Bolton vs Shrewsbury Prediction: Trotters have found their rhythm

Bolton Wanderers host Shrewsbury Town at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday (15:00) in League 1, looking to keep their winning run going. The Trotters have won three on the bounce as they bid to make up ground in the promotion race.

They welcome a Shrewsbury side that have won just one game all season and they are winless in their last five matches. Below you will find my Bolton vs Shrewsbury prediction, alongside the latest match odds and team news.

Bolton vs Shrewsbury Odds

Bolton are 4/11 to win this match, giving them an implied probability of 73.3%. Shrewsbury are priced at 13/2 to take the three points, which gives them a theoretical chance of 13.3%. The draw is available at 100/30 (23.1%).

Over 2.5 goals is valued at 4/6 and both teams to score is marketed at 10/11.

Bolton striker Dion Charles has scored five times in League 1 so far and he is 7/2 to open the scoring, or 11/10 to score anytime.

Football Odds

Team News 

The hosts are missing four players due to injury for this clash. They are Chris Forino, Will Forrester, Gethin Jones and Carlos Mendes Gomes.

Star striker Charles started on the bench in midweek as the Trotters defeated Northampton Town 4-2. The Northern Ireland international got on the scoresheet so he should be in line for a recall to the starting XI on Saturday.

He could be partnered with John McAtee up top, who has found the back of the net in the last two matches.

For Shrewsbury, they look like they will be without the services of Carl Winchester for this trip after he missed the midweek defeat to Stockport County. He will be assessed ahead of the game.

Arsenal loanee Charles Sagoe Jr will be pushing for a recall to the starting lineup after he was demoted to the bench against the Hatters.

Bolton to win to nil @ 6/5

After being promotion contenders in the last two seasons with consecutive appearances in the play-offs, it was surprising to see the Trotters have a slow start to the campaign.

There was early pressure mounting on boss Ian Evatt, especially after he failed in the last two attempts to take the club back to the Championship. Now it looks like he and his players have regrouped and are ready for another crack at getting out of the third tier.

Three games ago, Bolton had just one win in League 1, now they have four thanks to this three-game streak they've put together. They'll want to keep it going as big spenders Birmingham City have set the pace with their seven-game winning run.

However, apart from the Blues right now, there is no one that is a clear stand out to claim the other current automatic promotion spot. Bolton's winning run has got them four points away from Wrexham, who currently sit second.

When it comes to knowing what it takes to deliver over the course of the season to push for promotion from this division, there is no one more experienced than the Trotters. They had a good shot at finishing second last year, only to end up missing out to Portsmouth.

They look like they are getting their act together for another promotion charge, and I think they will have too much for struggling Shrewsbury this weekend. The Shrews have lost three of their last four away matches in League 1 to nil, and I expect this trend to continue against Bolton.

Dion Charles anytime goalscorer @ 11/10

Charles is one of the best goalscorers at this level, and it was only a matter of time before he started finding the net on a consistent basis in 2024/25. A recent hat-trick against Reading appears to have sprung him into life.

He only had one goal in the league before the victory over the Royals, and how he has four in his last three. I am expecting Evatt to promote him back into the starting XI on Saturday, where I think he could be in for a field day against a side that have shipped 15 goals already in this campaign.

Bolton's objective will be promotion this year at the third time of asking and Charles' goals will be crucial for it to happen. He is riding a wave of confidence at the moment and the more frequent he scores, the bigger threat he will be on a weekly basis, not to mention his team will drastically shoot up the table.

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