In the first West Lancashire Derby for eight years, Blackpool and Preston North End meet in the second tier yet again in what promises to be a day of tension and fierce rivalry on the Fylde coast.

Blackpool head into the game in decent form, with three wins in their last five culminating in a last-ditch 3-2 victory at Reading in midweek.

With that result, Neil Critchley's side sit in a respectable 12th position as their smooth return to the Championship continues to please fans that have stuck by them through tough times.

Preston will be looking for a big result at Bloomfield Road, with the Lilywhites still without a win on the road this season.

Frankie McAvoy's men picked up a vital three points with a 2-1 win over Coventry in midweek - ending a winless streak of seven league games. 

The draw specialists are 18th heading into this clash, with 15 points to their name.

  • Team news

Blackpool

The Tangerines have no new injury concerns for the derby, but could be handed boosts with two key players possibly returning to the fold. 

Dujon Sterling could return to the starting 11, after missing the last two games with illness.

Kevin Stewart faces a late fitness test after missing the last game with a foot injury that re-occurred against Nottingham Forest. 

Neil Critchley will continue to be without will Chris Maxwell (quad), Reece James (foot), Matty Virtue (ACL), Grant Ward (achilles), CJ Hamilton (foot) and Shayne Lavery (hamstring).

Preston North End

Frankie McAvoy expects to have Sean Maguire (hamstring) and Ali McCann (ankle) back in contention for this weekend's game, after both missed the last two games.

Ched Evans remains sidelined with plantar fasciitis in his foot, and has not played since August 17.

  • Predicted lineups

Blackpool (4-2-3-1)

Grimshaw; Gabriel, Keogh, Ekpiteta, Husband; Dougall, Wintle; Anderson, Carey, Dale; Yates

Preston North End (3-4-1-2)

Iversen; Storey, Bauer, Hughes; van den Berg, Browne, Whiteman, Earl; Johnson; Riis, Sinclair.

  • Ones to watch

Jerry Yates

Undoubtedly one of Neil Critchley's most important players, Doncaster-born Yates scored 20 goals in 44 league games last season as he fired the Seasiders back into the Championship- with the joint-highest scored in a single campaign by a Blackpool player since Andy Watson in 1993–94.

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The 24-year-old striker was voted the the PFA Fans' Player of the Year for the 2020–21 League One campaign and has certainly showed signs of his attacking prowess this time around, with five goals in 12 Championship games. Preston's backline will have to be on high alert to stop an in-form Yates, who has scored four of those five in his last three games. 

Emil Riis Jakobsen

Similar to his counterpart, Jakobsen is a quick, explosive striker who looks to run at defences and shoot on sight. The former Danish U21 international was originally on Derby County's books, but returned to his homeland to join boyhood club Randers in 2018 and then came back to England with Preston in the summer of 2020.

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A tough first campaign saw him net just two goals in 38 appearances last season, but the 23-year-old has been a hit with the Deepdale faithful in 2021/22 so far, with nine goals in 16 games in all competitions. There is no doubt that he would love to add to that tally and score in front of the 2,200 travelling North End fans on Saturday.

  • Previous meetings

The last fixture between these teams was in 2013, with Preston winning 1-0 courtesy of a last-gasp Tom Clarke header at Deepdale in the first round of the League Cup. 

This is the first league meeting between the rivals since February 2010, a goalless draw at Deepdale.

In the last 11 league meetings, only one game has seen the home side win - a 3-0 Preston victory in 1999. 

It is typically a tense affair, with just one of the last eight meetings having more than two goals scored in the game.

This is the 95th edition of the derby, with 45 Preston wins, 19 draws and 30 Blackpool wins to date.

  • How to watch 

The game kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday October 23 and is available for overseas supporters to watch on iFollow PNE and Tangerines TV, with passes costing £10.

Preston fans can watch the game live at Deepdale via a beam back for the price of just £5.