Blackpool start the League One season against Stevenage at Bloomfield Road this weekend.

Steve Bruce states he is confident Blackpool will be in and around the battle for promotion in League One this season.

The Seasiders start the campaign at home to Stevenage this afternoon, with the game marking the start of the head coach’s first full season at the helm.

Since being relegated from the Championship in 2023, the Fylde Coast outfit have failed to finish in the play-offs in their first two attempts of returning to the second tier, and will be looking to put that right this time around.

While they remain short in a number of key areas ahead of the weekend, the club has been able to make some strong additions to their squad.

They got the ball rolling by adding Fraser Horsfall and Michael Ihiekwe to their defence, before strengthening the midfield with George Honeyman.

A big deal was the return of Niall Ennis on the back of his successful loan spell in Tangerine, with the ex-Stoke City man being followed through the doors at Bloomfield Road by Franco Ravizzoli and Jordan Brown.

The Seasiders’ most-recent deals have been the loan signings of Danny Imray, Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Emil Hansson.

Ready to compete with League One favourites

A number of teams will fancy themselves for promotion this season, with Luton Town (3/1) and Huddersfield Town (6/1) currently topping Sky Bet’s odds.

Despite the tough competition, Bruce still believes his side will be competitive at the top end of the table.

“It’s all getting ready and geared up,” he said.

“We’ve got a really difficult month heading into September, with Luton, Huddersfield and Bolton. We’re getting ready for it, and that’s what we’ve been working on for the last six weeks.

“I’d expect us to be in and around, that’s why I’ve been brought in and that’s what the owner wants.

“I thought we were close last year, but not quite good enough, so we’ve got to try and improve if we possibly can.

“We’ve done that defensively, but now it’s the most important thing with strikers and wide players. We’re trying our best to get the best we can.

“It’s a really difficult division and that’s why it’s intriguing. There’s six or seven teams you can all make a case for, and hopefully we’re one of them.”

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