Relegation is almost a certainty for Derby this season after they were docked 21 points, but they would be struggling even if that penalty was taken out of the equation.
The Rams have won just one of their last 11 matches – remarkably against promotion contenders Bournemouth – and are the second-lowest scorers in the Championship with just 17 goals to their name.
Wayne Rooney’s side head into Saturday’s fixture having suffered back-to-back defeats for only the second time this season. Last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Bristol City followed a 2-1 setback at home to Queens Park Rangers.
However, three of their four wins this season have come on home turf so Rooney will hope that the Pride Park crowd can rally behind his team.
Meanwhile, only the Championship’s current top three have conceded fewer goals than Derby, who have won seven of their last eight matches against Blackpool.
The Tangerines are also on a run of back-to-back defeats – for the first time since August – but have not lost three games in a row since October 2020.
That shows the fantastic work that Neil Critchley has done at Bloomfield Road, as after gaining promotion from League One via the playoffs last season, the club are now stable in the second tier.
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However, they are currently going through a difficult patch and are winless in their last six matches, scoring just twice in that time; only four Championship sides have netted fewer than Blackpool throughout the season.
The Tangerines were comfortably beaten 3-0 at home by Luton Town last weekend, but Critchley suggested that his side were better than that scoreline suggests.
With a clash against 22nd-placed Peterborough United to follow their trip to Pride Park, the Lancashire outfit will hope to rediscover their form over the next week
