Fresh Bolton Wanderers promotion verdict given as…

Fresh Bolton Wanderers promotion verdict given as Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday & Derby tips made

Bolton Wanderers head into the international break sitting in the top six in League One following the opening phase of the campaign.

Wanderers do not play this weekend owing to the planned trip to Fratton Park to take on Portsmouth being cancelled due to call-ups within the squads. Conor Bradley and Dion Charles are in the Northern Ireland squad, while Amadou Bakayoko is with Sierra Leone and James Trafford is with the England under-21s camp.

Ian Evatt's side have won their last three games in the division on the bounce against Charlton Athletic, MK Dons and most recently last weekend against Peterborough United. Dapo Afolayan's late strike proved the difference.

Throughout the campaign, football statistics website FiveThirtyEight is forecasting how the League One table might finish after the results of every matchday, with the campaign reaching the climax of the regular season at the start of May before the play-offs.

As things stand, Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday remain the two side tipped to be clinching automatic promotion and playing back in the Championship again. The play-off places are predicted to be keenly contested - and Wanderers are being tipped to sneak into the top six.

Wanderers are being tipped to finish sixth and be two points ahead of Plymouth Argyle on 78. Portsmouth, Derby County and Barnsley are the other three sides predicted to finish in the top six.

Wanderers would face Pompey in their play-offs semi-final, if this comes to fruition. At the opposite end of the table, Bristol Rovers, Forest Green Rovers, Morecambe and Burton Albion are being tipped for relegation to League Two.

Predicted League One final table (correct as of September 23, 2022)

1. Ipswich Town – 92 pts

2. Sheffield Wednesday – 89 pts

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3. Portsmouth – 83 pts

4. Derby County – 80 pts

5. Barnsley– 79 pts

6. Bolton Wanderers – 78 pts

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7. Plymouth Argyle – 76 pts

8. Peterborough United – 69 pts

9. Wycombe Wanderers – 67 pts