Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool meet in an all-North West affair at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in League One on Saturday.

With both sides in the hunt for promotion, it is set to be a hard-fought derby with little quarter given in a fixture that very often favours the home side on the day.

Match preview

Bolton will be on a high after a very important midweek win away at Shrewsbury Town in their game in hand.

A fourth straight away win for Ian Evatt's side moved them level on points with Oxford United in the second automatic promotion spot, with Bolton only slenderly trailing on goal difference.

Eight wins from nine games has seen Wanderers build a bit of a cushion over the sides below them, as Peterborough United, who are only a place below them, are now four points adrift.

Bolton's fine goalscoring form has been a vital factor in them climbing the table, as their tally of 29 after 15 games is only bettered by Barnsley.

That keeps alive real hopes that the Trotters can return to the Championship five years after relegation, and just three years after they were a League Two club.

Opponents Blackpool will also feel they can make a return to the second tier following their relegation last season, as they currently sit eighth, two points adrift of the playoff places.

Being a tough side to beat is a good way of going about your business in this devilishly difficult league, and Neil Critchley's side have only tasted defeat once in eight outings - a 4-2 loss versus Peterborough where they played almost half of the game with 10 men.

Blackpool proving tough to beat does not mean their matches are cagey by any means though, as their last 11 matches have produced a staggering 45 goals - a huge change from the side which were involved in three straight 0-0 draws back in August.

Their most recent outing was one of the more straightforward and least entertaining though, as Blackpool cruised to a very comfortable 2-0 win against non-league Bromley in the FA Cup.

Results in this fixture have been following a rather remarkable pattern for the best part of 40 years now, as the away side on the day has not won since Blackpool's victory at Bolton in 1986, despite the relatively short distance between the two clubs.

Team News

This will be Dion Charles's last game before he joins up with the Northern Ireland squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers.

The striker, who has scored 11 goals in 17 games, is set to miss the next two games for the hosts, so Evatt will hope to get the most out of him while he can here.

Young defender Zac Ashworth remains absent with a calf strain picked up on Wales Under-21 duty last month, while George Johnson is also out with a knee injury.

Blackpool will be able to call on the services of Olly Casey again after he served a suspension for being sent off against Peterborough recently, before then being rested at Bromley.

Casey signed a new contract this week having impressed since breaking into the Blackpool side following a successful loan spell at Forest Green Rovers last season, where he won Player of the Season, despite their relegation from League One.

The defender is set to replace Marvin Ekpiteta, who deputised for him during the suspension, and in the cup tie last weekend.

Critchley made a number of changes for that win, so he may revert to a similar side which featured against Fleetwood Town in their last league outing.

Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel and Kyle Joseph are the two injury absentees the visitors will have to do without for this one.

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Jones, Ricardo Santos, Toal; Cogley, Sheehan, Thomason, Maghoma, Williams; Charles, Adeboyejo

Blackpool possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Pennington, Casey, Husband; Hamilton, Oakley-Boothe, Dougall, Carey, Dale; Lavery, Rhodes

We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Blackpool

Twenty-seven meetings have passed since the away side on the day has won in this fixture, and given Bolton's brilliant recent form, they are set to keep that going.

Blackpool have proven tough to beat, but a run of eight wins from nine games for Bolton suggests the Tangerines have a big task on their hands to stop their North-West rivals from continuing that run.


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