Blackpool boss Neil Critchley has urged his squad to keep their heads up as they try to return to winning ways on New Year's Day when they welcome Hull City to Bloomfield Road (Blackpool 6/4, Draw 11/5, Hull City 19/10 - Match Betting).

The Tangerines have struggled to string results together since November, winning just one of their last ten matches.

Injuries and an outbreak of Covid-19 have caused havoc amongst the Blackpool squad, but Critchley is trying to lift the mood this weekend.

Ten players were absent for the 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough in midweek, a result that left Blackpool 13th in the table.

They are seven points better off than Saturday's opponent's Hull, and the Tigers also lost earlier this week, as Nottingham Forest beat them 2-1 at the City Ground.

Critchley believes the tide will soon turn for Blackpool, and he is confident the fog will start to lift once they get some of their first-team players back.

He told the Blackpool Gazette: "I really enjoyed watching us play all night. We limited them to very little in front of the goal, and we've caused them a few problems at the other end.

"We looked a good team, and they're in the playoffs, but it just goes against you.

"You can have moments like that in the season, but what we must do is make sure it doesn't affect us, affect the belief and what we're doing.

"It's really important to take a lot of heart from this level of performance."

Having lost only one of their last seven games in the Championship, Hull will fancy their chances of getting a result on Saturday.

The last two games between the pair have finished 1-1, and punters can back that to occur again at 5/1.

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