A place in the final is the prize as Blackpool battle Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy semi-final. Neither team has been at their best lately but Blackpool will be counting on home advantage here and should have the upper hand on Tuesday.
It has been an impressive EFL Trophy campaign for Blackpool as they are yet to taste defeat throughout this year’s competition. They won every fixture in regulation time until the quarter-finals when they needed penalties to see off Bolton Wanderers following a 0-0 draw.
The EFL Trophy has been a welcome distraction for Blackpool, who have been mostly erratic in recent weeks. However, they did claim a 2-1 victory at Peterborough United in a League One fixture last weekend, ending a three match winless run.
Blackpool have also been fairly solid at Bloomfield Road, where they have lost just once in their last 11 matches across all competitions. Neil Critchley’s men have picked up seven wins in that run and will be feeling confident ahead of Tuesday’s clash.
Peterborough United have not been as solid as Blackpool in the EFL Trophy having lost once in the competition. However, they needed no extra-time or penalties in the quarter-finals, claiming a 3-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon to secure a place in Tuesday’s clash.
Away from the EFL Cup, that semi-final win was the last time Peterborough United came out victorious in any fixture. Darren Ferguson’s men have suffered four straight defeats, culminating in that 2-1 home loss to Blackpool last Saturday.
Peterborough have also found things difficult on their travels and are winless in their last three away matches. They have suffered two defeats in that run and were beaten 5-2 by Wycombe Wanderers in their previous away fixture.
How the bookies view it
Blackpool have the slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 29/20 by 10bet to claim the win. A victory for Peterborough United is valued at 15/8 by bet365 while Willa Hill is offering odds of 23/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Blackpool have a 16-11 advantage with six draws from 33 previous matches against Peterborough United. However, both teams won the away fixture in the two League One meetings this season with Peterborough winning 5-2 at Bloomfield Road before Blackpool’s 2-1 victory last weekend.
Players to watch
With leading scorer Jordan Rhodes still sidelined with injury, Shayne Lavery and Karamoko Dembele could be the ones to watch. Both men on target last weekend at Peterborough with Lavery priced at 13/5 to score anytime by bet365, who is also offering 15/4 on Dembele in the same market.
Ricky-Jade Jones has caught the eye for Peterborough United in recent weeks with three goals in his last five matches. The forward was also on target in the quarter-final win and is priced at 13/5 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Blackpool and Peterborough United have attacking quality and with neither defence looking solid at the moment, goals can be expected here. Both teams could be backed to score at 4/6 with William Hill, over 2.5 goals is valued at 17/20 with bet365 while BoyleSports is offering 2/1 for over 3.5 goals.
There have been more goals after the break in the last two meetings and Tuesday’ clash could be set for a similar outcome at 20/21 with BoyleSports.
This EFL Trophy match between Blackpool and Peterborough United will be played on Feb 20, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Blackpool vs Peterborough United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
