Preston North End v Blackpool: How to watch, kick-off time, bookies' odds and referee

Neil Critchley’s side make the short trip to Deepdale tonight looking to get back to winning ways after their heavy 4-1 defeat at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

The Seasiders could create a bit of history with a win, as it would complete a league double over their fierce rivals.

Pool, who won 2-0 at Bloomfield Road back in October thanks to goals from Keshi Anderson and Gary Madine, haven’t claimed a double over the Lilywhites since 1974.

Preston will also be looking for a response after slumping to a 1-0 defeat to Derby County at Pride Park on Saturday.

Ryan Lowe’s side, who haven’t won in their last three, have also lost back-to-back games and are without a goal in their last three.

Preston will be using tonight’s game as an opportunity to pay tribute to club legend Sir Tom Finney on what would have been his 100th birthday.

PNE fans will honour him by passing a giant surfer flag carrying an image of the football legend across the Alan Kelly Town End before kick-off.

Tonight’s encounter is the first meeting between the two sides at Deepdale since 2013, when the hosts edged it 1-0 in the League Cup.

The last league clash on Preston turf was back in February 2010, a game which ended in a goalless draw.

Here are all the important details ahead of tonight’s game:

How many fans will be in attendance?

The game will attract PNE’s highest Championship crowd of the season, beating the 18,092 attendance for the visit of Derby County in October.

Blackpool have sold out their reduced allocation of 2,200 tickets, while limited tickets remained on sale until 5pm on Monday for Preston supporters.

The Bill Shankly Kop will house both PNE and Blackpool fans, with a segregation area down the middle.

Who is the referee?

County Durham official David Webb is the man with the whistle at Deepdale.

Webb has already taken charge of three Blackpool games this season; the 2-1 away win against Middlesbrough and the home victories against Peterborough United (3-1) and Millwall (1-0).

Webb has refereed PNE twice this season, their 2-1 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in November and the 2-2 Deepdale draw with Sheffield United in January.

What are the bookies’ odds?

According to SkyBet, the odds are as follows:

Preston: 11/10

Draw: 23/10

Blackpool: 13/5

How can I watch the game?

The game is being screened live on Sky Sports Main Event, with the coverage starting at 7.30pm ahead of the 7.45pm kick-off.

How else can I follow the game?

Blackpool FC reporter Matt Scrafton will be running a live blog from Deepdale with regular updates throughout the evening.

Post-match reaction will also follow shortly after full-time.

For those who weren’t able to get a ticket for the away end, the club are also screening the match live in the Matthews Suite at Bloomfield Road.