Preview: Bradford City vs Bolton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers will conclude their battle for a spot in the League One playoff final on Thursday, when they square off at the University of Bradford Stadium in the second leg of their semi-final tie.

The visitors head to Yorkshire with a slender lead to defend, having won the first leg 1-0 on home turf on Saturday.

Match preview

Bradford City return to action on Thursday needing to overturn their playoff semi-final tie to stand a chance of advancing to Wembley and earning a second consecutive promotion.

After their climb back to the third tier, the Bantams enjoyed another strong campaign, eventually finishing fourth on 77 points from their 46 matches, losing 13 of those while winning 22 - a tally only topped by the teams who won automatic promotion.

Their top-six spot was still hanging in the balance heading to the final day in a tight playoff race, though, on the back of a loss and three draws, including with Bolton Wanderers, but Graham Alexander's side bounced back with a victory over relegation-threatened Exeter City, winning 2-1 having led 2-0 through Antoni Sarcevic and Kayden Jackson.

That saw the Yorkshire outfit climb to fourth spot and earn a home second leg for their playoff semi-final tie, and they were unable to bring the tie back to the University of Bradford Stadium on level terms at the weekend, visiting Bolton and falling to a 1-0 defeat on the night after keeping the game goalless until the hour mark.

They now head into the decisive second leg with home advantage needing to win on the night to stand a chance of progressing to the final at Wembley next week.

Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip aiming to make the most of their lead and book their own trip to Wembley for a second League One playoff final in three years.

After falling short in that attempt and missing out on the top six last time around, Bolton Wanderers returned to the playoffs in 2025-26, finishing fifth on 75 points from their 46 outings, with only champions Lincoln City suffering fewer than their nine defeats.

Like the hosts, though, the Trotters also struggled to carry a strong vein of form into the end of the regular season, albeit with their top-six status safe heading into the final day, as they won just one of their final six matches and ended with a 3-2 home defeat to Luton Town.

That left Steven Schumacher's side fifth, two points behind their semi-final opponents, but they were able to get ahead last week in their semi-final home leg, as Amario Cozier-Duberry broke the deadlock on the hour mark, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 home win on the night.

Now facing a tough test on the road at the side with the league's third strongest home record, but with a slender advantage from the first leg, Bolton Wanderers will hope to see the tie through on Thursday and punch their ticket to Wembley in a bid to return to the Championship for the first time since 2019.

Bradford City League One form:

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Bolton Wanderers League One form:

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Team News

Bradford City are bound to field a similar starting XI from Saturday's first leg, given their settled nature, with star attacker Bobby Pointon likely the only player to remain out through injury.

Tyreik Wright was fit to return off the bench last time out, though, after his own injury layoff, and he, Stephen Humphrys, Nick Powell and Will Swan will all fight for starts in attack.

That is after George Lapslie and Sarcevic supported Kayden Jackson in the first leg, while Max Power and Jenson Metcalfe will continue their midfield partnership and Aden Baldwin, Joe Wright and Curtis Tilt form an established back three.

Bolton Wanderers may also remain unchanged with attackers Marcus Forss and Corey Blackett-Taylor still confined to the treatment room.

Ethan Erhahon was fit to start alongside Josh Sheehan in midfield on Saturday, having been sidelined since late March, while there is plenty of competition for starts at the top end of their 4-2-3-1 setup.

Cozier-Duberry will continue on the wing, with nine goals and 10 assists to his name in League One this term, while Ruben Rodrigues, Ibrahim Cissoko, Mason Burstow, Sam Dalby, Thierry Gale and John McAtee will all hope to feature from the outset.

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Walker; Baldwin, J Wright, Tilt; Neufville, Metcalfe, Power, Touray; Lapslie, Jackson, Sarcevic

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Osei-Tutu, Toal, Forino-Joseph, Johnston; Erhahon, Sheehan; Cozier-Duberry, Rodrigues, Cissoko; Dalby

We say: Bradford City 1-1 Bolton Wanderers (Bolton Wanderers win 2-1 on aggregate)

Bradford City will be forced to chase the game with home advantage and have the tools to hurt their visitors, but the visitors also possess plenty of quality throughout the pitch and should have enough to keep their noses in front and advance to the final.

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