Blackpool will aim to make it three straight wins in all competition when they play Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium on Boxing Day. The Seasiders went into Christmas with good spirits after beating Bristol Rovers 3-1 at Bloomfield Road to send their supporters home happy.
No injury concerns popped up for Neil Critchley as his side saw off the challenge of Matt Taylor's Gas. Ollie Norburn opened the scoring against his former club, however that was quickly cancelled out by John Marquis. The players emerged from the dressing rooms and quickly after the restart Jake Beesley scored, and then Jordan Rhodes ensured the victory with an 82nd minute effort.
Rhodes was a slight doubt going into the match after being on the receiving end of a tough tackle against Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup, however he played the entire match, and will be available for selection once again. It's a possibility that this is Rhodes' last run of games, as parent club Huddersfield Town do have a recall clause in his contract, but Blackpool will hope that won't be activated, and he remains at the club for the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign.
A Boxing Day clash would usually represent the half-way stage of the season, however several clubs have had their games postponed, and so not every team has played 23 matches. Blackpool have played 23 however, and they find themselves eighth in the current standings, and are currently four points off the play-offs. A win coupled with results going in their favour would see them narrow the gap on Stevenage, and potentially overtake Barnsley. Hosts Burton are three points above safety, however they've been on a poor run of form, and haven't won in the league since mid-October.
Blackpool's injury list is quite a small one at the minute, and that has given Critchley plenty of options to choose from. Burton have several players nursing injuries, and a few were contending with illness before their draw with Charlton Athletic. Here's the latest injury and team news from both the Blackpool and the Brewers camps.
1. Shayne Lavery - out
The Northern Ireland forward remains out since suffering a hamstring injury in November. Photo: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns
2. Mark Helm - out
Suffered a foot injury in training, and is expected to miss the whole of the festive fixture schedule.
3. Mark Helm - out (continued)
Gary Mills said on December 21: "Mark will be out until the new year. He has a bruised foot after a knock in training and that makes it hard for him to run on it.
4. Kylian Kouassi - out
Suffered a hamstring injury like Shayne Lavery, and has been out for the same period. Could return shortly in the New Year. Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth
5. Cole Stockton - doubt
Missed training through illness on Friday, and didn't play against Charlton. Photo: Getty Images
6. Kenny Dougall - doubt
He's missed the last three consecutive matches. It was first down to team rotation, however Neil Critchley has later revealed that Dougall is tending to a personal matter. Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth