Head-to-Head
- Bolton have won 3 and drawn 4 of the last 7 head-to-head meetings between the teams in all competitions.
- AFC Wimbledon have failed to win any of the previous 7 meetings.
AFC Wimbledon
Bolton will take the game to their hosts, but a tight and tense affair is expected as Wimbledon attempt to sit deep and snatch the occasional breakaway or set-piece chance.
Bolton
- Bolton’s high-possession, aggressive pressing system has been working well of late, with the full-backs and target men making good progress against teams that sit deep and attempt to stifle their attacking flow.
- There is more at stake for Wanderers, who are 3rd in League One with 46 points from 28 matches and well into the promotion race, than there is for 18th-placed Wimbledon, who have 32 points from 26 games and are only just above the relegation zone.
Bolton
- Mason Burstow has been a handful up front for his side and he provides a focal point that Steven Schumacher’s system thrives upon, within Schumacher’s high-pressing system.
- Joe Lewis in goal will need to marshal a defence that has been exploited by crosses and set-pieces in recent matches.
AFC Wimbledon
- Marcus Browne is AFC Wimbledon’s midfield engine, whose energy and goals are vital to their hopes of staying afloat.
- Matty Stevens and Ronan Curtis are both very useful forwards.
Betting Insights
- Wanderers are a much bigger team than the Dons and the difference in league position between the sides is reflected in the odds, with Bolton 1.76 favourites, Wimbledon 4.8 outsiders and the draw coming in at 3.4.
- Both teams have been exposed at the back recently and appear keen to get forward to try and win matches, so the Both Teams To Score market at 1.77 offers some value, but Wanderers’ back-to-back shutouts on the road suggest they can prevent the hosts from scoring.
Prediction
- Given Bolton’s higher position in the league, their impressive recent away form, the head-to-head record and the fact that the hosts have been very erratic in their performances this season, we are going to side with Wanderers to take all three points on Saturday.
- Wanderers can win the game by a 2-0 or 2-1 margin if they can keep pace with the Dons in the opening exchanges and remain compact when Wimbledon counter.
