Bolton Wanderers vs Wolverhampton Wanderers; Sky Bet Championship
Bolton Wanderers vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sky Bet Championship.
University of Bolton StadiumAttendance19,092.
Bolton Wanderers 0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4
- B Douglas (16th minute)
- B Afobe (46th minute)
- D Jota (53rd minute)
- C Coady (66th minute pen)
Bolton v Wolves preview
Friday 20 April 2018 11:52, UK
Bolton boss Phil Parkinson should have an unchanged squad for the visit of Premier League-bound Wolves.
It remains to be seen how Parkinson will line up his team. He made six changes against Millwall and then made four changes at Barnsley last weekend. Will Buckley's introduction for the second half at Oakwell could see the midfielder recalled on Saturday but it would be surprising if Parkinson made wholesale changes again after only being denied victory against the Tykes by an injury-time equaliser.
Midfielder Darren Pratley will continue to have his nerve problem managed but he will hope to keep his place in the team while Jan Kirchhoff (hamstring) is still out.
Wolves clinched promotion back to the Premier League with a home victory against Birmingham and a point at the Macron Stadium will see them secure the Championship title. Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo will be forced into at least one change after Ivan Cavaleiro came off with a hamstring injury last weekend.
His absence could open the door for either Leo Bonatini or Benik Afobe to be recalled in attack. With promotion assured, Nuno might be tempted to give one or two peripheral players more game time in the remaining three matches. Danny Batth, Morgan Gibbs-White and Kortney Hause fall into that bracket.
Opta stats
Bolton are unbeaten in their last 10 home matches against Wolves in all competitions since a 2-1 defeat in the FA Cup in January 1999 (W6 D4).
Wolves are looking to complete a Football League double over the Trotters for the first time since the 1993-94 season.
Zach Clough scored three goals in two Championship appearances against Wolves for Bolton, with all three goals coming at the Macron Stadium.
Wolves need just five points from their last three games to become the 7th second tier side to win 100+ points in a single season (adjusting 3 points/win). In only one previous season have the Black Country side won 100+ points in a single season (103 in 2013-14 in the third tier).
Phil Parkinson has lost his last four league matches against Wolves, last beating them in his first meeting against them in November 2006 as Hull manager.
Two of the five Championship players to provide 10+ assists this season play for Wolves (Barry Douglas 14, Ivan Cavaleiro 12).
Prutton's prediction
Bolton would have been a massive step closer to safety if they'd managed to hold on for just a couple more minutes against Barnsley last Saturday, but they couldn't and it's left them right in the thick of the survival battle.
You wonder if Wolves will dip a little now they've secured promotion. It happened to Brighton last season and Bolton will certainly be hoping it happens to Nuno's side. I don't think he'll let that happen though. Away win.
David Prutton predicts: 0-2 (15/2 with Sky Bet)