Preview: Bolton Wanderers vs Mansfield Town – predictions, team news, line-ups

Two teams vying for a place in the League 1 the playoffs are scheduled to take place Tuesday night when Bolton Travelers host village at the University of Bolton Stadium.

The hosts are eighth in the table with 27 points from 16 outings, only outside the top six on goal difference, while the visitors are 10th with 24 points from 15 matches.

Match Preview

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Bolton have had a turbulent few years, marked by back-to-back relegations from the Championship (2018-19) and League One (2019-20), followed by a resurgence which saw them compete for promotion from League One over the last three seasons.

Bolton narrowly missed out on promotion in 2021-22, finishing ninth with 73 points, followed by a playoff semi-final defeat to Barnsley (2-1 on aggregate) in 2022-23 and a loss to Oxford United (2-0) in the playoff final last season.

Ian Evattat the helm since July 2020, once again guiding Bolton to promotion this season, with the team currently eighth in the table with 27 points from 16 matches, just outside the playoff places on goal difference.

They initially suffered a difficult start to their term, winning their first match before winning none of their next four league matches, three defeats and a draw, but they have since recovered with just two defeats in 11 matches. following championships.

Bolton will now go into this game hoping they can secure a crucial win against Mansfield, who are also fighting for a playoff spot, a team they have beaten in each of the last two meetings.

Mansfield were promoted to the third tier of English football last season, ending a 21-year absence by finishing third in League Two, and they are off to a good start in League One.

Nigel CloughThe Mansfield side have had a strong start to the season, winning seven, drawing three and losing five of their 15 league matches, placing them 10th on 24 points, just three points off the playoff places, with at least one match in hand. on those around them.

They have, however, suffered a run of miserable results in League One in their recent outings, prior to this game having lost their last three games, while they are winless in their last four league matches.

That leaves Clough’s men aiming for a vital victory to end their recent poor run and close the gap on the playoff places, but they have failed to beat Bolton in the last three meetings.

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Mansfield Town League One form:

Mansfield Town form (all competitions):

Team News

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Bolton will be deprived Kyle Dempsey due to a knee injury, while Eoin Toal And Chris Forino are also expected to be sidelined due to ongoing injury issues.

Dion Charles is Bolton’s top league scorer with six goals in 16 league appearances, and he is likely to start alongside Aaron Collinswho has scored in his last three appearances.

As for the visitors, Lee Gregorywho has scored seven goals in 12 league appearances, has been out since a 1-0 defeat to Wrexham at the start of November, but he could be in contention for a return to the team here.

Ben Quinn And Stephen Quinn were both sent off in their 1-0 win over Stevenage in the FA Cup last time out, and both will remain doubts here.

Possible Bolton Wanderers starting XI:
Baxter; Jones, Santos, Johnston; Dacres-Cogley, Matete, Sheehan, Thomason, Williams; Charles, Collins

Possible Mansfield Town starting line-up:
Pym; Oshilaja, Flint, Cargill; Hewitt, Boateng, Maris, Lewis, Blake-Tracy; Akins, Evans

We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Mansfield Town

Mansfield are in poor form in the league, having lost three and drawn one of their last four, and with Bolton avoiding defeat in their last seven home games, we think the hosts will win here.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match please click here.

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