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The second team in the League One playoff final will be decided on Thursday, when Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers meet in the second leg of their semi-final tie.
The hosts head into the game with a deficit to overturn, after falling to a 1-0 defeat in last week's first leg away from home having earned home advantage for the decisive second meeting thanks to their fourth-placed finish in League One.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Bradford City vs. Bolton Wanderers key stats
- Only two teams have recorded more points in League One home games than Bradford City (50) this season.
- Bradford have won just one of their last six league games.
- Seven of Bolton's nine League One defeats during the regular season came away from home.
Bradford City vs. Bolton Wanderers preview: Bantams to overturn tie or Trotters to return to Wembley?
Bradford City vs Bolton Wanderers — Tale of the Tape
| Bradford City | vs | Bolton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | Position | 5th |
| 77 | Points | 75 |
| 58 | Goals For | 70 |
| 51 | Goals Against | 52 |
| 14 | Clean Sheets | 12 |
| 3rd | Home / Away Rank | 7th |
Bradford City head into their home playoff semi-final tie on Thursday needing to overturn the contest with a win on the night to keep their hopes alive of back-to-back promotions to the Championship.
On their return to England's third tier under Graham Alexander, they finished the regular season on 77 points from 46 matches, keeping hold of a top-six spot and earning home advantage for the second leg thanks to a final-day 2-1 victory over Exeter City after a dip in form late in the campaign.
That finish set up a two-legged contest with Bolton Wanderers, and the Bantams kept the away leg goalless until the hour mark, only to fall behind and trail 1-0 on aggregate heading into the decisive second leg at the University of Bradford Stadium.
They are bound to line up sinilarly to last week's narrow away loss, with key attacker Bobby Pointon being the only notable absentee, after Tyreik Wright was fit to return off the bench in the first leg, joining George Lapslie, Antoni Sarcevic, Kayden Jackson, Nick Powell, Stephen Humphrys and Will Swan in the fight for starts up top.
Bradford City will now bid to prevail on the night on home turf and turn the semi-final around, ideally inside 90 minutes, to book their place in next week's final and move within one game of a return to the Championship for the first time since 2004.
They face a tricky test, though, with the visitors keen to see their lead through and advance to their second League One playoff final in the last three years.
Bolton Wanderers would lose in the 2023-24 edition at Wembley and fail to crack the top six last time around, before ending the regular season in fifth spot this term, earning 75 points from their 46 games.
While they were not in danger of dropping out of the top six on the final day, Schumacher's side did end in disappointing fashion with two draws, including once against Bradford, and a final-day loss to Luton Town, but they bounced back when it mattered on Saturday, making the most of home advantage and going ahead in the semi-final thanks to Amario Cozier-Duberry's goal on the hour mark.
They will now bid to get over the line and make a return to Wembley, while still competing with the losses of Marcus Forss and Corey Blackett-Taylor, having welcomed Ethan Erhahon back for last week's first leg after his own layoff.
Bradford City vs. Bolton Wanderers form guide & betting tips
| Bradford City | vs | Bolton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
DDDWL |
Form | WDDLW |
| 6 | Points | 8 |
| 15th | Form Table | |
| 6 | Goals For | 12 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 8 |
DDDWL |
Form (All Comps) | WDDLW |
Whispers predicts: Bradford City 1-1 Bolton Wanderers (Bolton Wanderers win 2-1 on aggregate)
Bradford City will be forced to chase the game and win on the night, while Bolton Wanderers saw both teams score in six of their last seven regular-season League One games. We fancy Both Teams to Score on the night at 8/13.
Amario Cozier-Duberry boasts nine goals and 10 assists in League One this season, including Saturday's opener, and he may be a beneficiary of an open game with Bradford City committing men forward, leaving them vulnerable to pace on the break. Danger man Cozier-Duberry is priced at 11/10 to score or assist in 90 minutes.
While Bradford City will back themselves to win on the night with home advantage, it is not beyond believe that they are punished for chasing too hard and fall well short given the all-or-nothing position they are in against a visiting side with an aggregate lead. We, therefore, see Bolton Wanderers as good value to win in 90 minutes at 17/10.
> Both Teams to Score at 8/13 | Likelihood: Likely
> Amario Cozier-Duberry to score or assist at 11/10 | Likelihood: Probable
> Bolton Wanderers to win | Likelihood: Possible