Bolton Wanderers will welcome Barnsley to Lancashire on Saturday in a key contest at the top end of the League One table.
The two teams are currently separated by five points, with the hosts sat in the automatic promotion spots and their visitors remaining fifth after a disappointing defeat last weekend.
Match preview
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Bolton Wanderers head into the weekend aiming to give their League One automatic promotion hopes a further boost, having only recently climbed back into the top two.
From their opening 27 matches, the Trotters have amassed 57 points, picking up a league-high tally of 18 victories along the way while suffering eight defeats, and with their 26 goals conceded being the fewest in the division so far this term.
Following a brief blip in early December, six of the Lancashire outfit's victories have come in their last seven attempts, firstly picking up four straight triumphs throughout the festive period, before the abandonment of their meeting with Cheltenham Town and a 1-0 defeat to Leyton Orient saw Ian Evatt's men drop out of the automatic promotion spots in England's third tier.
They have bounced back in impressive fashion since, though, regaining a top-two spot with back-to-back three-point hauls, firstly beating Cheltenham 1-0 in the rearranged home fixture before dishing out a 4-1 beating away at strugglers Carlisle United at the weekend thanks to goals from Zac Ashworth, Paris Maghoma, Kyle Dempsey and Nathanael Ogbeta.
Now on the back of an EFL Trophy quarter-final exit away at Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers return to the promotion race in a strong position with a one-point lead over third-placed Peterborough United and a game in hand and just a three-point gap up to leaders Portsmouth with three in hand, and they will set out to further strengthen their position with a third straight league triumph on Saturday.
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In their way stand a Barnsley side who also have their sights set on automatic promotion this term, albeit likely being confined to the playoff fight after falling agonisingly short in the final at Wembley last term.
Under the new management of Neill Collins, the Yorkshire outfit have collected 52 points from their first 28 games this term, picking up 15 victories along the way while also only suffering six defeats, and with their tally of 52 goals only topped by third-placed Peterborough at this stage.
The Reds did give their slim automatic promotion hopes a major boost with three straight victories in January, beating Bristol Rovers and Carlisle United 2-1 and Oxford United 1-0 to stretch an unbeaten streak to 11 league matches, but they would fail to add to that last weekend at home to Exeter City.
Seeking to further stake their claim for a top-two spot in England's third tier this term with a fourth straight triumph, the Reds trailed by two goals within the opening 30 minutes at Oakwell, as Jack Aitchison and Reece Cole found the net for their visitors, and Mael De Gevigney's 87th-minute goal came too late to spark a turnaround for Collins's men.
Such a result saw Barnsley drop four points behind fourth-placed Derby County, albeit with a game in hand, and five behind Saturday's second-placed visitors having played a game more, while seventh-placed Stevenage are now just three points back, and they will be keen to quickly rebound from the weekend's disappointment and take a major scalp on Saturday to solidify their position in the playoff spots and the top-two fight.
Team News
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Ian Evatt made plenty of rotations to his Bolton Wanderers squad for their EFL Trophy meeting with Blackpool last time out, and he should revert to a full-strength start XI similar to the one that thrashed Carlisle United 4-1 last weekend.
While the Trotters have bolstered their attacking options with the capture of Aaron Collins from Bristol Rovers, he is unlikely to come in from the start having only arrived on Thursday, with Victor Adeboyejo more likely to return alongside star man Dion Charles up front, while Paris Maghoma will offer further support from an advanced midfield role.
Josh Sheehan and Kyle Dempsey should come back in from the start to make up the remainder of the midfield, while Eoin Toal, Ricardo Santos and Jack Iredale are bound to reform a back three with Swansea City loanee Nathanael Ogbeta fighting to get the nod over Zac Ashworth to start in a left wing-back role.
Neill Collins may opt to make several changes to his Barnsley side after their defeat to Exeter City last time out, although Jordan Williams, Mael De Gevigney and Jack Shepherd will line up in an unaltered back three with Jamie McCart remaining sidelined by injury.
Callum Styles will again not feature with a departure to Sunderland anticipated, but Luca Connell should return from the outset in the engine room, likely replacing Max Watters if the Reds switch to a more conservative shape for the trip to Bolton.
That leaves John McAtee to partner key man Devante Cole up front, with the pair having netted nine and 16 goals respectively so far this term.
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Toal, Santos, Iredale; Dacres-Cogley, Sheehan, Dempsey, Ashworth; Maghoma; Charles, Adeboyejo
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Roberts; Williams, De Gevigney, Shepherd; O'Keefe, Phillips, Connell, Russell, Cadden; Cole, McAtee
We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Barnsley
We anticipate a close encounter between two sides full of quality on Saturday but give a slight edge to the hosts, who have more momentum on their side and their sights set on taking top spot in the coming weeks.
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Sam Varley
