Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Thanks to a 3-0 win over Oxford United at Kassam Stadium, Oxford United moved one step closer to making it to the League One playoffs final. The Seasiders proved their worth in the first leg, and they are now on a quest to defend their big lead. Gary Madine has overcome his injury, while Daniel Gretarsson remains in the recovery room. The Yellows, on the other hand, face an uphill task in the return leg as they need to overcome a three-goal deficit.
Considering that Blackpool are on a five-game winning run in the League One, we predict that the visitors will return home empty-handed. In their last meeting at Bloomfield Road the two teams played out a goalless draw, but home win should be considered this time out as the Seasiders look unstoppable at the moment. There should be no absentees in the away team.
Highlighted Player (Chris Maxwell):
Chris Maxwell is a Welsh goalkeeper who was born in St Asaph on July 30, 1990. Maxwell began his youth career at Penrhyn Bay (1998-2000) and in 2000 he moved to Wrexham. The 188-cm-tall shoot-stopper made his first-team debut for Wrexham at the age of 18 and he played 76 league games for the club from 2008 to 2012.
During the 2008/2009 season he spent six months on loan at Welsh club Connah’s Quay Nomads and in 2012 he joined Fleetwood Town. Chris Maxwell made 110 appearances in the league for the Trawlermen and on May 16, 2016 he signed a three-year deal with Championship side Preston North End. You should know that he managed to keep clean sheets in 38 appearances for the Lilywhites in the 2016/2017 Championship campaign.
Due to his dual citizenship, Maxwell is capable of representing both Wales and Scotland at senior level, but he played for the Dragons at youth level, being capped for the U21 team 16 times.
Highlighted Team (Oxford United):
Oxford United are one of the oldest clubs in the League One as they were founded back in 1893. However, Oxford United adopted their current name 67 years later and have been playing under it ever since.
Over the years the Yellows have built a great rivalry with Swindon Town and there have always been fireworks in clashes between the two sides. Oxford United play home matches at Kassam Stadium, the venue with the capacity of 12,500. The stadium was built in 1997 and has been Oxford United’s home ground ever since. The Boys from Up the Hill are well known for their yellow and blue colours, but they play their away games in dark blue (with a little yellow) or black kits.
Oxford’s player with the most league appearances is John Shuker, playing 478 games for the club from 1962 to 1977. On the other hand, Jim Magilton is the club’s most capped player in internationals, playing 18 games for Northern Ireland.