Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers square off in the second leg of their League One playoff semi-final with the tie still perfectly in the balance.
Barnsley will consider themselves in a strong position after earning a 1-1 draw in the first leg last Saturday. They even opened the scoring in the second half through Nicholas Cadden but that lead only lasted four minutes.
While Barnsley will be pleased with their showing at the University of Bolton Stadium, the result means they are now winless in their last four matches. The major problem is a lack of discipline at the back having failed to keep a single clean sheet in those four fixtures while also conceding 10 goals in that run.
Although the plan is to close out the tie in front of their fans, Barnsley’s recent home record has been troubling having lost their last two matches at Oakwell. However, Michael Duff’s men will still be feeling confident as they had claimed nine straight home wins prior to those two defeats.
Bolton Wanderers were not at their best in the first leg as they came from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw. They fell behind midway through the second half with Dion Charles striking the equaliser four minutes later with their only attempt on target.
Manager Ian Evatt will be disappointed with his team’s display but the result means they have still only lost once in their last 11 matches. Bolton Wanderers have claimed six wins in that run, although they have conceded in three of their last four matches.
Bolton Wanderers will also be feeling confident ahead of Friday’s clash as they are unbeaten in their last five away matches, claiming three wins in that run. They also picked up a 3-0 victory at Oakwell on their way to earning four points from the two regular season fixtures with Barnsley.
How the bookies view it
Barnsley have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 21/20 by Coral. A victory for Bolton Wanderers is valued at 3/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by William Hill.
Recent head to head
Bolton Wanderers were unbeaten in the two regular season meetings with Barnsley, playing out a 0-0 draw at home before running out 3-0 winners at Oakwell. However, in the middle of both fixtures, Barnsley claimed a 2-1 FA Cup victory back in November.
Players to watch
Devante Cole scored 15 goals for Barnsley during the regular season but had a quiet outing in last week’s first leg. The striker will be keen to rediscover his scoring touch on Friday and is priced at 2/1 with Paddy Power find the net.
Bolton Wanderers will be looking to Dion Charles to provide the attacking spark once again after netting the equaliser in the first leg. The striker has 18 League One goals this season and is priced at 13/5 by Paddy Power to score anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers have not been too convincing at the back and with both teams scoring in the first leg, a similar outcome could be considered at 10/11 with bet365. There were over 3.5 goals in Bolton’s last away fixture and a repeat is valued at 14/5 with Unibet while bet365 is offering 21/20 for over 2.5 goals.
Both goals in the reverse fixture came after the break, so the second half can be tipped as the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Paddy Power. There was a halftime draw in that fixture and a repeat is priced at 11/10 by BetVictor.
This English League One match between Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers will be played on May 19, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barnsley vs Bolton Wanderers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
