The Voice - Match preview #16: Bolton Wanderers vs Bradford City Saturday 22nd November 2025 3:00pm

EFL League One Fixture #16
Saturday 22nd November 2025 15:00
Bolton Wanderers (4th) vs Bradford City (3rd)
Toughsheet Community Stadium

Record:
Games Won: 15
Games Drawn: 18
Games Lost: 18

Last 5:
18 Feb 2017: Bradford City 2 – 2 Bolton Wanderers
03 Sep 2019: Bolton Wanderers 1 – 1 Bradford City [EFL Trophy]
05 Sep 2020: Bolton Wanderers 1 – 2 Bradford City [EFL Cup]
27 Oct 2020: Bolton Wanderers 1 – 0 Bradford City
06 Mar 2021: Bradford City 1 – 1 Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers:
Bolton Wanderers head coach Steven Schumacher will be a familiar name to Bradford City fans who can remember as far back as 2004-07, when the former Everton academy product plied his trade at Valley Parade for 3 straight seasons, all in League One. Schumacher’s departure for Crewe Alexandra coincided with the Bantams’ relegation to League Two, and the former Toffee would spend much of his playing career alternating between League One and League Two, before the prospect of management raised its head with Southport. While Schumacher managed Southport for just one game, the coaching bug had clearly bitten, as Schumacher would team up with head coach Ryan Lowe at Bury, before following him to Plymouth Argyle. Having guided the Pilgrims to promotion to League One, before Lowe departed for Preston North End, leaving Schumacher to take the reins proper.

Schumacher guided Plymouth Argyle to the League One title in 22/23, as well as reaching the EFL Trophy final, before Stoke City swooped. Schumacher’s tenure at Stoke City lasted just 32 games, and despite a win percentage of 40.63, Steven was dismissed and would sign for Bolton Wanderers just 4 months later in January 2025. Despite a middling start to life as the Trotters’ coach, things have started to take shape as Schumacher approaches his first year in charge, and Bolton Wanderers now find themselves in 4th place in the League One table, very much looking upwards.

Having rattled off 5 straight wins that have included victories over Huddersfield Town twice (league 2-1 A, FA Cup 2-1 H), flawless home victories over Cardiff City (1-0) and Port Vale (4-0), as well as a thumping 6-2 annihilation of Oldham Athletic in the EFL Trophy, Bolton Wanderers are on the hottest form of their time under Schumacher’s tenure. While their ‘Away’ record (1W, 3D, 3L) is nowhere near as impressive as their table-topping ‘Home’ form (6W, 2D, 0L), Schumacher’s Bolton side will be relishing the arrival of 3rd place Bradford City this Saturday afternoon – particularly given they will enjoy home field advantage.

In terms of standout threats, Mason Burstow (7) leads the scoring charts in league terms, with Amario Cozier-Duberry (6) nipping at his heels. Strangely, Marcus Forss (2) is the only other Bolton Wanderers player to have scored more than 1 in the league this campaign, though factoring in cup goals, Thierry Gale, Sam Dalby and John McAtee can claim 3 each.

Burstow, on loan from Hull City, has been enjoying his football, although he has now gone 4 league games without a goal. Cozier-Duberry, also on loan, this time from Brighton & Hove Albion, has now scored 4 in his last 3 league outings – a career-best hot streak for the former Arsenal academy product. But, ominously, it’s not just goals that the young hot shot winger produces, as he can boast a further 6 assists – making 12 total direct goal involvements in just 15 games – and he’s only getting better.

Perhaps that explains why Bolton Wanderers top the xG chart, even though they are technically underachieving in the goals scored department. Perhaps that is coming to an end now, though, having netted 10 times in their last 2 outings…

Bolton Wanderers 4 – 0 Port Vale


Bolton Wanderers 1 – 0 Cardiff City


Bradford City:
A run of 5 league games without a win and no league victory since September are both facts liable to set alarm bells ringing. Injuries have really taken their toll of late, and the early season wins that turned to 3 straight draws in late October have now been followed by 3 straight defeats – albeit 2 of those defeats were, fortunately perhaps, in cup competition.

