Preview: Bolton Wanderers vs Plymouth Argyle - prediction, team news, lineups

Bolton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle will both be searching for their maiden win of the new League One season when the two teams meet at the Toughsheet Community Stadium this Saturday.

The Trotters kicked off their campaign with a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Stockport County, while the Pilgrims were thumped 3-1 by Barnsley on home soil.

Match preview

Bolton’s fifth straight season in League One got off to a rotten start, with the side producing two measly shots on target during their defeat in Stockport.

Steven Schumacher and his men will now be hoping for a much-improved display this weekend as they prepare for their first home match.

Turning the Toughsheet Community Stadium into a fortress will be a big goal for the Wanderers, who lost seven league matches in front of their home fans last season.

Speaking of last season, finishing in eighth marked a significant downgrade from their two prior campaigns – ones which saw Bolton reach the playoffs.

Plymouth, on the other hand, were given a major reality check in their first game of the season against Barnsley.

Losing at home was bad enough, but conceding three goals certainly left Argyle with a bitter taste in their mouths – especially in their first game back in the third tier.

New head coach Tom Cleverley has been tasked with taking the team forward following the departure of Miron Muslic last May, though it is clear that the challenge ahead of him is a difficult one.

Relegation from the Championship sparked a huge overhaul in playing talent over the summer, meaning that the Pilgrims may need more time before they can begin to fire on all cylinders.

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

Plymouth Argyle League One form:

Team News

Bolton head into the weekend without Sam Dalby, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury which has plagued his first few weeks at the club.

A number of first team players featured for the reserves team against Liverpool on Tuesday, including Ethan Erhahon, who joined from Lincoln City.

Elsewhere, Charlie Warren has returned to contact training after recovering from his wrist injury, giving Schumacher more options.

Plymouth, meanwhile, are still waiting to see whether new signing Aribim Pepple can make his competitive debut for the Pilgrims; the striker missed last weekend’s defeat to Barnsley due to injury.

Midfielder Caleb Watts replaced Pepple up front against the Tykes and scored Plymouth’s only goal of the match – he could return to that position should the injury situation remain unchanged.

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup: Sharman-Lowe; Cogley, Toal, Forino-Joseph, Conway; Erhahon, Simons; Cozier-Duberry, McAtee, Burstow; Randall

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup: Ashby-Hammond; Palsson, Galloway, Wiredu-Sarpong; Boateng; Sorinola, Paterson, Ibrahim, Amaechi; Watts, Oseni