New signings and a flying wing-back on loan from Fulham: What Sunderland can expect from Bolton Wanderers

The Black Cats beat Bolton 1-0 in August’s fixture at the Stadium of Light, but Wanderers have dropped to 18th in the League One table since then.

To find out more, we caught up with Bolton reporter Marc Iles from The Bolton News to get the inside track:

We saw Bolton play at the Stadium of Light in August - how have they fared since?

MI: “It’s been pretty much all downhill since Bolton came to the Stadium of Light for what I felt was a pretty unlucky defeat at the time.

"Ian Evatt' s side had started the season really well but the confidence started to drain from the team after a 4-0 home drubbing by Wigan and once injuries and Covid had done their damage, the team had dropped to 18th by the start of January.

"Thankfully, things are looking up again now after back-to-back wins against Ipswich and Shrewsbury and a raft of new signings.”

What system are Bolton likely to play?

MI: “Difficult to guess with any accuracy.

“Evatt has switched to three at the back in the last couple of games but arguably found more success when he moved to 4-3-3 in-game.

"With the new additions he has made to the squad he has a few different options against Sunderland.”

Who are their key players?

MI: “For my money, Dapo Afolayan is still the most impactful player in the team - but he has started the last couple of games from the bench.

"Dion Charles has started life at Bolton really well, scoring a belter against Shrewsbury last weekend.

"I also like the look of Marlon Fossey, who is on loan from Fulham - a flying wing-back and a proper athlete down the right flank.”

What’s the latest team and injury news?

MI: “No new injuries to speak of, as Kieran Lee came through a fitness test in midweek on a slight hip problem.

"Xavier Amaechi, the former Arsenal winger on loan from Hamburg, is fit again and might make the bench.”

Can you have a go at a predicted line-up?

MI: “Absolute guesswork (4-3-3): Trafford; Jones, Santos, Johnston, John; Fossey, Williams, Morley; Afolayan, Charles, Bakayoko.”

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