A struggling Bristol Rovers side are set to host promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers at Memorial Stadium on Saturday in League One.
Rovers are currently 16th in the table with 21 points from their 18 games so far, while Bolton are seventh after accumulating 30 points from their 17 matches this season.
Match preview
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With Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor on a leave of absence due to an ongoing family emergency, first-team coach David Horseman and assistant Wayne Carlisle have been in charge of the Gas in his stead, and will be preparing the side to face Bolton this weekend.
Last time out, Rovers put in what some have described as their worst performance of the season when they lost 3-0 against Leyton Orient on Tuesday.
In that game, Horseman's team were thoroughly dominated by Richie Wellens's Os, failing to find their feet and producing just one shot on target in the entire match, a sight so dire that fans booed the team off at the interval.
In truth, it is fair to say that chance creation and offensive output has been an issue for Rovers this term, given that they have averaged 0.9 goals per game so far this league season and managed just one goal in their last five fixtures in all competitions.
Contrastingly, the Gas have earned a commendable six clean sheets in League One this season, twice as many as this weekend's opponents, Bolton, though they have scored 11 fewer goals.
In his post-match interview, Horseman said that fans were right to boo and remarked that it was disappointing that the team were struggling to find consistency at the moment.
This inconsistency is readily apparent when considering that Rovers have recorded two wins, two losses and one draw from their last five games, and it is worthwhile to note that one of those wins was on penalties against Barnsley.
The Gas will be hoping to put in a strong performance on Saturday in order to prove their commitment to the fans and keep ahead of teams like 21st-placed Northampton Town, who occupy a place in the relegation zone just three points behind them.
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Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt marked his 250th game in charge of the Trotters with a fascinating 3-1 win on Tuesday when they faced Mansfield Town at Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Just like the Gas, Bolton were booed off at half time in that match, though they managed to come from 1-0 down to claim all three points thanks to late goals from Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo and John McAtee.
That being said, the Trotters did rely on a timely red card for the Stags' goalscorer Hiram Boateng to change the course of the match, and scored all three of their goals within 15 minutes of his 70th-minute dismissal.
As referenced earlier, Bolton have kept just three clean sheets all season in League One and just one in their last 13 matches across all competitions, a stretch that goes back to a 2-0 win over Crawley Town in late September.
Ahead of this weekend, Evatt's side have won three of their last four matches and find themselves just outside of the playoff spots on goal difference.
With a win on Saturday, Bolton could move as high as fourth in the table should results elsewhere prove favourable, though they will be most keen to keep up the pressure on rivals Stockport County, who thrashed the Trotters 5-0 on November 9 but have the same number of points and are only ahead on goal difference having played one game more.
Team News
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Ruel Sotiriou struggled against former club Leyton Orient last time out and may return to the bench on Saturday, with Luke McCormick returning to the XI.
Last time out, captain Scott Sinclair returned to the lineup for the first time since the first round of the FA Cup in early November, and he will be keen to put things right this weekend, so expect him to start in the forward line alongside Shaqai Forde and striker Chris Martin.
As for Bolton, forward Dion Charles may start this weekend given that he managed to score the equaliser against Mansfield Town after being introduced on the hour mark, with Aaron Collins making way.
Likewise, expect fellow goalscorers Victor Adeboyejo and midfielder John McAtee, who picked up a goal and an assist in that game, to start for Evatt's side.
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Griffiths; Moore, Taylor, Wilson, Mola; Lindsay, Ward, McCormick; Sinclair, Martin, Forde
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Jones, Santos, Johnston; Schon, Matete, Sheehan, McAtee, Dacres-Cogley; Adeboyejo, Charles
We say: Bristol Rovers 1-2 Bolton Wanderers
Even though Bristol Rovers are struggling at the moment, especially offensively, they could find holes in Bolton's weak defence to score a rare goal.
However, the Trotters have scored significantly more than the Gas this season, and may prove too much for Horseman's side to handle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
