Prediction: Blackpool vs Everton

5th November 2010

Blackpool enter this match on the back of the lucky win over West Brom and the Tangerines will have to show a big improvement if they are to get something from this game as well. Everton, on the other hand, continued the impressive run of results by beating Stoke at Goodison and they are now looking to further close the gap behind the top 4.

Following the remarkable start of the season, Blackpool have really started to struggle lately with their form clearly on the downtrend. After losing four out of five games in the Premiership, the Tangerines played host to West Bromwich on Monday and that match showed exactly where Ian Holloway’s team are at the moment. Despite taking the lead early on and playing with two extra men for more than an hour, Blackpool were at times outplayed by nine-man Baggies and they had to fear for the victory until the last minute. They, nevertheless, got three points that will be extremely important in their survival fight, but the recent showings are definitely not encouraging. Ian Holloway faces an anxious wait over Charlie Adam, who is struggling with an ankle injury but could play some part in this clash, unlike Louis Almond, Paul Rachubka, Alex Baptiste, Billy Clarke and Malaury Martin, all of which remain sidelined.

Everton didn’t need a lot of time to turn this season around following the dismal Premiership start and David Moyes’ side are finally playing the way everyone expects them to. The impressive five-match unbeaten run saw them climb to the 8th place with the Toffees now just four points short of fourth-placed Manchester City. Everton had some problems against hard-working Stoke but managed to snatch the win that will serve as a big confidence boost before the clash at Bloomfield Road. The game against Blackpool looks like the perfect opportunity to improve their poor away record and to come even closer to the top of the standings, so there is no doubt the Toffees will be very motivated to extend the nice run. The injury situation is also improving as Louis Saha and Jack Rodwell have returned to contention, while the meteoric rise of Seamus Colman has seen Moyes get another outstanding all-round player.

Conclusion

The lucky win over West Brom cannot change the fact that Blackpool are on the downtrend at the moment, with their performances way below the level needed to stop a side like Everton. High-flying Toffees have finally hit the ground running and they look capable of beating much stronger sides than Blackpool, at least at the moment. Therefore, my money’s on Everton.

Verdict: Away win Everton (2)

Best Odds: 5/6

Bookmaker: Paddy Power