Preview: Bolton Wanderers vs Blackpool - prediction, team news, lineups

In a clash of Lancashire sides fighting at opposite ends of the League One table, Bolton Wanderers will welcome Blackpool to the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday.

The hosts currently sit third in the midst of an eight-game unbeaten run, while their visitors moved two points above the relegation zone with a crucial midweek win.

Match preview

Bolton Wanderers head back into League One action on Saturday aiming to extend an eight-game unbeaten run and ramp up their automatic promotion bid with a return to winning ways.

In their first full season under the management of Steven Schumacher, the Trotters have staked a strong claim to return to the Championship, currently sitting third having earned 57 points from their 33 outings thus far, albeit trailing the automatic promotion places by eight points.

After a disappointing run around the turn of the year, in which they drew two and lost two in a four-game span, Schumacher's side have now collected 18 points from their last eight attempts, including four straight wins between late January and early February.

They have had to settle for a pair of draws since those wins, though, firstly sharing the points away at second-placed Lincoln City thanks to Sam Dalby's leveller, before they visited Reading in midweek and looked set to lose 1-0, only for Mason Burstow to snatch them a share of the spoils with a 96th-minute equaliser.

Left boosted by consecutive late draws, but now trailing Lincoln by eight points as a result having played a game more, Bolton Wanderers know that any faint top-two hopes are hinging on another run of wins in the coming weeks.

In their way stand a visiting side led by Ian Evatt, who departed Bolton early last season after a near-five-year stay at the club including their promotion back to League One in 2021.

He would arrive at Bloomfield Road in October to take the hot seat of Blackpool, for whom he played seven years for, when they sat on just nine points from 13 matches in England's third tier.

Evatt has overseen an improvement on the east coast, with the Tangerines having managed eight wins and 27 points from 19 league outings under the new boss, but after a four-game winless run they headed into a meeting with Mansfield Town on Tuesday in a concerning position in the fight for survival.

They would manage an important return to winning ways, though, taking all three points at Bloomfield Road as Niall Ennis's first-half goal made the difference between the sides.

Now sitting 17th thanks to that victory, but still just two points above the bottom four, Evatt will hope to get one over on his former club on Saturday and increase Blackpool's cushion in their bid to maintain third-tier status.

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

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Blackpool League One form:

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Team News

Bolton Wanderers are still unable to call on defender Richard Taylor and attackers Marcus Forss and Amario Cozier-Duberry, as they continue spells in the treatment room.

New Celtic loanee Johnny Kenny joined Sam Dalby up front in midweek, but Mason Burstow has a claim to return to the starting XI, having levelled the game off the bench against Reading with his ninth League One goal of the season.

Rob Apter, Ibrahim Cissoko, Corey Blackett-Taylor and John McAtee will also compete for starting spots in attack, while Ethan Erhahon and Josh Sheehan should continue in the engine room despite competition from Ruben Rodrigues.

Blackpool remain hit by injuries of their own, with Andy Lyons, Kamarl Grant, George Honeyman, Albie Morgan, Joel Randall, Michael Obafemi and Dale Taylor all set to miss out again at the weekend.

They may be unchanged from Tuesday's win, with the attacking absences allowing Niall Ennis to continue up front after his goal alongside Ashley Fletcher, who sits fourth in the league's scoring charts on 14 goals for the season.

They should again have support from Karoy Anderson, while Josh Bowler will also hope to return from the outset in the attacking areas.

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Osei-Tutu, Forino-Joseph, Johnston, Conway; Apter, Sheehan, Erhahon, Blackett-Taylor; Dalby, Burstow

Blackpool possible starting lineup:

Peacock-Farrell; Casey, Horsfall, Ashworth; Walters, Clarkson, Brown, Hamilton; Anderson; Ennis, Fletcher

We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Blackpool

Blackpool will have rebuilt confidence with a crucial midweek win and have much more quality than their standing in the fight for survival suggests, but we see their depleted squad falling just short away at a Bolton Wanderers side needing wins in their pursuit of the top two.

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