Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Bloomfield Road will host Saturday’s football game between Blackpool and Portsmouth, the two teams who defeated Shrewsbury Town and Oxford United respectively at the weekend. The Seasiders quickly bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Leyton Orient, with the team regaining a much-needed confidence and they are now after their 12th home win of the process. Barring any fresh injury worries to report, Neil Critchley is unlikely to make changes to the team that defeated the Shrews.
The Pompey, on the other hand, are on the right track to secure automatic promotion. Portsmouth did well to beat Oxford United 2-1 in their last league fixture, with substitute Christian Saydee scoring the winner. The 21-year-old midfielder is pushing for a start as well as Owen Moxon, who was rested against the Yellows. Anyhow, both teams to score betting option should be considered as both Blackpool and Portsmouth looked sharp in front of goal in the League One round 36.
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 (Portsmouth):
During Milan Mandaric’s era at the club, Portsmouth played an important role in the Premier League, with the team finishing their debut season (2003/2004) in the 13th position in the standings. The club impressed in the 2008/2009 season, with Nwankwo Kanu’s goal helping them beat Cardiff City in the FA Cup final.
As a result, Portsmouth represented England in the Europa League, with the team progressing in the group stages of the competition thanks to a win over Vitoria Gimaraes in the final qualifying round. The current club was formed in 2013, but the original amateur club was founded back in 1883. Nowadays Portsmouth host their rivals at Fratton Park, with the venue holding up to 20,620 spectators.
The likes of Sol Campbell, David James, Glen Johnson and aforementioned Nigeria international Nwankwo Kanu are considered one of the club’s most notable players. Portsmouth wear blue shirts, white shorts and red socks when hosting their rivals at Fratton Park, while wearing white and blue colours when playing on the road.