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

The visitors opened their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Lincoln City last weekend, while Cheltenham suffered a 1-0 defeat to Shrewsbury Town in their first league game of the season.

Match preview

Cheltenham secured promotion to League One at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, and they have finished 15th and 16th in their last two seasons in the third tier of English football.

The Robins suffered a 1-0 defeat to Shrewsbury in their 2023-24 opener in Shropshire last weekend, with Ryan Bowman's second-half effort proving to be the difference between the two sides.

Cheltenham were also on the end of a disappointing loss in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, going down 2-0 at home to Birmingham City in the first round of the competition.

Head coach Wade Elliott will not be too concerned at this stage of the season, but he will not want losing to become a habit, especially with four more games to come in the league before the end of the month.

Cheltenham have managed to add a number of players to their squad this summer, with Luke Southwood, Liam Smith and Curtis Davies among those arriving at the club during the transfer window.

Bolton, meanwhile, finished fifth in League One last season, which saw them qualify for the playoffs, but they were beaten by Barnsley in the semi-finals.

The Trotters are one of the favourites to win the league this term, and they were excellent in their opener against Lincoln last Saturday, recording a 3-0 victory, with Jack Iredale and Victor Adeboyejo both registering before Paudie O'Connor scored an own goal in the 74th minute.

Bolton were also triumphant in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, booking their spot in the second round of the competition courtesy of a 1-0 success over Barrow.

Ian Evatt's side have managed to make eight signings this summer, with Nathan Baxter, Dan N'Lundulu and Carlos Mendes among those arriving to boost the squad.

Another win on Saturday would lead Bolton nicely into back-to-back home games against Fleetwood Town and Wigan Athletic, as they look to rack up the wins early in the season.

Cheltenham Town League One form:

Cheltenham Town form (all competitions):

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Team News

Cheltenham boss Elliott made a number of changes to his starting side for the EFL Cup clash with Birmingham last time out, but the team's key players will be back for this one.

Liam Sercombe and Aidan Keena both came off the bench at the interval of the match against the Blues and will be among those to return to the first XI on Saturday afternoon.

Tom Bradbury will also return in the middle of the defence, but Rob Street should retain his spot in the final third of the field for the home side.

Bolton boss Evatt, meanwhile, is expected to select the same side that took to the field for the first whistle of the contest with Lincoln last weekend.

As expected, there were a number of changes for the EFL Cup clash with Barrow, but the likes of Dion Charles, Adeboyejo and Kyle Dempsey will return to the side on Saturday.

Baxter will also be back between the sticks, while Randell Williams should also feature following his positive performance in the three-goal success over Lincoln.

Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:

Southwood; Long, Bradbury, Freestone; Smith, Sercombe, Bonds, Olayinka, Williams; Keena, Street

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Baxter; Ricardo, Iredale, Jones; Dacres-Cogley, Morley, Sheehan, Dempsey, Williams; Charles, Adeboyejo

We say: Cheltenham Town 0-2 Bolton Wanderers

It is still very early in the season, but Bolton were excellent in their division opener and look well-equipped to make a strong push for the title in 2023-24. Cheltenham, meanwhile, appear short in a number of areas, and we are expecting the visitors to claim all three points on Saturday afternoon.

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