Hartlepool United and Blackpool will face each other for the first time in the FA Cup when they meet in the third round at Victoria Park on Saturday.
Both teams are enjoying mid-table seasons following respective promotions last year, with Pools currently 15th in League Two and the Tangerines currently 12th in the Championship.
Match preview
© Reuters
Hartlepool have so far knocked out League One sides Wycombe Wanderers and Lincoln City in the FA Cup this season and are now aiming to reach the fourth round for the first time since 2009.
No team in League Two has picked up more points at home in 2021-22 than the Monkey Hangers, who have lost just three times at Victoria Park this season.
Graeme Lee's side progressed to the quarter-finals of the EFL Trophy in midweek with a 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers; their first win in four matches.
Lee will now challenge his team to make it two cup triumphs over higher division opponents in the space of four days as they host a side 50 places above them.
© Reuters
Blackpool took part in one of the most famous finals in the FA Cup's history, lifting the trophy in 1953 in the 'Matthews Final'.
The club have had little cup joy in recent seasons though, only progressing beyond round three twice in the last nine years.
Gary Madine's penalty secured a 1-0 win for the Tangerines over Hull City on New Year's Day, which was only their second victory in their last 11 matches.
Neil Critchley's side have lost three successive away games and have only won three matches on the road all season, all by one-goal margins.
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
After Hartlepool's fringe players put in a strong showing to knock Bolton out of the EFL Trophy in midweek, Lee has admitted that he has a "selection headache" ahead of this tie.
Joe Grey, Olufela Olomola and matchwinner Matty Daly all impressed as Lee also changed system, switching from a 5-3-2 to 4-3-3.
Stoke City loanee Eddie Jones should continue to fill in at right-back due to injuries to Jamie Sterry, Reagan Ogle and Luke Hendrie, while Lee is hopeful that Mark Cullen may return upfront to face his former club.
Critchley has admitted that Blackpool are short on numbers for the trip to Victoria Park, with the situation made worse with two positive Covid-19 cases in the squad this week.
Kevin Stewart, Chris Maxwell, Matty Virtue and Grant Ward remain absent through injury, while it has been confirmed that Sonny Carey is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a broken metatarsal.
In better news for the Tangerines, Luke Garbutt has returned to training following a non-Covid related illness.
Hartlepool United possible starting lineup:
Killip; Jones, Byrne, Liddle, Odusina, Ferguson; Featherstone, Shelton, Crawford; Daly; Molyneux
Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Moore; Sterling, Casey, Gretarsson, Mitchell; Dale, Connolly, Mariette, Hamilton; John-Jules, Yates
We say: Hartlepool United 1-2 Blackpool
With both sides holding little hope of promotion but also not in any relegation danger, they could each fancy a cup run this season which should make this an entertaining tie. Blackpool's quality is likely to pull them through, but Hartlepool's home form means the Monkey Hangers should not be written off.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hartlepool United win with a probability of 40.46%. A win for Blackpool had a probability of 32.94% and a draw had a probability of 26.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hartlepool United win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.58%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.56%) and 2-0 (7.17%). The likeliest Blackpool win was 0-1 (9.34%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.64%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Hartlepool United would win this match.
