Neil Critchley will want a response from his play-off hopefuls following their late collapse at Lincoln against struggling Accrington

Neil Critchley will want a response from his playoff hopefuls following their late collapse at Lincoln against struggling Accrington.

Blackpool looked well in control away at fellow play-off pushers Lincoln but Michael Appleton’s side came back into the game late on to snatch an unlikely point halting the Seasiders run of five successive away victories.

Stanley, on the other hand, were demolished by relegation battlers’ Wimbledon at home 5-1, their second embarrassing defeat in a matter of weeks as they lost 7-0 to Peterborough.

John Coleman’s side have been serial overachievers this season but injuries to their already small squad and a general fatigue setting in during a uniquely long campaign have caused a downturn in performance.

The hosts have no fresh injury concerns, with boosts in the return of Daniel Gretarsson and Marvin Ekpiteta in recent games seeing the Seasiders return to the defensive solidity that has served them well as one of the league’s form sides.

Whilst a starting place may be too soon for Ekpiteta, he will be available as an option should Critchley need to call upon reinforcements.

Matty Virtue and CJ Hamilton have been ruled out for the season alongside Keshi Anderson in a campaign that has tested the strength in depth of the Seasiders but their momentum has no signs of letting up.

For the visitors they have struggled without Colby Bishop and Joe Pritchard but the return of both against Wimbledon surprisingly had no bearing on the scoreline.

They will also be without first choice goalkeeper Nathan Bishop who will miss the remainder of the season so Toby Savin will continue between the sticks.

The first meeting between the two sides was a drab affair at the Wham Stadium with the game finishing goalless in poor conditions and with both sides struggling to break each other down.

Since then, Blackpool have been on a relentless positive trajectory resulting in them being the divisions form side over a 25-game period.

And whilst they have dropped points late on from winning positions more regularly in recent times, they have still continued to pick up victories elsewhere to continue their assault on the playoff places.

Victory on Tuesday will see them cement their place in the top six and enable them to catch up to those around them as an unlikely late charge for the automatic promotion spots is still a mathematical possibility.

Yet, Neil Critchley still maintains he has not looked at the league table and he and his squad are very much taking things one game at a time, tweaking and adapting to opposition systems on a regular basis.

Accrington pose another unique threat.

Although their form has halted quite drastically since the turn of the new year, at their fluid best they are a well-organised force that can cause problems in front of goal, particularly with Bishop and Pritchard returning to add support for Dion Charles.

Blackpool know that when they are on their game and confident, they can beat any side in the division, but Stanley will be there to capitalise if they are not.

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