MY ACCOUNT
– Bolton have won seven of their last 10 L1 games at home
– Barnsley have not won in 10 league visits to Bolton
– Recommended bet: Bolton to win
Bolton will attempt to make home advantage count when they face Barnsley in the first-leg of their League One play-off semi-final on Saturday.
The Lancashire outfit finished the regular season in fifth, a place and five points shy of Barnsley, but they enjoyed a strong conclusion to the campaign with back-to-back wins.
Bolton have not featured in the second tier since 2018-19 but Ian Evatt has already led the club to one successful promotion by securing their place in League One during his debut campaign at the helm in 2020-21.
Barnsley, meanwhile, are seeking an immediate return to the Championship and they have been in the mix for promotion all season, holding a spot in the top six since November.
Team news
Bolton were already guaranteed fifth place heading into the final round of regular season fixtures and Evatt opted to rest some of his key players against Bristol Rovers.
Defender Conor Bradley, midfielder Kyle Dempsey and striker Dion Charles all sat out the trip to the Memorial Stadium but should be recalled for this clash.
Victor Adeboyejo and Aaron Morley are likely to drop out of the XI.
Barnsley boss Michael Duff has several injury issues to contend with as defensive duo Mads Andersen and Jordan Williams remain on the sidelines.
Luca Connell returned from a two-match absence due to illness to play the full 90 minutes against Peterborough on Sunday and he should retain his spot in the starting XI.
The stats
Bolton had the joint-best defensive record when playing at home during the regular season, conceding just 13 goals.
However, they scored the fewest goals of any club to finish in the top six (62), with fewer than three goals scored in 16 of their 23 fixtures at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Only three teams – Ipswich, Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday – scored more than Barnsley’s tally of 80.
The Tykes; last taste of victory in the league at Bolton came when they met in the second tier in 1993-94.
Prediction
Bolton and Barnsley have been firmly in the promotion conversation since November – both holding on to a top six spot since November 19.
But the momentum appears to be with Bolton heading into this first-leg play-off semi-final.
The Trotters ended the term with successive wins and victories in three of their last four, while Barnsley are winless in three.
Barnsley lost two of those three fixtures and failed to score in both of those defeats.
They have only earned one victory from their last five outings on the road, losing two, and it is worth siding with Bolton.
Back Bolton to win at 29/20 with LiveScore Bet.
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