Bolton Wanderers host Charlton Athletic in League One on Saturday afternoon.
Bolton Wanderers have dropped away from the play-off spots after falling to back-to-back League One defeats.
Ian Evatt’s side have lost to two promotion hopefuls without scoring, losing 2-0 against Sheffield Wednesday before suffering another 2-0 defeat at the hands of Plymouth Argyle. It leaves them in 10th place after six games but still in a decent position after going undefeated in their first four games.
As for Charlton Athletic, a run of three unbeaten with two consecutive draws has seen them move above Bolton Wanderers. Ben Garner has made his Addicks side a tough one to beat in the early days of his reign, losing just once so far this season.
They occupy 8th place ahead of this weekend’s trip to Bolton Wanderers.
Now, ahead of the tie, a handful of The72’s writers have made their predictions for the game…
James Ray
“Despite just how strong League One is this season, I still believe both these sides have what it takes to push for a spot in the play-offs. Ian Evatt has made no secret of his ambition ever since taking over at the University of Bolton Stadium, while Ben Garner has the talent in his squad to cause anyone an issue on their day.
“There’s not much to split these two coming into this one and, arguably, neither side would be too disappointed with a draw.
“Bolton need it more after back-to-back defeats at they’ll be hoping the home crowd can will them on to all three points. However, I think they’ll be shared this weekend.”
Score prediction: Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Charlton Athletic
Luke Phelps
“I like the look of these two sides this season. Charlton have got their mojo back whilst Bolton have shored up a bit, but they’ve seemingly lost a little bit of the firepower they had last season.
“With a spot in the top-six up for grabs for both these sides, it’ll make for a really intense and hopefully exciting encounter, but with Bolton not having the best home form so far, I’m also going to go for a draw.”
Score prediction: Bolton Wanderers 1 – 1 Charlton Athletic
Graham Smeaton
“Very little separates home side Bolton Wanderers and their visitors Charlton Athletic for this weekend’s game.
“It will be a game that pits two sides together that are making early strides towards the play-off places.
“Ian Evatt’s Bolton side are holding their own in League One this season and showing early signs of consistency and a dogged nature.
“However, I just don’t think that they will have enough against a Charlton Athletic side who have a little bit more League One nous than their hosts.”
Score prediction: Bolton Wanderers 1 – 2 Charlton Athletic
