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

Desperate to turn their shocking start to the season around, Reading will travel to face Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in League One on Wednesday.

The Trotters are looking for their second win of the campaign, while the Royals will be aiming to simply get off the mark in midweek.

Match preview

Steven Schumacher's Bolton finished eighth in the third tier last term - a significant 10 points short of the playoffs - and they will be dreaming of finally earning promotion in 2025-26.

With that goal in mind, supporters were expecting a blockbuster start in League One after four clean sheets and a flawless streak of five victories in pre-season, though the reality has been anything but.

The Trotters were held to a 1-1 draw by Barnsley this past Saturday, a result that means they have now won just one of their four games across all competitions this season, losing the other two.

The stalemate left Schumacher's side 13th in the table, and their tally of four points has them already three behind sixth-placed Bradford City at this early stage.

Hoping to gain ground on their promotion rivals in midweek, fans of the hosts would be forgiven for harbouring doubts about their team's chances considering that Bolton have won just two of their last six home league games, drawing two and losing three.

Meanwhile, Noel Hunt's Reading narrowly missed out on making the playoffs last season, and they will be aiming to put their frustrations firmly in the past my making the top six this time around.

However, the Royals have endured a dire opening to their 2025-26 League One campaign, and losing all three of their third-tier games has them languishing at the foot of the table without a single point.

On Saturday, Hunt's men were booed off after being beaten 2-1 on their own turf by promoted-club AFC Wimbledon, a match in which Lewis Wing scored the club's first league goal of the campaign as a late consolation.

With pressure mounting on their boss, the visitors could take heart from the fact that they have lost just one of their last nine games on the road, drawing three and winning five, a stark contrast to their record of five defeats, one draw and one win from their last seven overall.

Three points on Wednesday would be enough to lift Reading out of the relegation zone, leapfrogging the likes of Peterborough United, Plymouth Argyle and Wycombe Wanderers to go level with 18th-placed Rotherham United.

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Reading League One form:

Reading form (all competitions):

Team News

Bolton have a lengthy list of absentees to contend with, including striker Victor Adeboyejo, who has been out since February, and midfielder Kyle Dempsey, who has been sidelined since April.

In their places, Schumacher should start Mason Burstow up top, while Josh Sheehan and Xavier Simons back up attacking midfielder Joel Randall from their double pivot.

In the backline, right-sided defender William Forrester and centre-half Richard Taylor are both unavailable, so expect to see Eoin Toal and George Johnston line up at the heart of defence, flanked by Josh Dacres-Cogley and Max Conway.

As for Reading, they could be without a number of players from their own defensive ranks, with centre-back Paudie O'Connor certain to miss this week's clash, while both left-back Jeriel Dorsett and right-back Andy Yiadom are doubts.

If none of the trio feature on Wednesday, then Hunt could turn to a four-man setup with Michael Stickland and Finley Burns at centre-half, and Ashqar Ahmed and Matty Jacob at full-back.

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sharman-Lowe; Dacres-Cogley, Toal, Johnston, Conway; Sheehan, Simons; Cozier-Duberry, Randall, Gale; Barstow

Reading possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Ahmed, Stickland, Burns, Jacob; Fraser, Wing, Savage; Kyerewaa, Ehibhatiomhan, Garcia

We say: Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Reading

Bolton have been inconsistent so far this season, and their home record suggests that they are unlikely to win at the very least in midweek.

On the other hand, Reading have lost all of their league games in 2025-26, but their resilience on the road is well-documented, and they could earn their first point of the campaign on Wednesday.

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