Doncaster Rovers will continue their desperate search for points in League One when they travel to face Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday evening.
Currently four points adrift in the relegation zone, Doncaster could see their five-year stint in League One come to an end, whilst Bolton's inconsistency has seen them plateau in mid-table.
Match preview
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Unable to put their shock FA Cup defeat to non-league Stockport County behind them at the weekend, Bolton succumbed to a disappointing 1-0 loss against Wycombe Wanderers.
It now means that Ian Evatt's side have not beaten any side from outside the relegation zone at the time of playing since early September.
What is more, only one victory in their last seven League One matches has seen a season that started with playoff aspirations quickly drift away into obscurity.
Currently floating around mid-table, Bolton are closer to the bottom four than they are the playoff spots, making Tuesday's match against Doncaster somewhat of a must win.
Searching for their first victory over Rovers since April 2014, Bolton last came up against Doncaster during their ill-fated 2019-20 League One campaign, that saw the Whites relegated to the fourth tier.
Having since earned promotion back into League One, it will be their opponents who are hoping to avoid dropping down a division, with Doncaster's current situation looking ominous.
A run of seven matches without a win to start the season saw Doncaster fall into the relegation zone almost immediately, where they have remained ever since.
One victory in Rovers' previous six matches has led to the pressure pile on manager Richie Wellens, who was appointed at the beginning of the campaign.
A former Doncaster players during two spells for the club, the Manchester-born man's return to the Keepmoat Stadium has not been a welcome one so far, with many questioning his viability for the role.
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Team News
After shipping five in midweek, Joel Dixon retained his position between the sticks, with the goalkeeper having now registered just one clean sheet in his previous 13 matches.
Eoin Doyle has sat out the Whites previous two matches, yet the striker may return to a Wanderers side desperate for goals.
In his place, Elias Kachunga has led the Bolton line, yet the former Huddersfield Town man has failed to find the net in League One this season.
Louis Jones was brought into the side for Doncaster's most recent outing against Lincoln City, with the 23-year-old goalkeeper able to secure only Rovers' second clean sheet of the campaign.
A victory over Bolton would have to come against the odds for the visitors and if they are to steal all three points at the University of Bolton Stadium, they will no doubt look towards Tommy Rowe.
The midfielder is the only Doncaster player to have netted more than once this season and his three goals for the campaign have been a bright point in an otherwise miserable season.
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Dixon; Isgrove, Santos, Johnston, Gordon; Thomason, Williams, Lee; Kachunga, Doyle, Afolayan
Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Jones; Horton, Olowu, Anderson. Knoyle; Bostock, Galbraith; Taylor, Rowe, Vilca; Dodoo
We say: Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Doncaster Rovers
Often a regular in the League One playoff conversation, Doncaster's drop off in form this season has been sharp.
League Two football beckons for Rovers if they fail to get their act together, yet three points away to Bolton is not likely to be the place that will start.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bolton Wanderers win with a probability of 56.38%. A draw had a probability of 23.9% and a win for Doncaster Rovers had a probability of 19.74%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bolton Wanderers win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.55%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.72%) and 2-1 (9.67%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.33%), while for a Doncaster Rovers win it was 0-1 (6.64%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 6.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Bolton Wanderers would win this match.
