Bolton Wanderers vs Everton

Toughsheet Community Stadium is the venue as Bolton Wanderers and Everton go head-to-head in their first meeting in a decade.

It’s been a decent pre-season for Bolton Wanderers so far as they’ve gone unbeaten in all four summer friendlies (W3, D1), though each game was against lower-division sides. Despite reaching the League One playoffs last season, Ian Evatt’s men couldn’t secure Championship promotion, losing 2-1 to Barnsley on aggregate in the semi-finals. But playoff qualification could still be encouraging ahead of their first meeting with Everton since 2013. Interestingly, they’ve alternated between victories (2) and defeats (2) across their last four H2Hs, with each match (won/lost) seeing the winner on the day score precisely twice. Scoring shouldn’t be a problem for Bolton, considering they’ve found the net in four straight outings heading into this fixture.

On the other hand, Everton eked out a 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic last time out, building further confidence following a 2-1 triumph over Stade Nyonnais in their opening summer friendly. Sean Dyche’s team barely survived last season’s relegation scrap in the Premier League, finishing only two points clear of 18th-placed Leicester City, courtesy of 1-0 final-day win over Bournemouth. But as the division’s second-worst attack (34 goals scored in 2022/23), the ‘Toffees are a rather iddle attacking threat. A run of four straight scoring showings may tell a different story, but goals remain at a premium for Everton.