Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Bloomfield Road will host Tuesday’s football game between Blackpool and Rochdale, the two teams who were beaten by Ipswich Town and MK Dons respectively in their last league fixtures. The Seasiders are ten points clear of the relegation zone, and they are on the right track to secure the League One survival. The likes of CJ Hamilton, Keshi Anderson, and Daniel Gretarsson are all sidelined with injuries, while both Ethan Robson and Gary Madine are rated doubtful for the game.
The Dale, on the other hand, aim to make amends for back-to-back defeats to Charlton and MK Dons. Rochdale have been struggling at the back of late, and seeing that Blackpool have been impressive at home ground in the second half of the season, we are tempted to put our money on Neil Critchley’s troops. Jake Beesley is sidelined with injury, but he should be the only absentee 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 (Rochdale):
Nicknamed the Dale, Rochdale are a professional English club that compete in the League One (English third tier). Rochdale were founded back in 1907, after World War I, with the team beating Accrington Stanley 6-3 in their first league game 14 years later.
The Dale wear blue shirts with black stripes and blue shorts when playing at home, whilst gray is the dominant colour of their away kit. Spotland Stadium is the club’s home ground, with the venue holding no more than 10,249 spectators. Bury and Oldham Athletic are considered the club’s fiercest rivals, but they have built up rivalries with the likes of Halifax Town, Burnley, Stockport County, Wigan Athletic and Accrington Stanley as well.
Back in 1962 Rochdale made it to the Football League Cup final, with the team facing Norwich City in the title game. The Canaries proved to be a big catch for the Dale, but this is still considered the club’s biggest success. It has to be noted that the Spotland Stadium outfit have three Lancashire Cup titles as well (1948/1949, 1970/1971, 2004/2005).