Will Bolton celebrate their second group stage win?
The tradition-steeped FA Cup and the less popular EFL League Cup are familiar to most football fans, but there is a third cup competition in the motherland of football. The EFL Trophy, however, is probably only a common term for football insiders. It is a cup competition for the small teams, as only teams from League One, League Two, invited clubs from the Conference League and U21 teams from some PL clubs are represented. During the international break, the ball is rolling in this competition in England. On Tuesday evening, Tranmere and Bolton, among others, will face each other.
There are currently 64 teams in the EFL Trophy, which have been divided into 16 groups of four. Each team plays only once against each other and after three group matches the group winner advances to the knockout phase. A special feature is the fact that there is no draw. In the event of a draw after 90 minutes, a penalty shoot-out follows directly.
This duel is a match of Group A2, which also includes the U21 team of Leeds United and Crewe Alexandra (League Two). In the clash between Tranmere and Bolton, the odds have the visitors as favourites, with betting odds of around 2.35 offered on the away win.
As the only third division team in this group, Bolton Wanderers are also the nominally strongest team on paper. In addition, they won their first group match 4:1, which means that they could make it through to the knockout phase as early as Tuesday. The match kicks off at Prenton Park on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Tranmere – Statistics & current form
As a Tranmere Rovers fan, you’ve been through a real rollercoaster of emotions in recent years. In the 2015/16 season, the team played in the Conference League for the first time in 94 years and thus lost their status as a professional club. In 2017/18, they returned to the top flight, and just twelve months later they were promoted to League One. After 46 matchdays, however, this adventure was already history and in 2022/23 head coach Micky Mellon’s team will be playing in the fourth-tier League Two for the third time in a row.
Breakout after mixed start to season
Ninth in the table last season, Rovers were for a long time within striking distance of the play-off places and the associated chance of promotion. This season, promotion is realistically not an issue, as the team has become much younger compared to last year. Many experienced players have been released, and the youth is now expected to do the job. No less than 17 of the 28 squad players are 24 years old or younger.
The lack of experience in some situations became quite obvious in the first games of the new season. In the meantime, nine games have been played in League Two and Tranmere have ten points. After two defeats in a row, Tranmere managed a small liberation last weekend away at Salford. With only the second away goal (in the fifth game) this season, Tranmere managed a narrow 1-0 victory.
At home in Pranton Park, the team is much more attack-minded and has already scored seven goals in four games. They also managed at least one goal of their own in the FA Cup against Premier League club Aston Villa (1:4 defeat). Therefore, a prediction on the guest between Tranmere and Bolton is advisable.
Predicted line-up of Tranmere:
Doohan – Bristow, Byrne, Simeu, Dacres-Cogley – Morris, Lewis, Merrie, Hawkes – Hemmings, Nevitt
Last games played by Tranmere:
League Two
17/09/2022 – Salford City 0 – 1 Tranmere
14/09/2022 – Tranmere 1 – 2 Bradford
03/09/2022 – Leyton Orient 2 – 0 Tranmere
27/08/2022 – Tranmere 2 – 0 Colchester
Carabao Cup
25/08/2022 – Tranmere 1 – 2 Newcastle
Bolton – Statistics & current form
It’s not just Tranmere Rovers fans who have endured many setbacks in recent years, but also those of Bolton Wanderers. In the 2011/12 season, the team was still in the Premier League before the deep fall reached the temporary low point with relegation to League Two (2019/20). Since then, at least, the curve has clearly been pointing upwards and after direct promotion back to League One, Ian Evatt’s team presented a commanding performance last year.
Continuity as the key to success
The second year after a promotion is often described as the “most difficult” year. So far, at least, there hasn’t been much of that with the Evatt eleven. Bolton Wanderers can be pleased with their performances so far and are once again underpinning their ambitions towards a return to the Championship. Five of the nine games of the season were won, the four other games ended with two draws and two defeats each.
In recent weeks in particular, Bolton have gone from one success to the next. The starting signal for the current high was a clear 4:1 victory against Crewe Alexandra on the first matchday of the EFL Trophy. Evatt proved to be the match-winner with Dion Charles (two goals). The cup triumph was followed by three league wins in a row. 17 points from nine games mean fifth place in League One. The gap to second-placed Portsmouth is only four points.
A big advantage for the third division club was the very quiet transfer summer. With James Trafford (Manchester City, goalkeeper) and Owen Beck and Conor Bradley (both Liverpool, both full-backs), three young talents were signed. Trafford and Bradley, in particular, immediately became top performers.
With the opening win on the first matchday, Bolton could secure the group victory as early as Tuesday. The prerequisite for this is an away win and this is quite likely due to the significantly higher quality. Value is definitely to be found between Tranmere and Bolton at odds of up to a 2.38 for the visitors.
Predicted Bolton line-up:
Dixon – Johnston, Aimson, Toal – Iredale, Sheehan, Thomason, Jones – Sadlier – Charles, Bakayoko
Last matches played by Bolton:
League One
17/09/2022 – Bolton 1 – 0 Peterboro
14/09/2022 – Milton Keynes Dons 0 – 2 Bolton
03/09/2022 – Bolton 3 – 1 Charlton
EFL Trophy Northern Grp. B
31/08/2022 – Bolton 4 – 1 Crewe
League One
27/08/2022 – Plymouth 2 – 0 Bolton
Tranmere – Bolton Direct comparison / H2H record
A direct comparison between two teams could not be much more even. There have been 25 games between the two teams across the competition, with nine wins for each side. Eight of the 25 games so far have ended in a draw. In 2019/20, both sides suffered relegation from League One (with the hosts winning each), while in 2020/21 Tranmere had the better of Bolton in both matches.
Tranmere – Bolton Tip
The rewards of the EFL Trophy are limited to fame and glory. There is of course no international starting place as in the League Cup or FA Cup. Accordingly, the teams often use this competition as an opportunity to start one or the other experiment. Therefore, a little caution is definitely called for when making a prediction. Surprises are within the realm of possibility.
Surprises are not out of the question on Tuesday evening at Prenton Park, but basically there is a lot to be said for betting on the visitors between Tranmere and Bolton. The Wanderers are currently in very strong form and brimming with confidence.
Tranmere also celebrated a win at the weekend, but the difference in class cannot be denied when looking at the quality available. Tranmere are a very young team, while Bolton also have a clear advantage in terms of experience. Accordingly, the prediction between Tranmere and Bolton is for an away win, with six units at stake.
