Crawley vs Blackpool: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

League Two play-off winners Crawley Town open their season at home, and will hope to get off to a winning start in front of their own fans. They come up against a Blackpool side who just missed out on a play-off place last season, but we expect the hosts to take all three points.

Blackpool ended the previous campaign strongly, with four wins in their last five, though the most of their success came at home. In their last three competitive away games, they have only won once with one goal.

Crawley also ended the previous season in style, winning four consecutive wins including a 5-1 win over MK Dons in the play-offs. We back them to extend the streak this weekend. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy has scored three goals in five pre-season games for Crawley, and is looking to build on a campaign last year in which he scored five goals in nine starts for Swindon Town. Look for him to record at least one shot on target. Jordan Rhodes of Blackpool has also found the net this pre-season, and should also be a threat going forward. The striker scored 15 goals for the club last year – Crawley 2-1 Blackpool

Crawley Town begin life in League One with a home game against Blackpool, hoping to get off to the perfect start in front of their own fans.

Date: 10/08/24

Kick-off time: 17:30

Venue: Broadfield Stadium

After finishing in seventh place, Crawley made it to the League Two playoff final with a huge 8-1 aggregate win over MK Dons to set up a meeting with Crewe Alexandra. They beat Crewe 2-0 in the final to make it to the third tier after nine seasons of playing in League Two. It comes following a huge turnaround which saw them finish 22nd the season prior, before surging up the table to become a playoff side under manager Scott Lindsey.

This will be their third season under Lindsey, and they are one of the favourites to go down, so he has a battle on his hands to ensure they avoid the drop. Last season, they scored 73 goals, and were led by Danilo Orsi-Dadomo with 23 goals, and Klaudi Lolos with 13. However, both have since left the club, with Orsi-Dadomo joining Burton Albion and Lolos moving to Bolton. They will have a tough job replacing their production, but have signed Rushian Hepburn-Murphy from Swindon as they attempt to rebuild their attack. He scored just five goals last year, but has already netted three times in five pre-season games for his new club.

Blackpool will be their visitors for the opening game, and the Tangerines will be looking to make a playoff push. Last season they fell just short in eighth place, three points off the top six. They were in good form to end the campaign to give them a chance, as they won four of their last five. It was their first season in League One following their relegation, and they will look to make it back to the Championship at the second time of asking.

Neil Critchley is taking charge of his second season in his second spell at the club, and will likely lean on top scorer Jordan Rhodes again. He scored 15 goals last year, and they have added Ashley Fletcher to provide depth to their attack. At the back, they had been strong, conceding 48 goals in 46 games, the sixth-best figure in the division.

Meetings have been very rare between these two sides, with them only playing against each other twice in history. These games came in the 2016/17 season, in which they were both playing in League Two. Blackpool will be searching for their first win against their opponents, having lost one and drawn one. These two fixtures saw a total of one goal, this occurring in a 1-0 win for Crawley in their home fixture. Mark Connolly scored a second half winning goal. The reverse fixture was a goalless draw at Bloomfield Road.

Crawley vs Blackpool will be available to watch on Sky Sports+.

Crawley

Crawley have added several new players to their squad who will likely be involved this weekend. This includes defender Josh Flint, as well as forward Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, who has enjoyed a strong pre-season.

Blackpool

Blackpool came through their final pre-season unscathed and hope to have a fit squad to choose from at the weekend. Expect new signings Jordan Rhodes, Lee Evans and Ashley Fletcher to be heavily involved.

Crawley:

In their last five games, Crawley have won two, lost two and drawn one. It has been an up-and-down pre-season for Crawley as they prepare for the League One campaign. Their second game of pre-season came against non-league East Grinstead Town, and they came away with a 2-0 win.

They were unable to continue their winning streak as they fell 1-0 to Wealdstone. Premier League opposition was next in Crystal Palace, and they were involved in a thrilling 6-3 game, though it ended in defeat. Goals from Odsonne Edouard and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi put Palace 2-0 ahead after just three minutes, and they were up four by the break. A brace from Rushian Hepburn-Murphy threatened a comeback, but Jordan Ayew instantly responded. Jack Roles was the scorer of Crawley’s third.

A return to winning ways followed, with a 2-1 victory over Aldershot. Hepburn-Murphy found the net once more, but their hosts quickly found the leveller. Ronan Darcy restored the lead and this is how it finished. Crawley’s final pre-season game was against Ebbsfleet United. Their preparations concluded with a 1-1 draw.

Blackpool:

In their last five games, Blackpool have won two, lost two and drawn one. Blackpool have had an inconsistent pre-season results wise, but managed to end it on a high by beating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 in their final game. Kyle Joseph and Jordan Rhodes scored their goals before half-time.

This followed two consecutive defeats, firstly a 1-0 loss at home against Sunderland. The winning goal came late as Jack Clarke netted from close range to give the visitors a victory. They then visited Tranmere, losing 3-1. After falling to a 2-0 deficit at the break, Blackpool pulled one back through Rhodes from the penalty spot. A third late goal put the game to bed for the hosts.

A game against Championship West Brom saw them beat their higher league opposition 2-1. Sonny Carey and Ashley Fletcher scored either side of half-time to secure the win. The first game of this stretch was a goalless draw against Spanish side Cadiz.

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