IT is a chance for promotion into the Championship as Bolton Wanderers and Oxford United square off in the League One playoff finals. A closely fought encounter could be on the cards here but Bolton will be backing on their superior attack to give them the upper hand.
Bolton Wanderers reached the League One playoff final after claiming a 5-4 aggregate victory over Barnsley. They were beaten 3-2 at home in the second leg but a 3-1 victory in the first meeting was enough to see them through.
The defeat to Barnsley was the first in nine matches for Bolton Wanderers, who have been in good form lately. Ian Evatt’s men have been driven by a prolific attack that has scored two or more goals in seven of their last eight matches.
Oxford United earned a 2-1 aggregate victory over Peterborough United to secure a place in Saturday’s clash. Desmond Buckingham’s men triumphed 1-0 at home in the first leg before holding out for a 1-1 draw in the second meeting.
Like Bolton, Oxford United have been in good form lately, suffering just one defeat in their last 10 matches. However, they have not been as prolific as their rivals, failing to score more than once in four of their last five matches.
How the bookies view it: Bolton with the upper hand
Bolton Wanderers have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 17/20 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Oxford United is valued at 14/5 while a draw is set at 11/4.
Recent head to head: Wanderers often dominant
Bolton Wanderers have claimed four wins and a draw from the last six matches against Oxford United. Wanderers were also unbeaten during the regular season, playing out a 0-0 draw in Oxford before running out 5-0 winners at home back in March.
Players to watch: Eyes on red hot Charles
Dion Charles has been one of the standout players for Bolton Wanderers this season and finished as their leading scorer in the regular season with 16 goals. The striker scored twice in the semi-final and is priced at 13/10 by bet365 to find the net once again.
Oxford United can also hold their own going forward, particularly with Mark Harris, who has 15 goals this season. Despite scoring just once in the last five matches, the forward could still be worth keeping an eye on at 3/1 with bet365.
Probable line-ups
Bolton midfielder Kyle Dempsey started the first leg against Barnsley and should return to the team having featured off the bench in the second fixture.
Oxford United are not expected to make too many changes and may stick to much of the same team that featured in the semi-final.
Bolton Wanderers: Baxter, Jones, Santos, Toal, Sheehan, Dacres-Cogley, Dempsey, Thomason, Williams, Collins, Charles
Oxford United: Cumming, Bennett, Brown, Moore, Stevens, Brannagan, Dale, Rodrigues, Goodrham, Murphy, Harris
Anything else catch the eye? Attacks to shine
Bolton Wanderers and Oxford United have quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with bet365. Bolton saw over 3.5 goals in their two semi-final fixtures and a repeat could be backed at 9/4 while over 2.5 goals is valued at 9/10.
Wanderers scored in both halves in their last meeting with Oxford United and a similar pattern is priced at 2/1 by bet365.
This English League One match between Bolton Wanderers and Oxford United will be played on May 18, 2024 and kick off at 16:15. Check below for our tipsters best Bolton Wanderers vs Oxford United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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