Following the embarrassing defeat to Wolves at Molineux, Blackpool have no choice but to try and beat revived Chelsea, which is definitely easier said than done. The Blues returned to fourth place with the derby win over Manchester United, but they will have to be wary of Blackpool’s home form.

Blackpool scored at least one goal in last 38 home games

Blackpool continue to defy the odds in their maiden Premier League campaign and even though the Seasiders have suffered a dip in form in the second part of the season, I wouldn’t bet against them staying up this term. Ian Holloway’s uncompromising approach continues to have a good effect on team’s scoring record, but the back line is conceding way too many goals at the moment. The Tangerines returned to winning ways as they hammered Tottenham at Bloomfield, but they then slipped back to the danger zone after suffering a heavy defeat at Molineux. Seeing they are still just two points clear of the bottom three, the Seasiders have no choice but to try and win this game, even if a side like Chelsea will be on the other side. Having scored in every one of their 38 home games, Blackpool are likely to bag at least one against Chelsea, but the big question is how many goals they will concede.

Key players Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell are out through suspension, but Eliot Grandin could return. Steven Crainey is also in contention, while Basham, Sbai, Clarke, Gilks, Rachubka and Taylor-Fletcher are unavailable.

Chelsea are back

Chelsea would have been in big problems had they not staged a comeback against Manchester United, although everyone could see that some refereeing decisions played a big part in the game. One way or another, the Blues have returned to contention for the Champions League places and they now have a good chance to maybe even return to the title race as United are in for a difficult game at Anfield. A very spirited performance did the trick against Manchester United, but Carlo Ancelotti is aware that his side will have to play another good game if they want to take all three points from Bloomfield. While Fernando Torres still struggles to adapt to the new surroundings, Ancelotti will be pleased that players like Lampard, Anelka and Ramires have upped their game and the Italian is hoping few more first team regulars will step up the plate at Bloomfield Road.

David Luiz should be fit to play despite picking up a hamstring injury against United, while Alex and Yossi Benayoun remain sidelined.

Verdict

Chelsea are hot favourites to win this one, especially as Blackpool are without two key players, but there is simply no value in odds of 1.33 (1/3) offered on away win. Since Blackpool keep scoring as well as conceding goals for fun, my advice is to back both teams to score.

Our prediction: Both teams to score

Odds: 1.86 (43/50)

Bookmaker: Betfair