Our prediction for this League 1 match:
Crown Ground will host Saturday’s League One game between Accrington and Bolton, the two teams who were beaten by AFC Wimbledon and Fleetwood respectively in midweek. The Accy Stanley failed to extend their winning run to three games, but despite the defeat they remained in 13th place in the standings. Head coach John Coleman should opt to make changes to the starting XI, with both Nolan and O’Sullivan pushing for a start.
The Trotters, on the other hand, made a promising start to the season, but they have been having their ups and downs of late. Anyhow, the share of spoils is on the cards as the two teams seem to be evenly matched ahead of day 22. Ricardo Santos misses out through suspension as he was sent off in the midweek defeat, while Xavier Amaechi is pushing for a start.
Highlighted Player (Stephen Sama):
Born in Bamenda, Cameroon on March 5, 1993, Stephen Sama is a towering defender who plays for Accrington Stanley in the League One. After moving to Germany, Sama received German citizenship in 2009, and, as a result, he represented the European country at youth level.
The Cameroon-born player has 16 caps in total for Germany U17, U18, U19 and U20 teams. Speaking of his club career, Stephen Sama played for the likes of Schwarz-Weiss Eppendorf, Wattenscheid, Bochum, Borussia Dortmund, and Liverpool before moving to Stuttgart. Sama played for the likes of Greuther Furth, Osnabruck, and Heracles Almelo before signing a deal with League One club Accrington Stanley.
The 188-cm tall defender made his League One debut on September 12, 2020 in a 2-0 win over Peterborough United. His main position is centre-back, but he is used as both right-back and defensive midfielder as well. His preferred foot is right.
Highlighted Team (Bolton):
Bolton Wanderers were formed as Christ Church Football Club back in 1874 and three years later they adopted their current name. The Trotters currently compete in the Championship and they play their home games at Macron Stadium, which was opened in 1997.
Speaking of the club’s trophies, Bolton Wanderers won the FA Cup on four occasions (1923, 1926, 1929 and 1958), but they have yet to win the Premier League title. The Trotters were producing splendid displays in the 2003/2004 Premier League campaign, with the team finishing the season in eighth position in the standings, which is regarded as the club’s best result in the English top flight.
Bolton did well to reach the UEFA Cup knockout stages in the 2007/2008 season; the English outfit eliminated Atletico Madrid in the two-legged tie, but Sporting Lisbon eventually proved to be a big catch for the Trotters.
Nigeria international Jay-Jay Okocha is one of the most notable footballers who played for Bolton and he scored 14 goals in 124 appearances in the league for the club. Bury are considered the club’s fiercest rivals.