Form
Blackpool finished 13th in League One last season – one place and three points behind Reading. This season marks their fourth straight campaign in the third tier, having been relegated from the Championship alongside the Royals in 2023, after both sides finished on 44 points.
The Tangerines have had a strong start to the season, currently sitting third in the league, having picked up seven points out of a possible 12. Those seven points came after wins against Stockport County and Peterborough United
and a draw against Wycombe Wanderers.
They come into this weekend’s game off the back their first defeat of the season, after losing 2-1 away to Barnsley during the week.
The two sides shared the spoils last season, with Reading picking up a 0-3 away win at Bloomfield Road in November 2025 before the Tangerines beat the Royals 0-1 at the SCL Stadium on the last day.
The boss
Ian Evatt: Evatt was appointed Blackpool manager in October last year, taking over from Steve Bruce, who spent a year in charge of the Tangerines.
Former centre-back Evatt had a 19-year playing career, representing the likes of Derby County, Chesterfield, Queens Park Rangers and Blackpool. After ending his career at Chesterfield, he took on his first full-time managerial role at National League side Barrow.
He guided the club back to the Football League after winning the fifth-tier title in the 2019/20 season that was cut short due to Covid-19. Evatt left the club that summer when he was appointed manager of Bolton Wanderers.
Evatt guided Bolton back to League One in his first season in charge, securing automatic promotion after a third-place finish in League Two. Evatt spent four and a half years in charge of the Trotters and guided them to three consecutive top-10 finishes, before leaving by mutual consent in January last year.
The 44-year-old led Blackpool to a 13th-placed finish last season and will be looking for his side to challenge for promotion this season. Evatt likes his sides to play an attacking, direct style of football.
Squad
Blackpool have bought in eight new players during the summer transfer window, with four signing permanently and four joining on loan.
Those arriving permanently included former Reading goalkeeper Luke Southwood, who signed from Bristol Rovers; defenders Ilmari Niskanen and Josh Earl, who came in from Exeter City and Barnsley; and midfielder Karoy Anderson, who had previously spent time on loan at the club, switching from Championship side Charlton Athletic.
Loans included defenders Jordan Williams from Portsmouth and Finley Munroe from Middlesbrough, while strikers Dion Charles and former Tangerine favourite Jerry Yates signed from Huddersfield Town and Luton Town respectively.
Blackpool are likely to be without defenders Fraser Horsfall, Michael Ihiekwe and Hayden Coulson, midfielder Jordan Brown and forwards Niall Ennis and Dale Taylor this weekend.
Expected setup
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Style: Direct, attacking football
Lineup: Peacock-Farrell, Williams, Casey, Earl, Munroe, Morgan, Anderson, Bowler, Honeyman, Yates, Charles
Key player
11. Josh Bowler: Winger Bowler re-signed for Blackpool last summer, joining on a free transfer after ending his contract at Nottingham Forest.
Bowler progressed through the youth ranks at QPR and made his debut for the club in 2017. He moved to Everton later that year and made a number of appearances for their under-23 side. Bowler had a loan spell at Hull City before joining Blackpool on a permanent deal in 2021.
He made 45 appearances for the Tangerines in his first spell at the club and was signed by Nottingham Forest after only a year in Blackpool. Bowler never made a first-team appearance for Forest but spent time on loan at Olympiacos, Blackpool, Cardiff City, Preston North End and Luton.
The 27-year-old started his third spell with the Tangerines last September and he has now racked up over a century of appearances for the club, scoring 18 goals. Bowler is a tricky winger, skilled with the ball at his feet.
One to watch
17. Karoy Anderson: Midfielder Anderson signed for Blackpool this summer from Charlton for an undisclosed fee, following a successful loan spell last season.
He started his career in the youth system at Charlton and made his debut for the Addicks in 2022. He became more of a first-team regular in the 2023/24 season and went on to make 88 appearances for Charlton, scoring five goals.
Anderson joined Blackpool on loan for the second half of last season and returned on a permanent deal this summer. The 21-year-old has made 21 appearances for the Tangerines, scoring two goals.
He is also a Jamaican international, making his debut for the Reggae Boyz in 2023. Anderson is an attacking midfielder with good movement, who looks to stretch defences.
