Barnsley welcome Bolton Wanderers to Oakwell in search of their third League One victory in a row and a fourth consecutive win against their Lancashire opponents.
League One
Our 3 Predictions For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers:
- 1st Prediction For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers: Match Result Barnsley – 17/10
- 2nd Prediction For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers: Over 2.5 Goals – 4/6
- 3rd Prediction For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers:
1st Prediction For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers: Match Result Barnsley – 17/10
Barnsley have prevailed in the last three meetings between these two sides and have started this season with a bang. Bolton Wanderers lost their opening fixture away at Stockport County and are yet to find their rhythm, losing on penalties in midweek to a young Sheffield Wednesday side.
2nd Prediction For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers: Over 2.5 Goals – 4/6
Barnsley have started well in front of goal, scoring at least twice in all of their three competitive matches and have scored six in their opening two league games. Contests involving the Tykes have averaged three goals so far this season and the same can be said for Bolton Wanderers after their 3-3 draw with Wednesday.
3rd Prediction For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers: Both Teams To Score Yes – 8/15
Bolton may have lost two of their opening three competitive fixtures this season but they looked to have clicked against Plymouth Argyle and scored three against Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup. For all of their goal scoring abilities, Barnsley have failed to keep a clean sheet so far, conceding five goals in their three outings.
Best Odds For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers:
| Bookmaker | Barnsley | Draw | Bolton Wanderers |
| MyriadPlay | 33/20 | 5/2 | 27/20 |
| Gentleman Jim | 17/10 | 5/2 | 13/10 |
| Betarno | 31/20 | 23/10 | 13/10 |
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
Conor Hourinane’s Barnsley kicked off their League One season with a difficult looking trip south to Plymouth Argyle but, even with Jack Shepherd receiving his marching orders, came away with an impressive 3-1 win. An own goal plus strikes from Adam Phillips and Davis Keillor-Dunn were enough to secure all three points at Home Park.
That was followed up by a thrilling home victory over Burton Albion in a match that saw the Tykes battle back from two goals down to snatch a dramatic winner in the third minute of time added on. Caylan Vickers and Adam Phillips had drawn the Yorkshire side level before David McGoldrick showed age is just a number with the winning strike.
Barnsley have scored six and conceded three in their opening two league fixtures and shared a further four goals with Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup before knocking the League Two side out on penalties. Adam Phillips has made a superb start to the season with one goal and two assists whilst Davis Keillor-Dunn has found the net twice.
Bolton Wanderers made a disappointing start to their season as they went down 2-0 away at Stockport County but bounced back brilliantly with a win at home over Plymouth Argyle, with goals from Eoin Toal and Mason Burstow securing the 2-0 victory.
Steven Schumacher’s side bowed out of the EFL Cup in midweek after losing on penalties to Sheffield Wednesday after an entertaining 3-3 draw. Jordi Osei-Tutu equalised for a Bolton side who were down to ten men when Sam Inwood was dismissed inside half an hour before Thierry Gale again levelled things up in the 77th minute only for Wednesday to take a 3-2 lead moments later. Summer signing Amario Cozier-Duberry sent the game to spot kicks with a 92nd minute strike only for Wednesday to come out on top 4-2 in the shootout.
Wanderers have scored two and conceded two with Eoin Toal and Mason Burstow scoring the goals and Cozier-Duberry and Josh Sheehan providing the assists.
Since 2012, these sides have faced each other 18 times and have been hard to split, with Barnsley winning five matches to Bolton’s six and seven ending in stalemate. Barnsley have scored 23 times in those 18 matches, Bolton have found the net on 27 occasions and two matches have ended without a goal.
Last season saw Barnsley dominate the fixture, winning both games by an aggregate score of 6-2. On Boxing Day of last year they travelled to Bolton and came away with all three points thanks to goals from Davis Keillor-Dunn and Adam Phillips, the latter scoring with just minutes left to secure a come-from-behind victory after Klaidi Lolos had given the home side an early advantage.
The return fixture at Oakwell in April put a huge dent in Bolton’s playoff ambitions as two goals each for Jonathan Russell and Fabio Jalo handed the Tykes a comprehensive 4-1 win with Aaron Collins pulling one back for Schumacher’s side.
Before those meetings, the pair had played out a pulsating playoff semi final over two legs at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Barnsley had finished sixth and they hosted third placed Bolton in the first leg of the end of season lottery. Dion Charles gave Bolton the lead inside 25 minutes and he doubled that lead from the spot with 53 minutes on the clock. Sam Cosgrove gave Barnsley hope with 15 minutes to go but their evening became disastrous when Randall Williams made it 3-1 in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
As Barnsley made their way to the Toughsheet Community Stadium, the tie looked dead and buried but the Tykes had other ideas and took the lead through Sam Cosgrove before Aaron Collins ad Eoin Toal looked to have booked Bolton’s ticket to Wembley. Adam Phillips made it 2-2 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate to give Barnsley hope and there were some jittery moments for the home support one Cosgrove had struck again to bring his side to within a goal. Bolton held on and booked their place in the playoff final thanks to a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Confrontation
Where can I watch the game, either on TV or in person?Where To Watch Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers:
- Location: Oakwell, Barnsley
- Date: August 16th, 2025
- TV Channel:
Probable Lineups For Barnsley v Bolton Wanderers:
What sort of lineups can we expect from both sides for this League One encounter?
Barnsley Lineup:
- Lineup: M. Mahoney, M. Durand de Gevigney, J.Bland, J. Earl, N. Ogbeta, L. Connell, V. Yoganathan, D. Keillor-Dunn, A. Phillips, C. Vickers, D. McGoldrick
- Suspended/injury:
- Coach: Conor Hourihane
Bolton Wanderers Lineup:
- Lineup: T. Sharman-Lowe, J. Osei-Tutu, E. Toal, G. Johnston, M. Conway, J. Sheehan, X. Simons, A. Cozier-Duberry, J. Randall, T. Gale, M. Burstow
- Suspended/injured:
- Coach: Steven Schumacher
