Notts County vs Blackpool: Prediction & Preview

Form guide

Notts County and Blackpool meet at Meadow Lane with both teams level on 11 points after 11 league matches, although their paths to that total have been different. Notts County sit 19th, with 2 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats, and a goal difference of 11 scored and 14 conceded. Their home record is slightly more stable than their overall position suggests: 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses from six home league games.

The hosts have taken four points from their last two league outings, drawing 1-1 with Stockport County and beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-0. Before that, they lost away to Wycombe Wanderers and at home to Oxford United, so their recent results have been mixed but not without signs of improvement.

Blackpool are 20th, also on 11 points, with 3 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses. They have scored more than Notts County overall, with 16 goals, but have also conceded 20. Their away form is a concern: one win, no draws and four defeats from five league away matches.

Blackpool’s latest league results underline that inconsistency. They beat Milton Keynes Dons 2-0, but before that lost to Leyton Orient and Cambridge United, and they come into this game after a 4-1 home defeat to Mansfield Town.

Head-to-head

The available head-to-head record is limited. In the last two meetings listed, Notts County beat Blackpool 1-0 at home in April 2017, while Blackpool won 4-0 at home in November 2016. There is no recent sequence to strongly favour either side.

Key factors

• Both sides are level on points, so the match has direct importance in the lower half of the table.
• Notts County have been more reliable at Meadow Lane than Blackpool have been on the road.
• Blackpool have scored more league goals overall, but their away record remains poor.
• Recent form points to a cautious game: Notts County’s last two league matches produced three total goals, while Blackpool have just been heavily beaten 4-1.
• The model projections are relatively balanced, but with a slight lean toward a lower-scoring contest.

Our prediction

Prediction: Under 2.5 goals at 59%. This is a prediction, not a certainty, and the main risk is that Blackpool have already shown they can contribute to a more open scoreline, especially if the game becomes stretched after an early goal.