Blackpool are in League One action at the weekend as they travel to Fratton Park to face league leaders Portsmouth.
The Tangerines unlike Pompey were in league action at the weekend and put four past Shrewsbury Town. Jake Beesley scored twice, whilst Jordan Rhodes and summer signing Kyle Joseph were also on target.
Pompey's match was postponed because of international call-ups and they were afforded a break. John Mousinho's men are top of the league by a point and have yet to taste defeat this season. Blackpool do have a good record against sides in the top-half, and a point would be seemed a success.
The 25-year-old spent the 2022/23 campaign down in Hampshire, and got two goals in 50 appearances for the Blues. He's returned to Bloomfield Road and is pushing to be involved more having been a sub 10 times in the league this term.
At the weekend, we saw the return of Kenny Dougall and Ollie Casey who both served their bans for their respective suspensions. Dougall picked up five yellow cards earning him a ban, whilst Casey was shown a straight red card against Peterborough United.
Blackpool are approaching a fairly busy period, and there will be several weeks in which there are two fixtures. The festive period also means that fixtures are packed in to a short space of time, and with the club still in the FA Cup and the EFL Trophy then rotation is key.
Flick through to see all the Blackpool players currently nursing an injury, and whether they'll be available for this weekend's crunch clash.
1. Jordan Rhodes - knee
In the build-up to the 4-0 win over Shrewsbury Town it was revealed that Jordan Rhodes didn't train. The 33-year-old scored from the penalty spot but was very nearly left out of the squad having been an undisclosed doubt ahead of kick-off. He did play, but now they'll have to see if there's any reaction to him playing on through the pain barrier. Expected return date: Fit | CameraSport - Dave Howarth Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth
2. Jordan Rhodes - knee (continued)
"He didn’t train properly all week,” Neil Critchley explained. "He took a bang on his knee away to Bolton. He didn’t train until Thursday and was still a little bit sore on Friday. "Again, he put himself forward and wanted to play. When we scored the goals I thought it was a good idea to get him off the pitch. "I thought it epitomises the type of player Jordan is. | CameraSport - Lee Parker Photo: CameraSport - Lee Parker
3. Ollie Norburn - cracked ribs
He was back in the Blackpool starting XI for Saturday's trip to Bolton, but then missed the wins over Morecambe and Shrewsbury. Expected return date: November 25: Portsmouth (A) | CameraSport - Dave Howarth Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth
4. Ollie Norburn - cracked ribs (continued)
“Norbs (Ollie Norburn) got a crack in his ribs in the first half against Bolton last week,” Neil Critchley explained on November 16. "He seemed to go down and struggled, but he carried on through the game and finished it. He’s been very sore after it. "He’s been out on the grass doing a bit of running, and as he was before the Bolton game, he’s desperate to be involved. "When you’ve got an injury on your ribs, you struggle to breathe and running is difficult. "We’ll have to take a late call on him.” | CameraSport - Dave Howarth Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth
5. Kylian Kouassi - hamstring
Kylian Kouassi was absent from the match-day squad against Shrewsbury Town at the weekend. | CameraSport - Andrew Kearns Photo: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns
6. Kylian Kouassi - hamstring (continued)
“Unfortunately Kylian had an injury in training after the game against Bolton,” Blackpool boss Neil Critchley explained on November 18. “He’s going to be missing for a bit of time. It’s his hamstring, and he’ll be missing for a good few weeks." Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth