Exeter City welcome newly relegated Blackpool to St James Park on Saturday and both sides will be looking to extend their flawless start to the League One season. Neither club conceded in game week one which indicates that discovering a method to unlock each other’s defence will be key. The two teams most recent meeting was a 3-2 victory for Blackpool in 2018.
Exeter City
Despite being the underdogs versus Wycombe Wanderers last week, Exeter walked away with an impressive three points whilst displaying an even more impressive performance, with the tie ending 3-0. Within the first minute, Jack Aitchison opened the scoring and by the tenth minute, Will Aimson doubled their advantage with Sam Nombe also missing a penalty. James Scott added the third in the 83rd minute, however if it wasn’t for poor finishing, the Grecians could have further extended their lead.
Gary Caldwell will expect his side to start at a similar full throttle speed this weekend in an attempt to stun Blackpool. The expectation surrounding the club after the opener, is that if they are able to keep a clean sheet as they did last week, then they will go on to win the game due to their attacking capabilities. They emphasised their ability to create chances in a 2-1 victory against League Two outfit Crawley Town in the EFL Cup yesterday, registering 20 attempts at goal and 12 corners.
Blackpool FC
The Seasiders have shown their ability to be tactically flexible this week, whilst also maintaining the same quality and performance levels. Two identical consecutive 2-0 results against Burton Albion in the league and Derby County in the cup will please the fans, but the actual performances differ which is extremely positive. Against Burton, Blackpool dominated the proceedings and happily dictated the tempo of the game. Whereas against Derby, they showcased that they will comfortably allow the opposition to have the ball if necessary.
Neil Critchley may adopt for a fluid approach of both styles against Exeter, depending on different scenarios. Yet one guarantee, is that Shayne Lavery will continue to be a handful and look to add to the brace he scored in round one. Furthermore, just like his star striker, the season couldn’t have started much better for Critchley and he will wish to continue this excellent early run on Saturday.
Verdict?
This tie will be close but both sides are more than capable of scoring goals, making the game an exciting prospect. As already mentioned, both sides didn’t concede in their respective openers, however they will be tested defensively this weekend. The odds suggest that the game could end in any of the three possible outcomes, yet it is difficult to separate the two teams.
The final prediction is a 1-1 draw.
