Blackpool vs Plymouth Argyle: Owen Oseni eyes first league goal

⚽ Blackpool vs Plymouth Argyle
Predicted score	Blackpool 1-2 Plymouth Argyle
Top tip	Over 2.5 goals @ 1.60
Nigerian angle	Super Eagles new cap Owen Oseni has 45 minutes across two substitute appearances this season, still without a league goal
Key stat: Plymouth Argyle are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Blackpool (three wins, two draws) since September 2018

Plymouth Argyle’s Owen Oseni will hope to add to his forty-five minutes of League One football this season when his side travel to Blackpool on Saturday, just months after becoming the first Irish-born player to represent the Super Eagles, Afrik-Foot reports.

Oseni, 23, made his senior Nigeria debut as a substitute in a friendly win over Zimbabwe in May, but he has appeared for only eighteen minutes at Doncaster Rovers and twenty-seven at home to Barnsley since the new season began, both off the bench.

The forward is yet to open his account for the campaign and sits behind Aribim Pepple and Will Evans in Tom Cleverley’s pecking order as Argyle look to make it three League One wins in a row.

Super Eagles target Owen Oseni of Plymouth Argyle. Copyright: xDavexRowntree/ IMAGO

Blackpool vs Plymouth Argyle match preview

Ian Evatt’s Blackpool sit tenth in League One with eight points from six matches, unbeaten at home this season.

Their form has cooled since a 4-0 win over Peterborough United on August 29, with defeats at Barnsley and Reading either side of a 2-2 draw at home to newly promoted Bromley last time out.

Plymouth arrive in seventh on ten points after a much-improved run. A 1-1 draw at Wycombe Wanderers and a 2-0 win over Bradford City preceded a 0-2 defeat at Leicester City, before back-to-back victories over Doncaster Rovers (3-2) and Barnsley (3-0) lifted Cleverley’s side back into the top seven.

A win at Bloomfield Road would make it three League One wins in a row and move Argyle level on points with leaders Sheffield Wednesday.

Head-to-head record: Blackpool vs Plymouth Argyle

Blackpool have not beaten Plymouth since a 1-0 win at Home Park in September 2018, with Plymouth winning three and drawing two of the five meetings since.

The most recent clash at Bloomfield Road in February ended 0-4, with Alex Mitchell, Aribim Pepple and Malachi Boateng on the scoresheet before James Husband was sent off late on.

Plymouth also won the reverse fixture at Home Park last August, 1-0 through a Boateng goal. Before that, the sides drew 2-2 in March 2021 and 2-2 again in March 2019.

Across the last 10 meetings, Blackpool have won three games, and Plymouth Argyle have a slight advantage with four victories, and three draws between both sides.

Team news: Blackpool vs Plymouth Argyle

Blackpool

Blackpool have three senior players missing through injury. Fraser Horsfall (ankle) and Michael Ihiekwe (toe) are both out, while Dale Taylor remains sidelined with a long-term hamstring problem.

Evatt is expected to name the same eleven that drew with Bromley last time out, with Oliver Casey and Josh Earl continuing in the back four and Tom Bloxham partnering Dion Charles up front.

BLACKPOOL — 4-1-3-2

Peacock-Farrell; Williams, Casey, Earl, Munroe; Brown; Bowler, Anderson, Morgan; Bloxham, Charles

Manager: Ian Evatt OUT: Fraser Horsfall (ankle), Michael Ihiekwe (toe), Dale Taylor (hamstring)

Plymouth Argyle (Owen Oseni fit)

Plymouth will again be without Malachi Boateng, out with a knee injury until around late October, and Michael Baidoo, sidelined with an Achilles problem until around early November.

Oseni is fit and available and has featured in Argyle’s last two league matches, but only as a substitute, with eighteen minutes at Doncaster Rovers and twenty-seven against Barnsley.

He remains without a league goal this season, with Aribim Pepple and Will Evans preferred as Cleverley’s front two.

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE — 4-4-2

Cooper; Harding, Mitchell, Pleguezuelo, Sorinola; Curtis, Bakinson, White, Irow; Evans, Pepple

Manager: Tom Cleverley OUT: Malachi Boateng (knee), Michael Baidoo (Achilles)

BENCH (Nigerian interest): Owen Oseni 🇳🇬

Star player comparison: Tom Bloxham vs Aribim Pepple

Tom Bloxham ST · Blackpool	Stat	Aribim Pepple ST · Plymouth Argyle
2	Goals	2
1	Assists	0
6	Appearances	6
6.82	FotMob Rating	6.84

The managers: Ian Evatt vs Tom Cleverley

Evatt, a former Blackpool player who made more than 250 appearances during his time at the club, returned to Bloomfield Road as head coach and has kept Blackpool competitive near the top half of League One, though the form has cooled after a strong start.

Cleverley, the former Manchester United and England midfielder, took charge at Home Park ahead of the 2025-26 season and led Argyle to the fringes of last season’s play-offs before overseeing this season’s push into the top seven

Tactical preview: Blackpool vs Plymouth Argyle

Evatt’s setup leans on Jordan Brown screening the back four, with Josh Bowler, Karoy Anderson and Albie Morgan rotating ahead of him to feed Bloxham and Charles.

That gives Blackpool numbers in midfield but can leave them light out wide against a side that likes to attack down the flanks.

Plymouth’s flatter four-man midfield, with Ronan Curtis and Oliver Irow pushing on either side of Tyreeq Bakinson and Harvey White, is built to get early crosses into Evans and Pepple.