Preview:Stockport County vs Bolton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

After both missed out on promotion last term, Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers will kick off their new League One campaign on Sunday, when they meet at Edgeley Park.

The two local rivals are ultimately seeking a top-six finish, and the first step towards that target comes this weekend.

Match preview

For the second time in two years, Stockport suffered playoff penalty heartbreak, as they lost to Leyton Orient in the League One semi-final last season.

The Hatters were beaten 4-1 in a shootout after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate, having ended the campaign in third place: missing out on automatic promotion by five points, only record-breaking champions Birmingham City scored more goals.

Following their loss to Carlisle United on spot kicks in the 2023 League Two final, Dave Challinor's side went on to win England's fourth tier title the next season, so they now hope to bounce back in similar style.

Challinor's spell has been one of the most successful in club history, with his team finishing no lower than fourth in any of the last four years.

A meteoric rise up the pyramid has seen Stockport go from the National League to League One, and the next aim is to bring Championship football back to Edgeley Park for the first time since 2002.

At the end of last season, Challinor - who recently extended his contract by three years - presided over an 11-game unbeaten run on home turf, so he will expect a strong start on Sunday.

Bolton's most recent trip to Stockport was one they would rather forget: conceding four second-half goals consigned them to a 5-0 defeat in November.

Following that humbling away loss, they were then beaten 1-0 on home soil four months later, as an inconsistent campaign began to completely unravel.

Having reached the 2024 playoff final, where they were pipped to promotion by Oxford United, the Trotters eventually parted ways with Ian Evatt and appointed Steven Schumacher in January.

The ex-Plymouth boss was unable to steer Bolton into the playoffs, so pressure is already on his shoulders to at least beat last season's eighth-placed finish.

Now facing another year in the third tier, Wanderers will look to leave behind a dismal end to 2024-25, when they took just two points from their last six league fixtures - five straight wins in pre-season have certainly raised hopes.

Stockport County pre-season form: W D L

Bolton Wanderers pre-season form: W W W W W

Team News

Stockport have been busy in the transfer market, most notably breaking their 27-year-old transfer record to sign Jamaica striker Malik Mothersille, who scored 16 goals in 57 appearances for Peterborough United last season.

Finland defender Arttu Hoskonen - who scored against England last year - has joined on a two-year deal, while teenage forward Nathan Lowe arrived on a season-long loan from Stoke City, having previously impressed at Walsall.

Corey O'Keeffe and Tayo Edun both made their first County appearances in a recent friendly defeat to Hull City, and the latter should overcome a knock to make Sunday's squad.

Meanwhile, Bolton are expected to start the season with a new 4-2-3-1 formation, having significantly turned over their playing personnel.

Ricardo Santos, Gethin Jones and Nathan Baxter all feature on a long list of departures, while Xavier Simons, Sam Dalby and Chelsea goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe - the latter a recent European champion with England Under-21s - have all arrived.

Barbados international Thierry Gale and Brighton & Hove Albion-owned youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry will add speed and width; Hull City loanee Mason Burstow could start up front at Edgeley Park, as Dalby must miss the opening week with a hamstring injury.

Stockport County possible starting lineup:

Addai; O’Keefe, Pye, Hoskonen, Dodgson; Norwood, Bate; Diamond, Camps, Fevrier; Mothersille

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sharman-Lowe; Dacres-Cogley, Toal, Johnston, Conway; Simons, Sheehan; Cozier-Duberry, McAtee, Gale; Burstow

We say: Stockport County 2-1 Bolton Wanderers

Home advantage should just tip a tight game in Stockport's favour, as the Hatters have a strong record in front of their own fans.

Bolton's new-look squad may be built to compete with County at League One's top end, but they are set to start the new season with a close-fought defeat.

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