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League One play-off betting tips: Bolton vs Barnsley

Bolton Wanderers and Barnsley will meet in the League One play-off semi-finals on Saturday afternoon at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Bolton finished five points behind Barnsley in fifth, but have a strong record against the Tykes at home. 

Date, KO time and TV coverage

League One play-off semi-finals first leg, Saturday May 13, Kick-off 3pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event

Predicted score

Bolton 1-0 Barnsley

Suggested betting tips

Bolton Wanderers to win
Under 2.5 goals
Both teams to score: No

Key stats

Bolton have kept 22 clean sheets so far this season, 14 of which have come at home. Two of those came against Barnsley when winning 3-0 and drawing 0-0.
Bolton are unbeaten in 15 league matches against Barnsley, a run dating back to 1997.
Barnsley have only beaten Oxford in their last five matches and Forest Green in their last five away matches.
Barnsley have a poor recent record in the North West of England, winning one, drawing one and losing 10 of their last 12 visits.

Verdict

Bolton Wanderers enter this League One play-off in fine form. The Trotters have won four of their last six matches and concluded their season with an entertaining 3-2 win over Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers.
Barnsley's sole win in five outings was a 2-0 victory at Oakwell against an Oxford United side threatened with relegation. Since then, they have lost back-to-back home games and should have lost at Stadium MK.
The Yorkshire side will need to rediscover their form quickly and may need to rely on a result on home turf to keep their promotion dream alive.
That said, Bolton made light work of the Tykes at Oakwell. Barnsley won 14 straight games either side of a 3-0 home loss to Bolton in January. The sides drew 0-0 in the reverse fixture.
Ian Evatt's side aren't strangers to keeping a clean sheet or two. They have shut out the opposition 14 times at the University of Bolton Stadium this season and have picked up a further eight clean sheets on their travels.
Play-off games can be tight affairs and it's worth noting that 16 of Bolton's 23 home matches have had two or fewer goals this season, with both teams scoring in just six of those.
Not only have Barnsley struggled in the North West of England, losing 10 of their last 12 trips, but Bolton are also their bogey side. They haven't beaten the Trotters in 15 league matches. They're also winless in 10 league trips to Bolton.
Looking at the form of the two teams and Barnsley's struggles against Bolton, coupled with the host's ability to keep things tight, we think the best bet is to back the hosts to win in a low-scoring game.

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