AFC Bournemouth
Head coach Scott Parker is expecting another tough encounter when AFC Bournemouth lock horns with in-form Championship rivals Blackpool on Saturday.
The Cherries head to Bloomfield Road bidding to register a hat-trick of league wins after beating Barnsley and Birmingham City in their past two games.
Victory over the Blues on Wednesday saw Parker’s team climb back into second place, the Cherries six points behind leaders Fulham and two clear of Blackburn who are third.
Blackpool, promoted after finishing third in League One last season, are currently 14th – but only five points shy of the play-off places in a congested league table.
The Seasiders have made an impressive start to 2022 and are unbeaten in five league games, the run including a hat-trick of home wins over Hull City, Millwall and Bristol City.
Neil Critchley’s team came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against the Cherries in August and have not lost against any of the current top four.
They are one of only two teams to have beaten leaders Fulham at home and also held the Cottagers to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage at the end of last month.
Previewing the clash, Parker told afcb.co.uk: “Blackpool are having a great season following promotion and we know they will be a difficult side to come up against.
“When we played them in August, they gave us one of the biggest tests we have faced this season, especially in the second half.
“They put us under immense pressure and deserved to get back in the game.
“I have spoken many times about fine margins and that game could have gone either way once they had equalised but a draw was a fair result.
“Neil Critchley has done a great job there and has assembled a very good squad. They have players who can hurt you if you aren’t on your game.
“Bloomfield Road is a tough place to go and their supporters are very passionate.
“We go into the game on the back of an excellent win against Birmingham. We were exceptional in the first half and showed tremendous character to score a third goal after they had come back into it.
“Our supporters got right behind us and certainly played their part in the win. This is another long trip for them and, hopefully, we can bring something home for them.”
The Cherries will be without the services of midfielder Jefferson Lerma who serves the first of a four-match ban following his red card against the Blues.
