Preview: Bolton Wanderers vs. Sunderland - prediction, team news, lineups

Promotion-chasing Sunderland will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in League One when they make the trip to the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday to take on Bolton Wanderers.

The away side, who are second in the table, will enter the match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth last weekend, while Bolton recorded a 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town in their last match.

Match preview

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Bolton made it back-to-back League One victories for the first time since early October last weekend when they ran out 1-0 winners at Shrewsbury courtesy of a late effort from Dion Charles.

The success moved the Trotters into 15th position in the table, boasting 32 points from their 26 league games this season, which has left them five points clear of the relegation zone.

Ian Evatt's side are 14 points off the playoffs, so it is unlikely that they will be able to challenge for a possible promotion in the second half of the campaign, but a mid-table finish certainly seems achievable.

Bolton against Sunderland is, without question, one of the standout matches at this level of football considering their respective histories, and Sunderland ran out 1-0 winners in the reverse match back in September, with Bolton's last success in this fixture coming in the Championship back in February 2018.

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While Bolton are looking over their shoulders in League One, Sunderland are desperately trying to secure a return to the Championship, with the Black Cats currently second in the table, level on points with Wigan Athletic, but the current leaders have four games in hand on the side directly below them.

Sunderland are actually only two points clear of fourth-placed Wycombe Wanderers, so they are not secure in the automatic promotion positions, but they are 10 points ahead of seventh-placed Plymouth Argyle.

The visitors will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth last weekend, with Elliot Embleton scoring the only goal of the contest in the latter stages of the first period.

Lee Johnson's side have the best home record in League One this season, boasting 34 points from their 14 matches at the Stadium of Light, but they have dropped points in nine of their 14 away league fixtures.

The Black Cats will be concerned by the fact that leaders Wigan and third-placed Rotherham have matches in hand at this stage of the season, so it is vital that they put another three points on the board this weekend.

Team News

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Bolton boss Evatt could name an unchanged side from the one that took to the field for the first whistle against Shrewsbury last time out, with Charles grabbing the winner late on.

That said, it would not be a surprise to see Oladapo Afolayan replace Kieran Lee in the starting XI, with the former potentially joining Charles and Amadou Bakayoko in a front three.

A 3-4-3 formation should also see Marlon Fossey continue on the right, with the 23-year-old impressing for Bolton since arriving from Fulham earlier this month.

As for Sunderland, on-loan Tottenham Hotspur attacker Jack Clarke is in contention to make his debut, with the 21-year-old expected to be among the substitutes this weekend.

Danny Batth and Corry Evans both came into the starting XI against Portsmouth last time out and should retain their spots in the side for this weekend's contest.

New signing Patrick Roberts could also make his debut against Bolton, with Johnson claiming that the attacker has a chance of being on the bench this weekend as he builds up his fitness.

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Jones, Ricardo, Johnston; Fossey, Williams, Morley, John; Charles, Afolayan, Bakayoko

Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Hoffmann; Flanagan, Batth, Doyle; Gooch, Evans, Neil, Cirkin; Dajaku, Stewart, Embleton

We say: Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Sunderland

Bolton will be feeling good about themselves after back-to-back wins, but they will now take on one of the best sides in the division in the shape of Sunderland. We are expecting this to be a close contest at the University of Bolton Stadium but fancy the Black Cats to emerge victorious at the end of the 90 minutes.

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