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Blackpool and Lincoln City square off in the League One play-off finals on Sunday at Wembley Stadium as both sides look to secure Championship promotion.
The Tangerines, last seen in the second-tier in 2015, saw off Oxford United 6-3 on aggregate in the last round, though not before a pulsating six-goal stalemate in the return leg.
With just one victory and five defeats from their opening seven games of the 2020-21 league campaign, Neil Critchley's side were once languishing in the relegation zone. They later produced a spectacular turnaround in performances and now stand on the brink of securing long-awaited promotion.
Meanwhile, the Imps capped off a highly erratic campaign, but accrued enough points to sneak into top-six places. They haven't played in the Championship since the 1998-99 season.
Blackpool vs Lincoln City Head-To-Head
There have been 56 clashes between the sides before, with Blackpool (34) winning almost thrice in as many fixtures as Lincoln City (12).
However, in the league phase of the 2020-21 season, the Imps were unbeaten in both games against them, winning 3-2 away from home before sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw at home.
Blackpool Form Guide (all competitions): D-W-W-W-W
Lincoln City Form Guide (all competitions): L-W-D-L-D
Blackpool vs Lincoln City Team News
Blackpool
The Tangiers might play the same line-up which drew to Oxford United in the second-leg. Arsenal loanee Daniel Ballard will be assessed before kick-off while Marvin Ekpiteta is also on stand-by.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Lincoln City
James Jones and Adam Jackson have been confirmed to miss the finals by manager Michael Appleton, who might also make a few changes to his side.
Joe Walsh's promising cameo against Sunderland might earn him a recall into the starting XI, while Conor McGrandles might start in midfield.
Injured: James Jones and Adam Jackson
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Blackpool vs Lincoln City Predicted XI
Blackpool (4-4-2): Chris Maxwell; Ollie Turton, Daniel Ballard, James Husband, Luke Garbutt; Demetri Mitchell, Kevin Stewart, Kenny Dougall, Elliot Embleton; Ellis Simms, Jerry Yates.
Lincoln City (4-3-3): Alex Palmer; Regan Poole, Joe Walsh, Timothy Eyoma, Tayo Edun; Conor McGrandles, Liam Bridcutt, Jorge Grant; Brennan Johnson, Tom Hopper, Morgan Rogers.
Blackpool vs Lincoln City Prediction
Although form goes out the window in all finals, Blackpool's latest run of form cannot be ignored and we're banking on them to eke out a narrow victory.
Prediction: Blackpool 2-1 Lincoln City
