Blackpool host Wycombe Wanderers at Bloomfield Road on 15 August 2026, as the 2026/27 EFL League One season gets underway. Both clubs finished mid table in 2025/26 and are now starting fresh under managers who have had less than a year to put their stamp on their respective squads.
Ian Evatt took charge of Blackpool in October 2025, with Michael Duff arriving at Wycombe a month earlier in September. It is their first meeting as managers and the contrast in approach is clear: Evatt builds through possession and short passing combinations, while Duff's side defend in a tight mid block and look to transition quickly.
Blackpool ended last season well and carried that into a 3-1 EFL Cup win at Grimsby, though pre-season was patchy. Wycombe's preparation was equally uneven and they opened the competitive season with a narrow EFL Cup defeat to Stevenage, keeping it tight but not seriously testing the goalkeeper.
Blackpool expect Finley Munroe to debut, with Niall Ennis likely to feature despite a minor back concern, though Ilmari Niskanen remains out with a shoulder injury. Wycombe should field a similar lineup to their last outing with Emre Tezgel and Cauley Woodrow available from the bench and neither side carries suspension issues into the game.
Evatt has used both a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-4-1-2 depending on the opponent, with technical passing and forward movement the common thread in both. Josh Bowler provides the creative outlet wide, with CJ Hamilton and Keshi Anderson the other wide options and Niall Ennis leading the line. Duff's compact 4-2-3-1 stays rigid defensively and looks to punish teams on the counter through Silko Thomas and Fred Onyedinma, while Aaron Morley screens from central midfield and Steve Cook organises the backline. How Jordan Brown handles Wycombe's central pair in the middle third is probably the game's defining contest.
The sides have met thirteen times, with Blackpool winning once, Wycombe twice and ten ending as draws and Blackpool are unbeaten across the last five meetings.
Cook is expected to organise Wycombe's defensive shape from restarts while Blackpool look to target Ennis aerially and the aerial battle between the two could be where the game turns if chances are few.
Blackpool 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers. Bowler and Ennis give Blackpool more ways to hurt a compact defence than Wycombe have to open up an organised backline and Wycombe's bench options carry less proven League One pedigree. Woodrow or Thomas could snatch something on the counter but Blackpool should have enough to win.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
