Match Preview: Bolton Wanderers v Port Vale (Saturday, 3pm)

Port Vale make the journey to the University of Bolton Stadium to play Bolton Wanderers on Saturday looking to pick up points to end their three-game losing streak.

Vale’s struggles have left them with just four points from their last six League One matches, while their opponents have earned nine from a possible 18.

With 81 goals in 44 games so far this season, Bolton are the league’s second-highest scorers with 1.8 goals per game. And they are conceding fewer than average, letting in 48 goals at a rate of 1.1 per game.

Vale, meanwhile, are below average scorers, with 0.9 goals per game, compared to a league average of 1.3. They have conceded 1.6 goals per game.

Wanderers are third in the table after 44 games, of which they have won 24 and drawn 11, earning 83 points.

The Valiants are 19 places behind the home team in 22nd, with 10 wins and 10 draws putting them on 40 points.

In the last 10 years, Bolton and Vale have played each other on nine occasions. Bolton won seven of them, Vale one, and they drew once.

On average, Bolton scored 1.9 goals and the Valiants 1.1 in those matches.

Their last meeting was on December 5, when Bolton won 2-0 at home.

With Nathan Baxter between the sticks, Bolton can rely on one of the league’s safest pair of hands. He has kept 13 clean sheets in his 31 appearances this season in League One.

In the visitors’ net, Connor Ripley has 11 clean sheets in 44 games. He has conceded a goal every 62 minutes, 60% more often than the 100 minutes between goals for Baxter.

Bolton’s last match was on Tuesday, a 2-2 draw against Shrewsbury Town, with Cameron Jerome and Paris Maghoma getting the goals for Bolton.

Vale lost 2-1 against Wycombe Wanderers last time out, also on Tuesday, with Ethan Chislett on the scoresheet.

Saturday’s match will be refereed by Charles Breakspear, who has taken charge of 17 League One games so far this season, issuing six red cards and booking 93 players. He has awarded eight penalties.

The last Bolton game Breakspear refereed was a 3-2 home win against Leyton Orient on December 23. He is yet to oversee a match featuring Vale this season.

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Bolton Wanderers v Port Vale
League One | University of Bolton Stadium
Saturday, 20 April 2024 @ 3.00pm

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