League One Preview: Bolton Wanderers vs Wrexham - Analysis and Insights

Bolton Wanderers will take on Hollywood owned Wrexham on Sunday in the second gameweek of the League One season. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson will return to his old club Bolton for the first time since being sacked in 2018 after relegation from the Championship under a transfer embargo.

Phil Parkinson says he is looking forward to returning to one of his old clubs as he prepares his Wrexham side for Sunday’s trip to Bolton Wanderers ⚽#BBCFootball
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) August 15, 2024

Both sides opened their campaigns with close victories, and with both starting the season off on a positive note, the game promises to be hard fought with a raucous atmosphere.

As the game approaches, we take a dive into both teams, attempting to identify strategies, players and absences that could have a significant say on which way the game sways.

Bolton Wanderers vs Wrexham Recent Form

Both sides had fairly successful pre-season campaigns, with Wrexham producing the best results.

They comfortably beat Hansley Town 5-1 in their first friendly, before coming away with consecutive draws against top flight teams Bournemouth and Chelsea, 1-1 and 2-2 respectively.

Chelsea’s Levi Colwill and Wrexham’s James McClean having a bit of a tussle after a late tackle during their pre season friendly during the night… 🫣 pic.twitter.com/pYz24eKdCp
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) July 25, 2024

They then beat Vancouver 4-1, before succumbing to their only defeat of pre-season against Hednesford with a rotated side. They finished their pre-season with a tight 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town.

Bolton played one less pre-season friendly than Wrexham, but also achieved some excellent results, chief of which was a draw against Italian top division side Fiorentina. However, their results against domestic sides were less impressive, as they lost 3-0 to Middlesbrough and 1-0 to Stoke City, while beating minnows Chorley and League Two side Port Vale.

With positive results against larger teams mixed in with poor results against teams of smaller stature, few conclusions can be drawn from their pre-season results.

However, their first competitive result of the season can offer a little more insight. Bolton beat Leyton Orient 2-1 in a game which Port Vale had the better of, while Wrexham battled to a 3-2 win of Wycombe Wanderers, in another game where their opponent should have perhaps taken something away from.

Bolton also advanced into the second round of the Carabao Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Mansfield Town, while Wrexham fell to Sheffield United 4-2.

A game that promises plenty of goalmouth action, it’s a tough fixture to call.

Bolton Wanderers vs Wrexham Goal Scorers

Northern Irishman Dion Charles led the way for Bolton last year, with 14 goals in their run to the play-offs, where they eventually lost to Oxford United in the final. Aaron Collins and Victor Adeboyejo provided good backup, scoring 11 goals and 10 goals respectively.

Our first goal of the 2024/25 season courtesy of Dion Charles! 🐔💥#bwfc pic.twitter.com/OVhFMcTKyb
— Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC) August 10, 2024

Bringing in Scott Arfield and John McAtee in the summer window, Bolton certainly have excellent options upfront this season, and could well be up in the promotion play-off places again if all goes to plan.

Wrexham continue to lean heavily on the goals of Paul Mullin for their success. His 24 goals in League Two last season earned them a second consecutive promotion, building on his excellent 38 goals in their promotion winning National League campaign, and he doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon.

Wrexham do however have some experienced heads to fall back on if Mullin finds himself out of the team, as ex-Wolves striker Steven Fletcher and Championship mercenary Jack Marriot are also in the attacking ranks. Their nous in front of goal could prove crucial, especially in the tight closing stages of a game where prior experience becomes essential.

Bolton Wanderers vs Wrexham Team News

Wrexham have no injury absences to speak of, but star striker Mullin underwent surgery over the summer and was left out of the squad for Wrexham’s meetings with Wycombe and Sheffield. He is expected to miss out once more on Sunday, but his progress is allegedly good, and he should be expected back in the squad soon.

Bolton have a clean bill of health, and will be able to field a full strength team by the time Sunday rolls around bar any unfortunate training injuries.

Bolton Wanderers vs Wrexham Predicted Lineups

Bolton Wanderers (3-4-2-1): Baxter (GK), Toal, Santos, Iredale, Dacres-Cogley, Thomason, Sheehan, Schon, Arfield, Collins, Charles.

Wrexham (5-3-2): Okonkwo (GK), Mendy, O’Connell, Scarr, O’Connor, Revan, Dobson, Cannon, Lee, Palmer, Marriott.

Bolton Wanderers vs Wrexham Player to Watch

Aaron Collins had an excellent season last year that went under the radar. Scoring 11 from the midfield in a division as tough as League One is no mean feat, and combining that with 10 assists to take his tally to 21 goal contributions indicates that he has some serious talent.

⚪️Aaron Collins (2.1%)

🔢Collins has averaged 0.52 goals/assists per EFL appearance since the 22/23 season, a consistent shining light for #UTG and #bwfc.

🐉Bolton face a #wxmafc side who conceded league one’s second most xG in GW1 (1.99 vs Wycombe), looking vulnerable in… pic.twitter.com/eNWxM1cNBW
— Toby - Fantasy EFL Tips (@FEFLTips) August 15, 2024

Efficient in his decision-making in attack, and not afraid to get back and help out the defense, Collins is an excellent all-round player who is perfectly suited to thriving in this division. His energetic performances will likely see him standout again this season, and he has developed his end product further in the off-season, his figures can only get even better.

Where can I watch Bolton Wanderers vs Wrexham?

The game will not be shown on UK TV, but live text commentary will be available on Sky Sports Football and any other live scores app you choose to use, keeping you updated with every kick of the ball.