Derby County vs Blackpool Prediction & Betting Tips - League One

Prediction published on 27/03/2024, 10:00  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 29/03/2024 at 03:00 in Football Predictions

Derby County will look to take a step closer to promotion when they play host to Blackpool in League One competition on Friday afternoon. The hosts are currently in second place in the league standings, while the visitors are ninth. Derby will head into this match on 78 points for the season, trailing league leaders Portsmouth by five points and ahead of third-placed Bolton Wanderers by four. The Rams suffered an against-the-odds defeat to Northampton Town last week, which brought an end to a four-match winning streak, during which time they only conceded once while scoring nine. Luckily for Derby, they were not made to pay too badly for that result, with Bolton and Peterborough also losing their last match, respectively. At Pride Park Stadium, the hosts have a solid record of 12 wins, four draws, and four losses in their 20 League One fixtures this season. They are currently riding a three-match winning streak and have only conceded one loss in their last eight games at home. The Rams won the reverse fixture 3-1 back in October.

On the flip side, Blackpool are in ninth place with 60 points but trail Oxford United, who are in the final playoff spot, by just three points in a stacked mid-table. They dropped a spot in the standings last week when they were beaten 1-0 by Wigan Athletic, which ended a three-match unbeaten run that included wins over Shrewsbury Town and Northampton Town, either side of a goalless draw to title favourites Portsmouth. During that time, the Seasiders also kept three consecutive clean sheets, which is only the second time this season they managed that feat. Blackpool have managed six victories, four draws, and ten losses in their away league matches this season. However, they have lost each of their last three games against this opponent and were outscored 6-1 in that time, making them the clear underdogs in this one.