League One leaders Wycombe Wanderers will seek to maintain their spot at the summit when they welcome playoff contenders Bolton Wanderers to Adams Park on Friday night.
The Chairboys returned to winning ways with an emphatic win over their former manager Gareth Ainsworth last weekend, while Bolton lost a local derby to Wigan Athletic.
Match preview
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No result is certain in League One, but Wycombe ensured there were no slip ups when they faced bottom-of-the-table Shrewsbury Town, beating Ainsworth's side 4-1.
Ainsworth, who took Wycombe up into the Championship himself, believes current manager Matt Bloomfield is capable of eclipsing his achievements, and that win got them back on track after a three-game winless streak.
League draws with Exeter City and Reading were followed up by an EFL Trophy elimination at the hands of Swindon Town at Adams Park last midweek.
Bloomfield did field a second-string side for that defeat though, meaning they may still want to cling onto their excellent run of home form, with Aston Villa the only away team to win here in 11.
Despite the riches of Birmingham City and Wrexham, Wycombe sit just above the two, with a game in hand over Wrexham, but with one more game played than Birmingham.
Their goalscoring exploits is what has got them to where they are so far, because Wycombe are far and away the most prolific team in the division, with 43 goals scored in their 19 league games so far.
Bloomfield must be wary of conceding as many as they did against Bolton in their head-to-head clashes last season though, where they were beaten home and away, shipping six across the two matches.
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While Wycombe returned to winning ways last weekend, Ian Evatt's Bolton suffered the opposite fate, as their good run of form came to an end at home to Wigan.
A five-game unbeaten run that saw Bolton win four was ended thanks to a 2-0 defeat that saw Bolton disappoint, recording 64% possession, but not creating a single big opportunity.
That result saw the Trotters fall below Barnsley into eighth, but they were fortunate that Reading and Stockport County, the teams in the final two playoff places, both lost as well, meaning Evatt's men are still only one point off the top six with games in hand.
The end of 2024 will be a huge one for Bolton, and could almost be season-defining given the opponents they will face.
A statement win here away to the league leaders would be huge, before they face the team directly above them, Barnsley, and the team directly below them, Lincoln City, in between Christmas and New Year.
Team News
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Wycombe are close to being able to welcome back Josh Scowen and Sam Vokes from injury, after both failed late fitness tests ahead of the Shrewsbury win last weekend.
Kieran Sadlier and Gideon Kodua are both set to miss out though, while Daniel Harvie is just one booking away from a suspension.
Yellow cards last weekend for Ricardo Santos and George Johnston mean Bolton will be without two important defenders for this one.
That could see Gethin Jones partnered by Will Forrester and Josh Dacres-Cogley in the back three for Bolton, with Eoin Toal and Chris Forino also sidelined due to injury.
Midfield duo Scott Arfield and Josh Sheehan are both edging closer to a return, but Kyle Dempsey and Carlos Gomes remain on the treatment table.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Ravizzoli; Pattenden, Low, Taylor, Harvie; Morley, Humphreys, Leahy; Onyedinma, Udoh, Lubala
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Jones, Forrester, Dacres-Cagley; Osei-Tutu, Matete, Thomason, Schon; McAtee, Charles, Adeboyejo
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
Wycombe showed their mettle to recover from three games without a win by thrashing Shrewsbury last weekend, and will feel confident of remaining top of League One on Christmas Day with another here.
Bolton have a very tricky festive schedule, but even though they have proven themselves capable of competing with anyone this season, they may come up narrowly short in this encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
