Bolton Wanderers

vs

Bradford City

Preview

Bolton Wanderers

• Bolton Wanderers will host Bradford City in the first leg of their 2025-2026 League One play-off semi-final on Saturday.
• The Whites finished fifth after a closely fought league campaign.
• Steven Schumacher’s side had a mixed finish, including a 3-2 defeat at Luton and high-scoring wins such as a 5-1 over Stevenage.
• The Wanderers have a potent attack and have scored plenty of goals in April.

Bradford City

• Bradford City grabbed 4th place on 77 points to secure their place in the play-offs.
• Mark Hughes has instilled a culture of patience, organisation and possession-based soccer at Valley Parade.
• They favour a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 shape, are solid at absorbing pressure and can hurt opponents on the break with pace in wide areas.

Head-to-Head

• The two teams met twice in League One this season.
• Bolton won 3-0 at home in December 2025.
• The return fixture in April finished 1-1.

Key Players

• Bolton:
  • Mason Burstow is their main attacking threat and has been one of their top scorers this season.
  • Sam Dalby and Josh Sheehan have provided an aerial presence and goals late in the season.
• Bradford:
  • Andy Cook leads the attack with experience and an eye for goals from set pieces.
  • Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon provide creativity in the number ten role.

Betting Insights

• Bookmakers have Bolton at 1.8, Bradford at 4.37 and the draw at 3.54.
• The Over 2.5 goals market is 1.94, while Under 2.5 goals is 1.83, with the preview favouring the Under 2.5 angle.
• The proximity to Valley Parade’s annual remembrance and local rivalry add an extra edge to this play-off clash.
• A clean sheet for Bolton would be a huge advantage into the second leg, while an away goal for Bradford could swing the series.

Prediction

• Bolton have home advantage and are slight favourites to nick a first-leg lead.
• Both sides are likely to be close to full strength for this clash with no key players suspended.