Three defeats in a row has derailed Blackpool’s progress in recent times but it doesn’t make them a bad team. Although of little comfort to them, Peterborough, Barnsley and Mansfield is a tough run of games. The Tangerines therefore have additional motivation than usual as they look to get back on track in this very winnable home game. On the flip side, Wigan are also on a losing run; two for them. Prior to this they went seven matches in all competitions without conceding, however that is very much a thing of the past. The low point was being the club that Cambridge secured their maiden league win of the campaign against last weekend. A narrow home setback to Mansfield did little to improve their mood. The biggest concern for The Latics is being the joint second-lowest League One scorers heading into the weekend. Blackpool may have conceded considerably more goals than Wigan; 14 more in fact in league action. However, the xGA difference is only comparable by 2.28, so that figure of 14 is somewhat a little unjust at face value. The home side have been badly underachieving their xGA, whereas the visitors have been overachieving. Over time, that should even out.

There are only three teams in League One that can say all of their games this season has featured at least two goals. Peterborough and Barnsley are two of those, but Blackpool can also be added to that list. Steve Bruce’s side have seen an average of 3.50 goals per game across their league encounters. It is a straight 50-50 split regards to Wigan in that particular category. However, this includes three of their previous four league fixtures, suggesting maybe a sign of things to come for Shaun Maloney’s outfit. The manager has maybe felt the need to open up tactically and simply offer more going forward. This could be the case after recently enduring four 0-0 draws in a five-match league sequence. The opening goal will dictate this game. Either way, whoever scores it would probably heavily increase the chances of another coming. Should Blackpool score first, they’d certainly push for a second, and of course Wigan would seek an equaliser. The away side scoring may lead to a more defensive approach, which in turn plays into the hands of their high-scoring opponents. Going into this round of games, only three clubs in League One have scored more goals than Blackpool.

Last Tuesday was a really bad night for Blackpool after losing 5-1 away to Peterborough. Despite this heavy loss, The Tangerines actually won the xG battle on the night 1.77-1.20. That won’t really comfort them too much and what is important now is how they react. Given this marked three straight defeats, Blackpool should come really quick out of the blocks on Monday to get the fans back on side. The likelihood of this increases knowing the Bloomfield Road club are the third-highest first-half scorers in League One. Only Peterborough and Wrexham have recorded more. This fact along with the increased motivation means Wigan could be vulnerable in the early stages. Considering Athletic haven’t scored in three straight away league games, they probably won’t be the ones on the front foot from the off.

Kyle Joseph was one of few Blackpool performers in the Peterborough defeat to emerge with any credit. The 23-year-old netted his fifth League One goal of the campaign and should again retain his starting berth in this contest. He is far and away the biggest goal threat for his team this season. He tops the team tally in league action for goals scored, shots and shots on target. The next step for him is to score goals more frequently as they’ve been a little spaced out over the season. That isn’t to say he hides away in matches as the stats say he regularly get shots in on goal. This player is averaging 1.33 shots on target over his previous six appearances in league action.

Blackpool are favourites for this match for a reason. That is regardless of the fact they are not in the greatest of form. Quite simply, they’re a team expected to battle for promotion, whereas it’d be more surprising if Wigan were to do so. The requirement for a major reaction to the Peterborough loss again can be filtered into this as well. A fast start raises the prospect of corners. Steve Bruce’s side are already averaging 5.06 corners per game in League One action this season. This puts them in the top ten of this category heading into this weekend’s matches. This team also top the league in relation to amount of shots, so they have no problems working the ball into the final third.

Rob Apter has been given his chance this season at Blackpool in terms of enjoying regular football. He has started ten of their 12 league assignments this season and should retain his place on Monday. That is because of the energy he provides in attack, plus his willingness to get shots away. Apter netted 12 on loan at Tranmere in the previous campaign, so he is used to scoring goals. Therefore, the winger will be desperate to add to his solitary league strike in 2024/25. The 21-year-old has plenty of form in the book with regards to firing multiple shots on goal in matches. Only in three fixtures has he failed to have at least one and in two of those he was a late incoming substitute. In his previous three alone, he has recorded 2.33 shots, plus across Apter’s 12 league and cup starts he has fired in two or more shots in eight of them.

Lee Evans may have only netted one league goal for Blackpool this season but that hasn’t be for the want of trying in terms of trying to add more. The ex-Wigan Athletic man will naturally be a little more fired up facing his former club to make a good impression. In league action, he is ranked third in the squad, behind top scorer Kyle Joseph and Rob Apter, for number of shots. The 30-year-old Welshman has started all bar one league encounter for The Tangerines this season. That clearly indicates his importance to the management team. Although he hasn’t necessarily enjoyed too many shots on target, that should surely change moving forward. He is averaging 2.20 shots across his previous five appearances for Blackpool. This player will continue to knock at the door and certainly won’t give up.

Jason Kerr has had his injury problems in the past but he looks to have progressed beyond that tough period of his career. Wigan fans are now starting to see what a solid defender he is, however he is no Holy Saint given the number of fouls he has been committed of late. In fact, across his last three appearances for the club he has produced five fouls in total. Specifically on big occasions he has shown to perhaps get a little carried away, too. Twice this season he has committed four fouls in league encounters. One was against Birmingham, who are deemed to be the biggest team in the division. The other was versus Stockport, which is something of a local derby. Bear in mind, Blackpool against Wigan falls into a fairly similar category, plus it is televised and all players naturally will want to impress, maybe a little too much. Finally, it has to be noted of the fact that Wigan top the league in terms of total number of fouls committed this season. Their opponents, Blackpool, are ranked 20th out of 24, suggesting that the referee will likely be focusing most of his attention on the away side across the 90 minutes.