Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Boltonvs.Fleetwood

sportsmole.co.uk, 10 November 2024, 12:30
Lancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers and Fleetwood Town clash in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, with a place in the knockout phase up for grabs.

Only the top two in northern section Group D can go through, and second-placed Bolton lead their visitors by one point heading into the group-stage finale.

Match preview

After beating Barrow 3-2 in their opening fixture, before drawing 1-1 with leaders Aston Villa Under-21s and losing a subsequent penalty shootout, Bolton Wanderers have their EFL Trophy destiny within their own hands.

Victory or a draw would secure at least second place in Group D, sealing progress to the knockout rounds, but stopping a recent downturn will be upmost in Ian Evatt's thoughts.

Since finishing October with back-to-back wins over Peterborough United and Stevenage, his team have succumbed to League Two high-flyers Walsall in the FA Cup first round - losing to a stoppage-time goal at Bescot - and taken a big beating in Stockport.

At the weekend, Bolton's fellow promotion hopefuls and Greater Manchester rivals thumped Wanderers 5-0, so Evatt's side have slipped to 10th in the League One table, seven points behind second-placed Birmingham City.

They will therefore be keen to sign off for the international break by getting back on track against Fleetwood, who have recently shown signs of revival.

Ronan Coughlan's early penalty was sufficient to earn Fleetwood a precious 1-0 home win over Bradford City on Saturday afternoon, despite being their sole shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.

The Cod Army's top scorer converted an eighth-minute spot kick after Matty Virtue had been fouled in the Bradford box, ultimately securing a first win in any competition for over a month.

Before exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Reading, Charlie Adam's men had posted consecutive League Two draws, and picking up five points from the last nine available has taken them into the top half of the table.

Just three points shy of the playoff places, Fleetwood can now take a break from the long slog in England's fourth tier, with another win on Tuesday evening sure to book their spot in the EFL Trophy's knockout phase.

In Group D so far, they have lost a five-goal thriller against Aston Villa's development squad and defeated Barrow 3-0, so beating Bolton would guarantee a top-two finish.

Bolton Wanderers EFL Trophy form:

W

L

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

L

L

Fleetwood Town EFL Trophy form:

L

W

Fleetwood Town form (all competitions):

L

L

D

D

L

W

Team News

Likely to rotate his resources in any case, Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt will be without three players called up by their countries for UEFA Nations League duty: Wales midfielder Josh Sheehan, plus Northern Ireland duo Dion Charles and Luke Southwood.

Charles has found the net on six occasions in League One this season, but either John McAtee or Victor Adeboyejo should deputise in the EFL Trophy, with support from Aaron Collins.

Both Gethin Jones and Jordi Osei-Tutu are now available following injury layoffs, but George Thomason, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Eoin Toal and Chris Forino are not due back until after the break.

Fleetwood have also had a goalkeeper selected for this month's Nations League finale, as David Harrington has been added to Craig Bellamy's Wales squad as cover.

Defender Harrison Holgate was recently ruled out for several months after undergoing surgery on a ruptured ACL, increasing the visitors' injury crisis: Zech Medley, Brendan Wiredu, Mackenzie Hunt and Rhys Bennett are all on the treatment table.

Meanwhile, Huddersfield Town loanee Kian Harratt scored twice in the win over EFL Trophy win over Barrow last month and could start up front again.

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Hutchinson; Cogley, Santos, Johnston; Matheson, Williams, Matete, Schon; Lolos; Collins, Adeboyejo

Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:

Lynch; Hughes, Potter, Bolton; Broom, Mayor, Bonds, Virtue, Patterson; Odubeko, Harratt

We say: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Fleetwood Town

Home advantage and a determination to put things right after recent results should see Bolton claim both victory and a place in the next stage.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.