Preview: Bolton Wanderers vs Huddersfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides fighting around the top end of the League One table will meet in an important contest on Saturday, as Bolton Wanderers welcome Huddersfield Town.

The hosts sit third and may guarantee a playoff spot with a victory depending on results elsewhere, while their visitors trail the top six by four points with just three games left to play.

Match preview

Bolton Wanderers head into the weekend aiming to make it back-to-back League One victories and cement a playoff spot.

The Trotters have enjoyed a strong campaign on the whole in their bid to return to the Championship, now sitting third having earned 73 points from their 43 matches, with only leaders Lincoln City suffering fewer than their eight defeats.

A tough run between mid-March and mid-April did see their automatic promotion hopes fade away and and leave their top-six bid far from complete, though, as Steven Schumacher's side managed just one win and six points in a six-game run, culminating in a 2-0 away loss to second-placed Cardiff City.

Aiming to bounce back and move closer to guaranteeing a top-six finish, the Trotters hosted sixth-placed Stevenage on Tuesday and prevailed in dominant fashion, dishing out a 5-1 beating as Amario Cozier-Duberry netted a brace alongside goals from Johnny Kenny, Ruben Rodrigues and Mason Burstow.

That leaves them third with a nine-point lead over seventh-placed Luton Town, who have four games remaining, and with three of their own left to play Bolton Wanderers will aim to make it back-to-back triumphs on Saturday with a chance to secure a top-six spot and take a step towards sealing a more favourable playoff tie.

Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip across to Lancashire needing a victory to keep any faint hopes of crashing the top six alive.

In their bid to bounce back to the Championship at the second time of asking, Huddersfield Town have experienced a somewhat disappointing campaign, currently sitting eighth on 63 points from 43 outings having won 17 and lost 14 of those.

Jon Stead, who took temporary charge of the side following the granting of compassionate leave for manager Liam Manning in March, oversaw a victory in early April to end their four-match drought, but the Yorkshire side have failed to kick on and break into the playoff places since, instead managing a pair of draws.

They firstly hosted Wycombe Wanderers and looked set to win 3-2 thanks to Marcus Harness's 96th minute goal, only to be denied by a Nathan Lowe leveller 11 minutes into injury time, before meeting Cardiff City in midweek and going ahead through Ryan Ledson, only to be held to a draw in agonising fashion again as Yousef Salech forced a 1-1 draw in the 95th minute.

Now trailing sixth spot by four points with just three games remaining, having been denied four in the last two games by injury-time goals, Huddersfield Town know that any top-six hopes are reliant on finishing with three victories starting on Saturday while hoping results elsewhere go their way.

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

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Huddersfield Town League One form:

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Team News

Bolton Wanderers will likely remain without midfielders Ethan Erhahon and Xavier Simons, with the duo yet to return to full fitness, as well as attackers Corey Blackett-Taylor and Marcus Forss.

Johnny Kenny and Sam Dalby, both of whom started in midweek will also be subject to fitness tests, meaning Burstow, who scored off the bench to move onto 11 league goals for the season, may come in to lead the line, while John McAtee is also back in contention after a suspension.

Rob Apter will also compete for a starting spot in the front line, while star man Cozier-Duberry will continue after his brace last time out, taking him to eight goals alongside eight assists in 31 league appearances this term, in what was his first start since an injury layoff dating back to January.

Huddersfield Town will likely remain without first-choice goalkeeper Lee Nicholls, who missed Tuesday's clash with Cardiff through injury, while Cameron Ashia, Josh Feeney, Ryan Hardie, Lynden Gooch and Jack Whatmough may also still be sidelined.

In Nicholls's absence, Jak Alnwick will continue to deputise between the sticks, while Radinio Balker, Murray Wallace and Sean Roughan should line up in an unaltered back three.

Captain Ryan Ledson has scored in three consecutive games from midfield, while Bojan Radulovic should again lead the attack with support from Marcus Harness despite competition from Alfie May.

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Osei-Tutu, Toal, Forino-Joseph, Johnston; Rodrigues, Sheehan; Cozier-Duberry, McAtee, Gale; Burstow

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:

Alnwick; Balker, Wallace, Roughan; Sorensen, Humphreys, Ledson, Mumba; Kasumu; Harness, Radulovic

We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town look set to pay for their agonising draws by missing out on the top six, unless they can win their last three games, and we see the Terriers falling short away at a Bolton Wanderers side revitalised by a dominant victory in midweek.

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