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Bolton vs Bristol City Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

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  • Macron Stadium
Bolton
Bristol City

odds when tipped

odds when tipped

Bolton vs Bristol City Predictions

After a summer of internal strife at the club, Bolton Wanderers banded together to produce the result of the weekend, a 2-1 win away at a West Bromwich Albion side that were relegated from the Premier League last season and were full of quality players.

Yanic Wildschut, on-loan from Norwich, scored a last-minute winner to stun the Baggies and bring all three points home. The team showed fantastic spirit and guile to get the result even though they were dominated throughout the match. West Brom ended the match with 72% possession and 20 shots but what matters is the two goals Bolton Wanderers scored to win. The team showed their quality from set-pieces, as both goals came from those, whilst new-signing Josh Magennis got off the mark with his first goal for the club.

This had come after a summer of crisis, which culminated in a July friendly being cancelled after the players went on strike over unpaid wages and bonuses. Indeed, the club could only pay a transfer for one player; £200k for the goal-scorer Magennis. Although the club were shrewd in some of their free signings, which included midfielder Luke Murphy, released from Leeds, defender Jack Hobbs, who was most recently at Nottingham Forest, and veteran Gary O’Neil who was at Bristol City.

Whilst it is difficult to see how they can keep this form up, this will give the club great heart in their fight against an almost-inevitable relegation battle and possible continuation of internal troubles.

After a season that had more positives than negatives, Bristol City drew at home against big-spenders Nottingham Forest, a result that they will be happy with but hoping for more in the coming games.

Indeed, Lee Johnson’s side dominated the first half, scoring in the first five minutes through new-signing Andreas Weimann, whilst having a shot cleared off the line. Although, the second half was a different story, which Johnson admitted, as Forest showed their promotion credentials with a goal almost straight after the restart, and ending the match with more shots and possession. Despite this, Johnson will be relatively happy to have seen his team hold on for the draw against a side that has spent £25m.

Whilst Johnson will have been impressed by his new signings, particularly Weimann and goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa, who made several crucial saves, he will be worried about losing any more first-team players. Striker Bobby Reid and defensive stalwart Aden Flint have already left and the club have accepted bids for left-back Joe Bryan, who has been a key player for the team in recent seasons. Bryan can be replaced but the manager will be anxious that no more last-minute bids come in that could disrupt the harmony of the team.

Despite this, it is likely that Bristol City still more than enough quality to enjoy another season around the top-10 again, particularly if they get knocked out of the cups early and don’t have the added pressure of playing games against the two Manchester clubs!

Although, this game is a close one to call. Bolton relied on their home form to stay up in the Championship last season and won nine of their ten matches there, whilst Bristol City appear to have a lot more quality in their side than Bolton. Thus, a “Bolton DNB” bet seems appropriate, as Bolton seem incredibly dangerous from set-pieces this season and are compact, especially at home, although Bristol City have more than enough quality to match them.

In terms of a correct score-line,  2-1 could be the final result in a match that will be tight and tense right up until the final whistle but with Bolton having that edge in physicality and set-piece expertise.

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