The two ends of the Championship meet on Saturday. Bournemouth are the new seaside darlings who everyone is backing to get to the Premier League to keep alive the dreams of every Football League club. Meanwhile at the foot of the table are Blackpool - a side who have been to the top table, gorged on the financial feast and are now the forgotten favourites of many fans.

The stats go against the Seasiders from the North West. Bournemouth are unbeaten in 11 league games, the current longest run in the division whilst Blackpool have won only one of their last five home fixtures against Bournemouth, losing three. The Seasiders have kept only one clean sheet in their last 10 league games, though it arrived in their most recent game at Bloomfield Road (against Birmingham) whilst The Cherries have scored a league-high 27 second-half goals this season, 11 more than Blackpool have registered in total.

However things have improved for Lee Clark's side of late going four games unbeaten but with just six points from a possible twelve, the Blackpool manager knows he will have to increase the points per game ratio if he's to avoid his first relegation as manager. With three games to go until the end of the year, with Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day and Rotherham a week on Sunday, there is a chance that the 'Pool could go in to 2015 off the bottom. However with just four wins in 2014 the odds are stacked against the Seasiders.

Blackpool can name an unchanged side although Clark may decide with the more attacking option of O'Keefe in favour of either McMahon or Perkins. Fans are still waiting for Jose Miguel Cubero to return having had treatment in his native Costa Rica. Gary MacKenzies, Jacob Mellis and Tom Barkhuizen are preparing for a January return. Anyone hoping for tired legs and tired minds from the visitors should be aware that Eddie Howe is set to recall Marc Pugh, Charlie Daniels, Steve Cook and Harry Arter to the side. The quartet were not selected for Wednesday's Capital One Cup defeat by Liverpool, while Andrew Surman should return after he was cup-tied for it.

If Lee Clark really wanted a test of his ragbag of new players then this should provide it.

Photo: Action Images

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