Manager Keith Hill has spoken highly of Blackpool manager Gary Bowyer ahead of the midweek trip to Bloomfield Road.
Dale face the Seasiders, who were promoted to League One via the play-offs at the end of last season, on Tuesday evening.
Hill told iFollow: “Gary is a great friend of mine and he is an excellent manager.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his Dad Ian, who was Assistant Manager at Plymouth when I played down there.
“In my opinion, Gary has had unsung management success. I think he was brilliant at Blackburn given that he was still able to retain a charge towards the play-off places despite the amount of money he had to take off the budget. He was sacked far too early and should never have been sacked.
“When he got his opportunity at Blackpool, I knew he would be successful and he has done a terrific job there. He got them promoted last season and I think they’ll go from strength to strength with him. Blackpool are lucky to have Gary as a manager.”