Graham Alexander has had a fortnight to try to pick the troops up, and, hopefully, see some of those players return to something close to full fitness. Unlike Bolton Wanderers, who have seen a full 6 players make either 14 or 15 starts this season, Bradford City have just 4 players in that bracket – and none of them are attacking options, unlike Bolton’s top two goalscorers in Burstow and Crozier-Duberry. Bobby Pointon had been the standout player prior to injury and there are high hopes he will continue to influence the season and build on his current tally of 6 goals, but both he and the second-highest goalscorer Antoni Sarcevic (5) have been in-and-out the team of late causing immense disruption. Will Swan (4) is off form, while Andy Cook has yet to really find his feet after a long term injury, leaving Josh Neufville (3) and Stephen Humphrys (2) as the only other City players with multiple league goals to their credit this season. Ordinarily, the firepower available to Graham Alexander would be more than a match for Bolton’s deadliest assets, a fact reflected in their superior overall goal haul, but consistency of selection has gone out the window of late.

While City have the added advantage of having their best-performing players nailed down on permanent contracts unlike Bolton Wanderers’ top two goalscorers who are both on loan and in jeopardy of moving on in January, none of that will factor in this Saturday. Still, if Alexander can field the likes of Pointon, Swan or Cook, and Sarcevic from the off, it will be the healthiest-looking line up in quite some time.

That’s a big ‘if’, however, with the added caveat that regular game time cannot be underestimated. The strongest line up still isn’t as strong as it could be without a run of games behind them. Nevertheless, City’s first home defeat of the season to the newly-invigorated Burton Albion is hardly the death knell of the campaign, especially with City still sat as high as 3rd. If the Bantams can put their recent wobble behind them, they will find themselves in a phenomenal position.

That is a big ‘if’.

Bradford City 1 – 2 Burton Albion


Bradford City 0 – 0 Lincoln City


Prediction:
While a full strength Bradford City side are probably as good as anyone in League One this season, a mid-strength and constantly rotating Bradford City side have looked decidedly mediocre. If Graham Alexander can call upon some of his big guns at Bolton Wanderers, there’s still the possibility this game has come just a little too soon – with potential rustiness and lack of form a major concern.

Bolton Wanderers don’t have any of those concerns, and even though they could come a cropper in January if Mason Burstow and Amari Cozier-Duberry’s parent clubs choose to recall them, that will simply not be a factor on Saturday afternoon. Cozier-Duberry is on scintillating form of late, and his threat could pin left wing back Ibou Touray back and negate one of City’s most consistent attacking outlets. If that is the case, Josh Neufville on the right will need to have a blinder, or City will have to adapt to the fact long diagonal balls aren’t as readily available. Playing through the middle hasn’t been City’s strongest suit this season, although Pointon and Sarcevic have both shown they can influence big games, with Sarcevic having found the net in huge away wins over Stockport County and Cardiff City. If they both start, the omens are better – the circumstances won’t be ideal, but it’s still a major improvement.

What City really need is for a striker to find form – whether it’s another purple patch from Will Swan, or the return of the talismanic Andy Cook to the heights of 23/24, or even the mercurial Stephen Humphrys to finally blossom for a sustained period, something needs to give. If it doesn’t, Bolton Wanderers’ odds on favouritism (3/4 per the bookmakers, with City a whopping 16/5) will look great value. A team not solely reliant on two players on red hot form, Bolton Wanderers have cultured players all over the pitch – and the best home form in the division, coupled with the best xG.

This is potentially a tough one for City, and if they batten down the hatches, a draw is possible – but without knowing who Alexander will be able to field, and without knowing exactly how sharp those players will actually be, this looks an easy pick.

Bolton Wanderers have to be installed as major favourites, and could win this at a canter.

Final Score:
Bolton Wanderers 4 – 1 Bradford City