Bolton Wanderers have the opportunity to leapfrog Accrington Stanley in League One on Saturday, when they make the short trip to the Wham Stadium.

Both sides enter this weekend's fixture after recording defeats in midweek, with their form very similar having won two, drawn one and lost three in their last six games across all competitions.

Match preview

John Coleman's side are now nine points away from the playoff positions, after they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Wimbledon on Tuesday evening, a game which Accrington should have taken points from with the amount of chances that they created.

That result was made even more disappointing as it followed last weekend's 5-1 victory against Fleetwood Town at the Wham Stadium, which they failed to build on.

A major influencing factor as to why Accrington have not managed to place themselves higher up League One so far is that they have conceded 39 goals in 21 matches, more than any other team above them in the table.

During November, Coleman's side went on a three-game losing streak and he will be hoping that Tuesday evening's loss is not the start of another run of defeats.

Victory over Bolton on Saturday will mean that Accrington bounce back from midweek disappointment, and they may be confident in doing so as this weekend's visitors have lost their last five away games in the league, dating back to September.

Fleetwood were on an 11-game winless run in all competitions, until Tuesday when Bolton travelled north to Highbury Stadium, where the home side comfortably won 3-0.

Bolton had some chances in that game but Fleetwood proved to be more efficient in front of goal, and it was the first time since October 19 that Bolton had lost by a margin of three goals.

Ian Evatt's side are at risk of being dragged into a relegation battle, with six of the eight teams below them claiming a game in hand on the Trotters, so three points on Saturday would go a long way in helping Bolton pull away from the bottom pack.

The visitors need to make sure that they perform better than the last time they travelled to the Wham Stadium in a league outing, which was two years ago when the 'Owd Reds humiliated Bolton by winning 7-1.

Team News

Accrington will set up in their normal 3-4-2-1 formation, with Colby Bishop leading the line looking to add to his six goals in League One this season.

Ross Sykes, Michael Nottingham and Yeboah Amankwah will make up the defensive three, with Ethan Hamilton and Harvey Rodgers providing the width as wing-backs.

Both Rodgers and Hamilton were involved in the goals scored against Fleetwood last weekend, suggesting that the home side will look to get the ball down the wings and put crosses into the box for Bishop as a main method of attack.

Bolton centre-back Ricardo Santos is unavailable this weekend after receiving a straight red card against Fleetwood on Tuesday, while right-sided Lloyd Isgrove is an injury doubt having not featured since November 23.

Eoin Doyle is certain to lead the line for the visitors, and he only has one league goal in his last 13 appearances, something that the 33-year-old will want to improve on this weekend.

Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Savin; Sykes, Nottingham, Amankwah; Hamilton, Conneely, Coyle, Rodgers; McConville, Pell; Bishop

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Dixon; John, Aimson, Baptiste, Gordon; Lee, Johnston; Amaechi, Thomason, Kachunga; Doyle

We say: Accrington Stanley 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

These two teams have been in very similar form and both enter this fixture on the back of defeats, suggesting that it is going to be a cagey affair as neither team will want to record consecutive losses.

Bolton will be aware of their poor form away from home recently, and a point on the road this Saturday could be viewed as a good point to break the losing cycle on their travels.

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