Barrow host Blackpool in the EFL Trophy at Holker Street. Both teams will be looking for a win in their opening Group A match against Morecambe and Liverpool Under-21s.
Preview (Barrow vs. Blackpool)
The end of August saw Barrow and Wrexham play out a tense 1-1 draw. Although the beginning of September saw Barrow get back to winning ways. They defeated Harrogate Town on Saturday and earned all three points. Kian Spence scored an incredible goal in the 21st minute against his local team. It separated the teams and extended Barrow’s strong start to the 2023–24 campaign. The Bluebirds now sit fourth in the early league standings with 11 points from their first six League Two games. They have three victories and just one loss against Stockport County.
Pete Wild’s team finished ninth last season while winning 12 of their 23 home games. It was the third-best record in England’s fourth division. In their fourth season back in the Football League, they may be targeting a promotion push. However, Barrow’s EFL Cup elimination to Bolton Wanderers at the beginning of last month was a blemish on their record thus far, so they will be eager to get off to a strong start in a difficult EFL Trophy group on Tuesday night. Blackpool is also hoping to earn at least one point from their first of three qualifying matches because only the top two teams from Group A of the Northern Section of the competition advance.
Neil Critchley’s team has had a similarly successful start to the season as their midweek opponents. They are sitting in 12th place in the League One standings after six games and suffered just one league loss. The Tangerines secured a dramatic stoppage-time winner at home to Wigan at the weekend. They grabbed the points after an 89th-minute equalizer had pulled their Lancashire opponents level. This was a quick recovery from an EFL Cup thrashing by Wolves. Jordan Rhodes scoring the game’s first goal on his home debut was another plus for Critchley.
Team News
Shayne Lavery, a striker for Northern Ireland, will miss the start of Blackpool’s Group A campaign because of a hamstring injury he suffered last month against Lincoln City. Jordan Gabriel and Kyle Joseph are also out once more, but Karamoko Dembele, who recently joined on a season-long loan from Brest and was a benchwarmer over the weekend, might make an appearance. On Saturday, Barrow manager Pete Wild lined his team out with a back four for the first time this year. Wild may stick with that lineup after keeping a clean sheet at Harrogate.
On Saturday, Jamie Proctor was coupled with Emile Acquah, a former Southend United striker. Acquah, who has also struck against Accrington Stanley and Sutton United, scored his third goal of the year last week to earn a draw with Wrexham. While Ben Whitfield (Achilles) and the young defender Mazeed Ogungbo (knee) have lately resumed training, they are both out with injuries. Both teams picked up encouraging victories over the weekend, and since next week’s league games have been postponed due to international calls, their opening EFL Trophy matchup might feature nearly starting lineups. As a result, a tightly contested match could be settled by a solitary goal, with League One Blackpool holding a slim advantage.
Barrow 0 – 1 Blackpool
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