Preview:Blackpool vs Luton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoping to escape the relegation zone in League One after a dire opening to the campaign, struggling Blackpool will host Luton Town at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday.

The Seasiders will be aiming to bounce back from another defeat last time out, while the Hatters are looking to build on their victory at the weekend.

Match preview

Steve Bruce's Blackpool missed out on the playoffs in 2024-25, and while they were hoping to push on this season, they have started the campaign with just two wins from their first nine games.

On Saturday, the Seasiders were beaten 1-0 by top-of-the-table Bradford City, and though dropping three points was disappointing, the manager will take heart from his team's performance against the strongest club in the division.

That defeat left Bruce's side 22nd and languishing in the relegation zone, where their tally of seven points has them just one short of 20th-placed Wycombe Wanderers but already 11 behind sixth-placed AFC Wimbledon.

However, Blackpool were able to record back-to-back victories over Barrow and Barnsley in the EFL Trophy and third tier respectively prior to their loss at the weekend, and they will be desperate to avoid allowing one result to trigger another string of defeats.

To that end, the hosts will draw confidence from their excellent record at Bloomfield Road in recent weeks that features three wins and one draw from their last four home clashes.

Getting back to winning ways could see Bruce's men rise out of the drop zone and climb up to 18th in the table ahead of Rotherham United, Wycombe, Reading and Exeter City in a best-case scenario.

Meanwhile, Matt Bloomfield's Luton are pushing for promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking, but they too have endured a less-than-stellar opening to 2025-26.

The Hatters are currently outside of the top six due to their inconsistent results, and the manager has come under fire as a consequence, particularly for his use of a three-man backline that commentators have suggested the squad is ill-suited for.

That being said, the boss recently explained that he wants to use a four-defender setup but has been forced to change approach temporarily, given the extensive injury issues at the club.

In any case, Bloomfield's side were able to secure their fifth win of the season on Saturday when they beat top-six rivals Doncaster Rovers 1-0 courtesy of a first-half strike from Kal Naismith, though things could have been more comfortable if Nahki Wells had converted his penalty shortly before the interval.

That victory lifted Luton up to 10th in the table, and their total of 15 points puts them three behind Wimbledon in the playoff spots.

If Luton are to move up the rankings on Tuesday, then they will need to defy their poor travelling record considering that the visitors have lost three of their last four away games going into this clash.

Blackpool League One form:

Blackpool form (all competitions):

Luton Town League One form:

Luton Town form (all competitions):

Team News

Blackpool will be without striker Niall Ennis after he picked up an injury that the club hope is not a major Achilles tear against Bradford, while right-winger Josh Bowler suffered a calf injury in the same game, compounding the Seasiders' woes given that fellow wide man Scott Banks is set to miss the next month.

In their absence, Ashley Fletcher and Dale Taylor should start in a partnership up top, supported by CJ Hamilton and Emil Hansson from the flanks.

Elsewhere, captain James Husband is out until December with a hamstring injury, while midfielder George Honeyman is likely to be sidelined for approximately six weeks, so expect to see Albie Morgan and Jordan Brown start in the centre of the park ahead of centre-backs Michael Ihiekwe and Oliver Casey.

As for Luton, they have a lengthy injury list to contend with this week, and will be missing a number of forwards including strikers Elijah Adebayo and Ali Al-Hamadi, as well as right-wingers Jacob Brown and Isaiah Jones.

Bloomfield is likely to turn to Nahki Wells up top once again, and he could be backed up by a trio of Shayden Morris, Zack Nelson and Millenic Alli.

Elsewhere, versatile summer signing Hakeem Odoffin - who has yet to make his Hatters debut - is recovering from surgery, and George Saville may be joined by Marvelous Nakamba in a double pivot if Lamine Dabo is also unavailable, while Mads Andersen and Teden Mengi start at centre-back.

Blackpool possible starting lineup:

Peacock-Farrell; Imray, Ihiekwe, Casey, Coulson; Hamilton, Brown, Morgan, Hansson; Taylor, Fletcher

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Keeley; Makosso, Andersen, Mengi, Naismith; Nakamba, Saville; Morris, Nelson, Alli; Wells