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

The visitors are currently fifth in the table, level on points with seventh-placed Derby County, while Exeter occupy 11th position, 11 points behind their opponents in this contest.

Match preview

Exeter earned promotion from League Two last season, with the club operating in the third tier of English football for the first time since their relegation in 2012.

As a result, consolidating back at this level was always their number one priority this season, so it has been a successful campaign in that sense, with the team comfortably in the middle of the table.

Gary Caldwell's side have picked up 53 points from their 39 league games to sit 11th, 18 points clear of the relegation zone and actually only 11 points off the playoff positions.

The Grecians have been in strong form of late, only losing one of their last seven in the league, while they have been victorious in three of their last five, which means that confidence should be high ahead of this match.

Exeter have also won each of their last four home league games, while they are unbeaten in front of their own fans since the start of February and boast the 10th-best home record in League One this term.

Bolton's recent League One form has been concerning, only picking up two points from their last four matches, with their last success in the league coming against Port Vale at the end of February.

The Trotters are still inside the playoffs, sitting fifth, but they are level on points with seventh-placed Derby, and a poor result on Friday could easily see them slip down the table.

Bolton held leaders Sheffield Wednesday to a 1-1 draw in their last league game on March 17, while they will enter this match off the back of a 4-0 win over Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Trophy final.

A dominant performance from Ian Evatt's side saw Kyle Dempsey, Dion Charles, Elias Kachunga and Gethin Jones get their names on the scoresheet, with Bolton securing the silverware.

The Wanderers will now be desperate to earn promotion back to the Championship, which is a level that they have not operated at since being relegated in 2018-19.

Exeter City League One form:

D

W

L

W

W

D

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

L

W

L

D

L

D

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

W

L

D

L

D

W

Team News

Exeter will be without the services of on-loan Fulham attacker Jay Stansfield due to the injury that he suffered against Fleetwood, but he should be available before the end of the campaign.

There will therefore be at least one change from the side that started on Saturday, with James Scott expected to be Stansfield's replacement.

There could be a further alteration in midfield, though, with Joe White pushing to start, while Sam Nombe, who has 15 league goals this term, will lead the attack.

As for Bolton, Kachunga is still waiting for his first league goal of the campaign, but the attacker's strike in the EFL Trophy final could see him keep his spot in the final third.

Charles has been the team's main source of goals this term, netting 15 times in the league, and the 27-year-old is again a certain starter for Bolton in this contest.

Due to the manner of the performance against Plymouth, it could be a case of same again for this game, meaning that Cameron Jerome will likely have to accept a spot on the bench.

Exeter City possible starting lineup:

Blackman; Sweeney, Aimson, Hartbridge; Key, White, Collins, McDonald, Mitchell; Nombe, Scott

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Jones, Ricardo, Toal; Bradley, Morley, Sheehan, John; Charles, Dempsey, Kachunga

We say: Exeter City 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Exeter's recent home form has been excellent, and this has the potential to be a very tough game for Bolton, who are not in the best of form in the league. It would not be a shock to see a home or indeed an away win, but we just have a feeling that the points will be shared in Devon.

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