Two sides aiming for a spot back in the Championship will meet here in League One with Bolton Wanderers meeting with Barnsley in Greater Manchester with the home side looking towards top spot with three games in hand on Portsmouth.
Bolton are only behind Portsmouth in first place by three points in the race for the top spot. However, with three games in hand, the club can move six clear of Pompey, should results go their way. What's more, Bolton have managed to win one more game already than the league leaders, despite the gap in points and three fewer games played. This means Bolton have drawn only six games compared to Portsmouth's tally of nine.
The Greater Manchester side have also scored 50 goals so far and are only outcored by Derby County, Peterborough United, and this weekend's opponents, Barnsley. The defensive record of 26 goals let in is also the best in the division so far, which is one less goal conceded than Portsmouth.
Bolton were knocked out of the Football League Trophy last time out when they met with Blackpool at Bloomfield Road with a quarter-finals penalty shootout loss. The club also managed to defeat Carlisle United in the last outing in the league, as goals from Nathanael Ogbeta, Kyle Dempsey and Paris Maghoma and Zac Ashworth saw them win 4-1 at Brunton Park.
A further win over Cheltenham Town two weeks ago means they have only lost to Luton Town in an FA Cup replay this month, alongside a defeat to Leyton Orient in London. Bolton have managed to get wins over Burton Albion in League One and Accrington Stanley in the third round of the EFL Trophy this past month.
Barnsley have rocketed up the league in recent times after struggling in the first part of the season. The Tykes have managed to secure 15 wins so far from 28 matches, scoring the most goals in the league (52) after Peterborough's tally of 54.
Barnsley have so far beaten Oxford United, Bristol City and Carlisle in 2024 so far, grabbing all three points by a one-goal margin. A loss at home to Exeter City last time out was a big blow, while they've also managed to draw with Peterborough in the past month.