win two of their previous three matches at Adams Park.
Despite their 10-match winless run against the table-topping outfit, Blackpool supporters will point to 80% of those matches ending in draws, highlighting the tightness of these encounters.
Notwithstanding, the Tangerines must show something different to claim a first win over Wycombe since January 2004, having failed to secure maximum points in League One since defeating Reading 3-0 in mid-December.
Following that success, Bruce's side have played out three stalemates in four matches, seeing the Seasiders placed in 15th, 10 points off the final playoff spot and nine clear of the relegation places.
With Blackpool neither here nor there in the third tier, their motivation heading into the second match of 2025 is uncertain, even if they will want to avoid being sucked into the relegation conversation.
Team News
Wycombe came out of their opening fixture of 2025 unscathed, giving Bloomfield a healthy squad for the visit of Blackpool.
Although Richard Kone could manage just one attempt in the win over Exeter, no player in the league has surpassed the striker's four match-winning goals, and the forward aims to add to his 12 league strikes against the Tangerines.
While CJ Hamilton returned from injury to set up Robert Apter's goal against Shrewsbury, Blackpool are expected to have long-term absentee Andrew Lyons unavailable, along with Elkan Baggott and Jake Beesley.
Despite Albie Morgan's two game-deciding goals this term, Bruce's side need seven-goal man Kyle Joseph to have his shooting boots on against the league-leading hosts.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Ravizzoli; Grimmer, Low, Taylor, Hartridge; Morley, Leahy; Onyedinma, Humphreys, Udoh; Kone
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Tyrer; Offiah, Pennington, Casey, Husband; Apter, Evans, Morgan, Carey; Joseph, Fletcher
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Blackpool
Wycombe are undefeated in the league at Adams Park since August 2024's loss to Birmingham, and that run should continue on Saturday.
Having put an average December behind them, the hosts should dispatch Bruce's Blackpool to secure consecutive wins at the turn of the year.
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